Worried that your child no longer wants to spend time with you and speaks to you harshly and distantly? It will be easier for you to reach out if you understand why the relationship has altered.
A middle-aged woman was stuck in a supermarket’s billing line. She casually added that, as a mother of three teens, she could have stayed at home if she wanted to be ignored. This remark elicited a round of laughs from the other customers, who could relate to what the lady was saying.
Is that what’s going on at your house, jokes aside? Is it possible that your preteen or adolescent has changed and no longer wants to spend time with you?
Preteens and teens, on the other hand, are not as anxious to spend time with their parents as young children are. This is the time in their lives when they are creating their strong ideas, loves, and dislikes, and they will frequently disagree with you, their parents. As a result, people start interacting with you less and less.
This abrupt behaviour change might be startling. Many specialists, on the other hand, believe that having disagreements with one’s parents is perfectly normal for a developing youngster. It is also reasonable for your teen to desire to spend less time with you, according to them. So, let’s take a look at what’s changed in the relationship.
Why children gradually begin to avoid their parents:
Lack of interest
As your children become older, they improve their communication abilities and enjoy interacting with people about diverse topics such as sports or hobbies. However, while your children believe they are capable of having serious discussions, you, as their parents, may disagree. You may even assume a pessimistic or contemptuous attitude at times. This may cause youngsters to withdraw.
Friends are more fun
As they learn to share and play together, children develop a strong bond with their peers. In addition to gaining new skills and knowledge, children are anxious to have fun. These elements encourage youngsters to associate with their classmates and spend time with them rather than with you, their parents.
Hyper parenting
We recognise that every parent wants their children to succeed in life. To achieve this, most parents encourage their children to excel academically and develop other required skills. Some people, however, go too far. They begin to exert control over every element of their children’s lives to the point where they feel suffocated or ‘dominated.’ As a result, children may be less likely to interact with their parents.
Dysfunctional Families
Due to marital crises or other relationship challenges, some families may be under a lot of stress. Children in such conflict-ridden homes tend to blame themselves or their parents and withdraw into a shell, causing the parent-child bond to break down.