Conflicts between Parents and Children

Conflicts often happen between parents and children. It might have to do with academics. The parents usually want their child to score higher and they use a reward or punishment system to motivate their child. The children however, really might already be doing his or her best and simply does not have the ability or skill to do better without extra assistance. Conflicts also occur around social activities. Parents might want their children to have tutors and classes outside of school, therefore taking away time for them to interact with peers and participate in afterschool activities. Another type of conflict that commonly occurs with teens is the type of friends they have. Parents like to know who they are hanging out with and, depending on rumors they hear from other parents, might even forbid them to be friends with certain people in the school in fear that they might be exposed to negative influence and pick up bad ideas or habits. Finally, there is the issue of curfew or bedtime. You must be home by 6:00 on school days! or You must go to bed by 9:00! As children grow older however, there are more and more activities that they might want to participate in but might force them to return home later, or the homework load might force them to sleep later. The children really need to speak up to their parents and communicate so that they can negotiate and a compromise can be made, or else the parents might receive the message that their children do not respect them and the children feel that their parents do not understand them.