When Do Kids Stop Listening to Their Parents?

By Asia Nicole Alcorn
Managing Editor

If you asked my mother what kind of kid I was growing up, she’d say I was obedient and well-mannered. I would agree with my mother because as a kid, I looked up to her and my dad and followed every move they made.

However, once I started high school, my behavior began to change. I started to see how girls at my school dressed, spoke and acted. As the only Black girl in my grade, the thing I wanted most was to fit in and make friends.

I started acting more independently and spoiled at home, and I could tell it drove my parents crazy.

Let’s just say there were a lot of consequences for my acting out. Car keys taken, phone taken, you name it.

Now as an adult, watching my son, God-nieces and little cousins grow up is like looking in a mirror. I see how immature I was, although at the time, I thought I knew everything.

Little did I know even at 21-years-old; I would still not know everything.

So, what’s up with the whole know-it-all complex at the age of 13? Some may say puberty or mean kids at school.

Looking back to my high school days, I think I wished my parents understood my perspective a little more.

Once you have thorough conversations with your kids and make it a judgment-free zone, they’ll feel more comfortable sharing the truth, and you may even see a change in their behavior.

I’m not saying parents don’t have the solutions, but you have to remember times are changing.

There’s a number of things your child may be dealing with, which could be a reason they’re acting like a “brat.”

By Maya Palavali
Editorial Page Editor

If you asked my mother what kind of kid I was growing up, she’d say I was obedient and well-mannered. I would agree with my mother because as a kid, I looked up to her and my dad and followed every move they made.

However, once I started high school, my behavior began to change. I started to see how girls at my school dressed, spoke and acted. As the only Black girl in my grade, the thing I wanted most was to fit in and make friends.

I started acting more independently and spoiled at home, and I could tell it drove my parents crazy.

Let’s just say there were a lot of consequences for my acting out. Car keys taken, phone taken, you name it.

Now as an adult, watching my son, God-nieces and little cousins grow up is like looking in a mirror. I see how immature I was, although at the time, I thought I knew everything.

Little did I know even at 21-years-old; I would still not know everything.

So, what’s up with the whole know-it-all complex at the age of 13? Some may say puberty or mean kids at school.

Looking back to my high school days, I think I wished my parents understood my perspective a little more.

Once you have thorough conversations with your kids and make it a judgment-free zone, they’ll feel more comfortable sharing the truth, and you may even see a change in their behavior.

I’m not saying parents don’t have the solutions, but you have to remember times are changing.

There’s a number of things your child may be dealing with, which could be a reason they’re acting like a “brat.”