10 Effective ways on how to deal with an entitled teenager

Today’s teens are different from the teens of the previous generations. In the past, you might have been worried about your teen drinking too much or experimenting with drugs. Today, your primary concern is almost certainly going to be how to deal with an entitled teenager. Teenagers these days are disrespectful, lazy, and don’t seem to care about anything other than video games and their mobile phone. They might even be eternally ungrateful, expecting you to pick up the check every time they go out to eat with their friends. That kind of sense of entitlement issues can be difficult for any parent to handle.

Most teenagers go through a phase where they feel that they are grown up and ready to branch out on their own. But some kids take this idea a little too far, becoming entitled and thinking that the world owes them a privileged life filled with designer clothes, expensive cars, expensive cell phone and first-class vacations.

With everything available on a click, they think they know everything, they expect constant praise, and they often speak as though their needs are more important than anyone else’s. It can be challenging for any good parent, guardian, uncle, aunt, or caretaker to deal with an entitled teenager on a day-to-day basis. There are many good things we can do to help us cope with these situations and reduce the stress involved. Here are 10 tips on how to deal with an entitled teenager.

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10 tips on how to deal with an entitled teenager

Teenagers are the ultimate masters of the “Me, Me, Me” game. And while it’s a natural part of their transitioning into adulthood and becoming more independent, it can also be really challenging as a parent. The fact is that many entitled teenagers feel they deserve everything because they are special.

It’s hard parenting an narcissistic entitlement teen and it feels like a constant battle between you and them about what they’re owed as an individual and what is fair as a member of your family. They may argue that it’s their life and you have no right to tell them what to do. So how do you deal with an entitled teenager? Here are 10 tips on how to handle ungrateful attitude and disrespectful behavior

Talk to them about your expectations

When your teen is acting entitled, it can be helpful to sit down and talk to them about your expectations. If they know what you expect of them, they’ll be less likely to act entitled. Let them know what you think good behavior looks like. Be specific. If you have a teen who constantly forgets to do little things around the house, let them know that you expect them to always remember their extra chores.

Let them know that you expect them to do their homework and make good grades. They should treat you and other family members with respect. They should known the value of hard work and value of money. If they are living with family, they need to leave their temper tantrum and follow house rules.

Establish clear boundaries and stick to them

You should establish boundaries for your teen and stick to them. Let them know when child’s negative behavior crosses a line and when they’ve crossed a boundary, even if it’s something small. For example, let them know that you expect them to keep their bedroom clean and tidy. If they leave their bedroom in a mess, don’t ignore it. Let them know that you expect them to clean it up. If your teen is eating too much junk food, set clear instructions in stating that they are expected to eat a balanced diet. If they have a friend who is visiting that you don’t like, let them know that they can only bring certain friends over.

Boundaries are an important part of raising a teenager and teaching them how to be an adult. This is one of the most important things to do when it comes to dealing with entitled teenager. Creating boundaries make a huge difference and is one of the powerful ways of teaching teens respect. You should also let them know when they’ve done something right, too. If they do a good job cleaning their room, let them know.

Set consequences

If your teen does something wrong, you should set a real consequences for that behavior. For example, if your teen forgets to do their chores, you should let them know that they’ll lose a privilege such as going to the movies or using the car. If your teen doesn’t do their homework, you should set a consequence such as making them stay home from school (middle school or high school) the next day.

If your teen treats you or another family member disrespectfully, you should set a consequence such as grounding them. You have to follow through with the consequences that you set. This can be challenging, and it can be difficult to feel like a responsible parent when you’re restricting your teenager’s privileges. This is why it’s important to set consequences for only the most serious and egregious teen behaviors.

Let them experience the natural consequences of their actions

If your entitled teenager has done something that has hurt another person, such as hurting a friend’s feelings or damaging someone’s property, you should let them experience the natural consequences of their actions. For example, if your teen says something hurtful to a friend, you should let the friend react however he or she wants to react.

If your teen has been slacking off at high school and is falling behind, it’s better to let them stay behind than to help them catch up. If your teen has been slacking off at a part-time job, you should let their boss fire them or let them be fired. If your teen has been slacking off on their chores, let them have to deal with the mess they’ve created. Letting your teens experience the natural consequences of their actions is the best way to help them experience small incidental lessons from their mistakes.

Help them find a productive hobby or activity

Many entitled teenagers are difficult to deal with because they’re bored. Letting them find a productive hobby or activity can help them channel their energy in a positive direction. If your teen is bored and feels like they have nothing to do, they’re more likely to act entitled. If your teen is bored and has nothing productive to do, they’re more likely to cause trouble. Letting them find a hobby or activity that they can enjoy can help them feel less bored and more fulfilled. Some good hobbies and activities that teens today can participate in include sports, music, art, drama, reading, crafting, and baking.

Praise good behavior

If your teen does something right, praise them for it. If they do something you like, let them know that you appreciate it. Let them know that you’re happy that they did what you wanted them to do. However, only praise the child’s behavior that you want to see more of. For example, if your teen cleans their bedroom every day, praise them for it. Let them know that you appreciate their clean bedroom. If your teen does their homework every day, praise them for it.

Let them know that you appreciate their commitment to schoolwork. However, if your teen does something you don’t want to see more of, don’t reinforce that behavior. Let your teen know that you don’t appreciate the way they’re treating you. Let them know that you don’t appreciate the way they’re treating their friends. Let them know that you don’t appreciate the way they’re slacking off on their homework.

Use behavioral tools like rewards and point systems

Many parents have found success in using reward systems and point systems to help manage their entitled teenagers. There are many different reward systems and point systems that you can try. You’ll likely have to experiment with a few different systems before you find one that works well for you and your teen. Some parents use reward systems to encourage their teens to do well in middle school, do their chores, and behave appropriately.

Other parents use a point system to help manage more problematic and troubling teen behaviors. For example, if your teen is being aggressive towards other people, you can implement a point system where they lose points for each transgression. As they accumulate points, next time they lose privileges such as computer or television time.

Create an empathy contract

If your teen has been acting out and hurting others with their behavior, it’s possible that they don’t understand how their actions affect others. To help them understand, you can create an empathy contract. An empathy contract is a written document that outlines the expectations that you have for your teenager and the expectations that your teenager has for themselves. It’s a tool that can help you identify and address the root cause of your teen’s bad behavior.

An empathy contract might include statements like “I will not call my parents by their first names,” or “I will finish my homework before playing video games.” You can use the contract to help your teen understand how their actions affect others and to help them develop better empathy skills.

If all else fails, enlist the help of a professional therapist or counselor

If your attempts at dealing with an entitled teenager have failed, it might be time to reach out for professional help. Teenagers are challenging to parent, and many circumstances can make parenting a teenager especially difficult. You might be going through a difficult time as a family unit or you might be dealing with a significant life change. It might be helpful to talk to a professional therapist or counselor. Therapists and counselors are trained to help you work through challenging and difficult situations. The good news is many therapists and counselors offer services for a reduced rate.

Conclusion

Most teenagers can be difficult, but when an entitled teenager or ungrateful teenager enters the picture, their behavior can be especially frustrating. With such a sense of entitlement, these teens can feel that they are entitled to whatever they want. They may expect special treatment and may not respect others’ boundaries. As a result, it can be hard for modern parents to set limits for their children. However, setting limits is important as it helps them learn what is expected of them. In addition, it can help them to understand that their actions have consequences.

It is important to approach this topic sensitively so that you don’t upset your child or make them feel like they’re being treated unfairly. Additionally, it’s important to consider the source of this behavior in order to get to the root of the problem. Some teenagers have had difficult experiences in the past and may be trying to seek out any way possible to gain attention or validation in a negative way.

It may also be helpful to try different approaches and see if there is a effective way you can work through this together as a family. It is important that your teen understands how to take negative feedback and develop sense of gratitude. Children need gain exposure during their teenage years and work towards being responsible adult.