Plenty of parents complain about the teenage years, but if you are parenting a troubled teen, it can feel like no one can really understand. Sure, maybe one of your friend’s teenage daughter is dating a scruffy boy that the family doesn’t like—at least they know where their daughter is at.

Many parents of troubled teens have no idea where their teenagers are at any given time, as troubled teenagers ditch school, run away from home, hideout with friends you have never met, abuse substances at underground parties, and other hair-raising escapades.

If these circumstances sound familiar to you, know that you are not alone. Here at Help Your Teen Now, we have spoken with many other parents struggling to raise their self-destructing teens, and we are here for you.

You Aren’t Alone In Your Struggle

Intellectually, parents of troubled teens know that their teens didn’t start struggling out of nowhere. In fact, that is part of the difficulty of parenting a troubled teen. Many parents beat themselves up while wondering where exactly things went wrong.

Maybe your child was a little stubborn when they were younger, but that’s every child, right? And when they started having difficulties with school, well, a lot of kids don’t like math and find history boring.

But it can seem like your child went from these minor issues to suddenly cutting school, hanging out with the wrong crowd, coming home late smelling like alcohol, and often lying to you as well as lashing out.

Having a teen acting out poorly can be isolating as it can feel like other people are judging you based on your teen’s behavior. But no matter how lonely and defeated you may feel the next time you get a call from one of your teen’s teachers, know that you aren’t alone. Many other parents have gone through your struggle, and come out of it on the other side with their family whole again.

Ways To Make Time For Yourself Even With A Troubled Teen

Parenting a troubled teen can make your entire world revolve around your teenager’s struggles. We have talked to many parents were taking care of their teen is part of what broke up their marriages, led to their other children acting out for attention, and the deterioration of the parent’s health.

Rather than back yourself into a corner where everything caters to your struggling teen, there are healthy ways you can make time for yourself and your other loved ones.

Look into therapy options

It is likely that you already have your teen in some kind of therapy. While that is essential to help your teen, you may not have considered that you could benefit from therapy.

Working with a professional therapist gives you an honest and safe outlet for the feelings and thoughts you are dealing with as you parent your troubled teen. You can also receive insights on how to manage tense conversations, your own emotions, and enjoy judgment-free counseling.

If in-person therapy isn’t an option due to lack of options, distance, or cost, there are digital therapy options. In our fast-paced world, it makes sense for therapy options to evolve. There are a number of online therapy options available that allow you to connect with a therapist via video conferencing, text, and phone to help make reaching therapy easier.

Set aside time daily for yourself

It is important that you set aside at least 10-15 minutes a day for yourself. Many parents of troubled teens forget how healing it can be to mindfully set aside time for their own needs and crashing on the couch to mindlessly watch a show doesn’t count. Because, even while you watch that show, you are probably listening for shouting, fighting, and other signs of misbehavior from your struggling teenager.

Some ways you can be mindful about your personal time is to do things such as:

• Engage in self-care that you have let slip
• Take time to meditate
• Work on your hobby
• Read a short story

Consider a boarding school

There are boarding schools for troubled teens that you may want to consider for your struggling teenager. Unlike the public school system, a boarding school for troubled teens is designed to help struggling teens thrive. These schools manage to help teens by providing a high amount of structure, immersive therapy, personalized academics, and staff that is used to working with troubled teens.

While attending one of these schools, you can feel secure knowing that your teen is in good hands. That way, you can reconnect with the rest of your family and work on your own healing.

Reach out for support

Finding support as the parent of a troubled teen can be tough. As mentioned above, there is a good deal of shame and guilt associated with having a teen who is struggling. But in many cases, family and friends don’t want to overstep your boundaries and are waiting for you to reach out, rather than coming to you to offer help.

It can be tough, and sometimes painful, to reach out for support. But until you do, you may be missing out on the love and support of those around you who are just waiting to be asked.

As parent advocates, Help Your Teen Now has consulted with many parents who are raising struggling teens and are at the end of their ropes.

We can consult with you about what issues your teenager is facing, and provide you with advice concerning what programs would be a good fit for your troubled teen. Our consulting services are provided free of charge so that all families that need help can receive it.

So, feel free to contact us today, and we will do our best to help you know that you aren’t alone, and you still have options to help your teen heal and grow.