How is your relationship with your parents going? Good, bad, so so? A teenager’s relationship with their parents is huge, especially since they are getting closer to moving into adulthood.

Are your parents strict? Lenient? Or, do they have a good balance? Do you feel love or hate from them? Or do you have the feeling that you donai??i??t matter or exist in their mind? These are the kinds of questions some teenagers ask themselves.

Cyh.com reports that positive relationships makes us healthier and they also cope more effectively when we have difficult decisions to make.

One of the biggest challenges teens and parents face is the letting go process. Ai??As teens get older, they want more independence, which is not often easy for parents to accept.

If teens have a lot of conflict with their parents, making decisions together can become more difficult. Ai??There are many choices teens want to make on their own, such as the friends they choose or the jobs they work, and parents often want to be a part of that process, as well.

ai???I consider my mom to be one of my best friends,” said sophomore Dasia Reyna. “She tries her best to understand me and we communicate on a regular basis, even though it gets rocky at times.”

Psychologist Dr. Phil, a popular television personality explores these themes, as well.

“I want her to listen and understand what I’m going through,” said a girl named Shannon who was a guest on the Doctor Phil show. After a major conflict, she wants her relationship with her mom to improve.Ai??Ai??In the video below, Dr. Phil urges Shannon to tell her mom exactly what Shannon wants from her that she isn’t giving her now.

“If I’m going through any type of therapy, I want her to be by my side,” Shannon said.

In Reyna’s case, she feels that being a female affects her parents’ discipline regarding rules and boundaries.

ai???The fact is I need to work harder for certain privileges. Which is not only unfair, but an extremely old-fashioned way of thinking.” said Reyna.

Guidance counselor Ms. Theresa Onody comes from what a teen would call a fair and stereotypical ai???perfectai??? family.

ai???My parents and I got along well.” Onody said that they disciplined her when necessary, but they were understanding.

She also stated that, ai???My parents raised me and my brother the same. He didnai??i??t have more freedoms or passes than I did, and vice versa. My parents always Ai??agreed on discipline and were pretty Ai??fair.ai???

Onody was asked if she thinks that a bad relationship with your parents as a developing teenAi??interferes with what success we achieve.

ai???No, the relationship with your parents does not hinder your success at all,” said Onody. “Itai??i??s all about your internal drive to do what you want to do with your life. As long as you push yourself until you get where you want to be, you will succeed.ai???

If you donai??i??t have the best relationship with your parents, try going to talk to your guidance counselor to see what suggestions they have on how to improve your situation.

Ai??Make sure you check out cyh.com and Dr. Phil’s website to see ways you and your parents can form a better relationship.Ai??

http://www.drphil.com/