Why Your Teen’s Mood Swings

Let’s face it. Teens are hormonal and it can be a roller coaster for the entire family! Teens feel their feelings more intensely. they are not used to these “big” emotions. Sometimes, in fact, they can seem like two-year-olds, having temper tantrums, unable to manage their feelings. Two-year-olds have one basic trigger, they don’t want to hear the word “no!” And while teens don’t like that either, there is a lot more that feeds their rocky emotions besides not getting what they want. Teens are struggling to become independent while needing to remain dependent. They are struggling with how others perceive them. At the same time they are caught between navigating the maze of being true to themselves while being an accepted member of a peer group. There are so many contradictions in your teen’s world and they often feel overwhelmed, full of self-doubt one moment, over-confident or arrogant the next. They are taking in so much new information and are struggling to process how they fit into a world that has so many stresses coming at them: the need to be liked and accepted, the need to achieve, the need to be okay to fail, the need to be figure out what their role is going to be in life, especially when there are so many more choices out there. Adulthood is coming at them fast and that can also be scary. They often don’t feel ready for it. 

What seems like a clear, simple path for adults, often feels like a landmine for your teen.  Just remember: don’t focus on the mood or the behavior, but on simply being there for them, hearing them, empathizing with them, and sending them the message that you believe they will figure it out!