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Adolescents[ edit | edit source]
Main article: Adolescence

Parents often feel isolated and alone in parenting adolescents. Adolescence can be a time of high risk for children, where new-found freedoms can result in decisions that drastically open up or close off life opportunities. There are also large changes occurring in the brain during adolescence; the emotional center of the brain is now fully developed but the rational frontal cortex hasn't matured yet to keep all of those emotions in check. As the brain matures, adolescents also get better at emotion regulation (an important developmental milestone) which is their ability to regulate the intensity, frequency and expression of emotions to meet the demands of a given situation. However, adolescents that have difficulty managing their emotions is often linked to behavioral problems and psychopathology. Adolescents tend to increase the amount of time they spend with peers of the opposite gender; however, they still maintain the amount of time they spend with those of the same gender—and they do this by decreasing the amount of time they spend with their parents.

Although adolescents look to peers and adults outside the family for guidance and models for how to behave, parents remain influential in their development. Studies show that parents have a significant impact, for instance, on how much teens drink.

During adolescence children are beginning to form their identity and are testing and developing the interpersonal and occupational roles that they will assume as adults. Therefore, it is important that parents treat them as young adults. Parental issues at this stage of parenting include dealing with "rebellious" teenagers who consistently push the limits. In order to prevent these issues, it is important for the parents to build a trusting relationship with their children. This can be achieved by planning and taking part in fun activities together, keeping promises made to the children, spending time with them, not reminding kids about their past mistakes and listening to and talking to them.

Conflicts become increasingly common, especially in early adolescence. Conflict occurs typically because adolescents are fighting for more autonomy in a relationship previously characterized by the parent having all the power. Parent-adolescent conflicts are a normal and necessary part of adolescent development. Common conflicts include arguments about chores, responsibility, autonomy and respect (among many others). It is mainly through conflict that adolescents and their parents learn how to solve problems together while learning how to manage negative emotions that can arise during a conflict.

Conflicts between parents and adolescents are usually characterized by negative emotions, more so than positive emotions. Parents/caregivers that express more positive emotions tend to be more supportive and nurturing towards their children during conflicts. Conversely, parents that tend to express more negative emotions are more likely to scold their children, be more hostile, and less likely to be responsive.

The expression of different emotions has unique contributions to the outcome of parent-adolescent conflict. Positive affect (i.e. laughing and smiling) is used during conflict to help diffuse tension when arguments get too heated. Studies show that parents expressing neutral affect are better at managing their own emotions and more likely to try to resolve the conflict. When parents express anger, it is thought to be their way of expressing to their adolescent that the topic of discussion is important. However, it is worth noting that when a parent expresses only anger (and generally expresses more negative emotions), they are more likely to be dismissive of their adolescents’ emotions during conflict. Parental expressions of sadness appear to be reflective of sensitivity. When a parent expresses sadness, it is thought to be their way of expressing empathy to their adolescent during a heated discussion. Therefore, it is important to foster healthy parent-adolescent relationships by teaching both parties how to manage their emotions, and confront conflict, appropriately.

When a trusting relationship is built up, adolescents are more likely to approach their parents for help when faced with negative peer pressure. Helping the children build a strong foundation will help them resist negative peer pressure.