This blog is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. Please feel free to post questions and comments on any of the entries as well as on any topics or articles from our companion web site www.childandfamilymentalhealth.com.
I recently took a parenting class at the Parent Education Program in Kensington and during one class the teacher said “Limits worth setting are limits worth upholding.” For the last three months that statement has stuck with me because it highlights that limit setting involves a two step process – (1) making a (hopefully) thoughtful choice about what limits to set and (2) following through with the work of upholding the limit.
As the parent of a teenager, you may often find yourself thinking about how it used to be so much easier to enforce rules, boundaries, and limits on your young child. Now, your child has grown into a teenager (new territory for everyone!) and your child has learned how to push, and even reject, limits set on them. This can be confusing and frustrating.
