Description Author's Note Don't be afraid of your child's adolescence! Theme 1: Your Child Feels Wronged Is your child going through puberty? Are you afraid of being a parent during adolescence? Your child is struggling as if their life depends on it! Don't brand them a "problem child" or treat them like a criminal. Behind their stubbornness often lies a feeling of being wronged. Instead of scolding, try acknowledging that unfairness your child feels. Giving in just a little can make your relationship much easier. Theme 2: Your Child Is on the Verge of Exploding The black-and-white thinking of teenagers. Playing tug-of-war with your child? Keeping an appropriate distance reduces conflict. If you don't acknowledge their changes, your child will remain a "little kid" forever in your eyes. How your child reacts depends largely on you as a parent. Even your own child could become the one causing harm to others. Hold back on intervening and interfering — sometimes just watching quietly is best. In front of a calm, steady adult, a child won't explode. Theme 3: Your Child Feels Lonely Adolescence is a time when warm, friendly interaction is desperately needed. Children have just entered the solitary path of life. To escape loneliness, they may join any group, even the wrong one. Help them connect with their true, honest selves. Let them feel safe enough to open up about what's really on their mind. Discover what kids really mean when they beg you to "just stop interfering." Theme 4: Everything Feels Like a Hassle to Your Child Why do today's kids seem to find everything so bothersome? Gaming — a headache no matter how you handle it. Why are they so obsessed with their smartphones? To motivate your child, start with honest communication. What should parents do when their child falls into total apathy? Theme 5: Your Child Says Life Isn't Fun Be careful that your child doesn't adopt the wrong goals in life. Teach them the importance of fulfillment and values. If there's even one thing they're passionate about, let that be enough — even if their grades slip a little. Let go of "hurry, hurry." Productivity and efficiency aren't everything. Chasing only fun can lead to real trouble. Theme 6: Your Child Thinks You Don't Understand Them Can we really understand our children? What goes through a child's mind when there's a crisis at home? Don't avoid talking about puberty and sexuality just because it's awkward. Simply cutting back on nagging can instantly make you 200 times a better parent. Before demanding respect as a parent, fulfill your role as one. Learn the seven types of parents who make children feel suffocated. Theme 7: Still, Never Crush Your Child's Spirit Your child's pride, your child's self-esteem. Hold back on criticism — to kids, it all sounds like blame. Don't hit them. Not even once. Did you know that the pain (han) of adolescence can linger until your child turns forty? There's a way of talking that fits each age. Do you want your child to actually listen to you? Then treat them with the respect they deserve. Publisher's Review Dr. Oh Eun-young — who has served as a trusted bridge between parents and children through Parents and Our Child Has Changed — answers the anxious question marks of parents raising teenagers with a satisfying exclamation point! "If I say something, it never ends. If I stay silent, it's frustrating. If I leave it alone, I worry. Will my child really turn out okay?" Adolescence isn't some unusual "illness" — it's a natural process of change. These days, the term "middle school syndrome" gets thrown around like a trend, a label attached to kids from upper elementary through middle and high school who are going through puberty. Moody, rebellious without clear reason, and unpredictable like an active volcano — teenagers are often treated as if they're separate from everyone else, as if they're "patients" suffering from some "illness." And in parents' hearts, countless questions arise: "Why is my once well-behaved child suddenly acting like this? What did they even do to be so exhausted and irritated all the time? Is it really okay for them to study this little? Am I ruining my child by handling this the wrong way?" We often forget that adolescence is a natural stage everyone passes through on the way from childhood to adulthood — and instead worry that "only my child" is being unusually difficult, drowning in anxiety and fear. On top of that, the moment you say anything, they snap that you're nagging, so you can't even speak up. But just watching silently feels unbearable too — truly, there's no right move. And the relationship with your child only seems to get worse. Frustrating, bleak, and exhausting — that's how it feels raising a child through...