How to Deal with a Moody Teenager: 5 Kind Tips for Parents

The teen in your life may leave you continuously scratching your head. She's capable of shifting from super-happy to out-of-control crankiness faster than a NASCAR driver changes lanes. The most frustrating part for parents is that these mood swings seem to come out of nowhere.

I know—I've already raised six teens, and I have two more to go. When people find out I have teens in my midst, they shake their heads, roll their eyes, and take pity on me. "Good luck surviving the teen years!"

Teenagers are fascinating young adults—intelligent, funny, adventurous, and curious. Unfortunately, they often get a bad rap. Society tends to focus on their unpredictable, moody natures instead of all the cool things they bring to the table. That negativity can seep into your life and make you dread interacting with your teen. But if you embrace this time in your child's life rather than dread it, the teen years don't have to be a living nightmare.

5 ways to cope with a moody teenager

Here are five loving strategies to help you cope with the moodiest of teenagers.

It's essential for parents to pay attention to their teen's mood and make sure that there are no signs of depression. Visit the National Institute of Mental Health website for information on teen depression, including signs and symptoms to watch for.

Educate your teen (and yourself) about their emotional development

The start of puberty means young adults have to endure significant hormonal changes. Their bodies are physically developing, but their brains are not mature until their mid- to late-twenties. So, as they're trying to adjust to sudden physical changes, they're also coping with rapid emotional changes. No wonder they have intense bouts of moodiness!

Your adolescent needs to know that mood swings and unpredictable behavior are brough on by normal and natural changes happening to their bodies and minds.

I read an insightful interview with Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, about how teenagers get a bad rap.

Until about 15 or 20 years ago, we just didn't know that the brain develops at all within the teenage years. Until then, it was assumed that teenage behavior was almost entirely down to hormonal changes in puberty. But brain scans and psychological experiments have...

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