Teen problems can seem overwhelming for parents and adolescents alike. Insecurity about his appearance, friends, which college he has chosen or plans for the weekend might blow up into a major issue for your teen one moment and fade into history the next. You can help your teen understand and deal with his problems by establishing good communication patterns and treating his worries with a good dose of empathy mixed with equal portions of adult wisdom and patience.

Step 1

Read about the physical and emotional changes teenagers go through, and try to remember your own experience. Your child probably feels as confused as you might about her struggle for independence, sudden preoccupation with appearance and desire to fit in with her peers. Not every teen becomes a rebellious stranger, but pediatricians suggest that parents ready themselves for mood swings and conflict during adolescence, according to Kids Health. Knowing what you might face will help you prepare.

Step 2

Identify and address the problem, but avoid making assumptions. The solution to your teen's problem depends on the underlying cause. You might feel your teen was defying authority or foolishly choosing video games over education when he cut classes one Friday afternoon. Further questioning might reveal a bullying issue at school that made him afraid to attend physical education class. On the other hand, he might have given into pressure and spent the afternoon at the movies with his peer group.

Step 3

Build your teen's self-esteem every chance you get. Avoid comparing her to others. Instead, address her individual style and personality. Help her develop a healthy self-image by praising her efforts on the track team, kindness to her siblings or refusal to give up on a difficult homework assignment. Compliment her new hairstyle, beautiful smile or gorgeous eyes. Inner attributes such as honesty or integrity are obviously important, but teenagers also need to hear positive comments about their appearance, according to Kids

Health.

Step 4

Talk with your teen about some of the problems you faced as an adolescent. Avoid telling him how silly his current worries over hairstyles, clothing and friends will seem once he reaches adulthood. Instead, share with him how miserable you felt when you found that first pimple or did not make the cut for your high school swim team. Being honest about your teen experience helps relieve his feelings of isolation. You also become living proof that the angst of adolescence is only a temporary condition.

Step 5

Continue your role as parent. Your teen needs you to act as a guardian, coach and advocate rather than another friend. Sympathize with the difficulties she faces, but maintain your expectations regarding household rules, grades and respect for authority.

Step 6

Solve problems when possible or appropriate. Your teen's acne can cause debilitating social stress. Physicians can prescribe treatments that might diminish or clear acne lesions. Many teens face weight issues, which can severely damage self-esteem. Look for a program that emphasizes balanced nutrition and appropriate exercise routines rather than weight loss.

Step 7

Watch for warning signs that might indicate your teenager is experiencing more than a temporary problem. Rapidly falling grades, signs of alcohol or drug use, drastic or persistent changes in behavior and sudden legal difficulties can signal the need for professional advice. Talk with teachers, coaches or your family physician, and find the appropriate resources to help.

A girlfriend is a complicated person to begin with... the mood swings, the date fetishes and the ‘clean’ obsession! And if she has expensive tastes, chances are you’ve run to the end of your tether. We help you sail through!

And if she has expensive tastes on top of the usual mood swings, chances are you’ve run to the end of your tether. But then, she’s so cute.

And she really does care about you... So, what are you going to do? Breathe! Help is at hand and all is not lost. You can still keep her; but it will take some...let’s just call it ‘tact’.

Yes yes, we know how you feel. It’s all very well to pick up the dinner tab, but if she wants those overpriced, weird-looking, what-did-she-just-call-them-(pumps?) shoes, then she should be paying for them herself! And why shouldn’t she? She’s an independent, free thinking woman of the twenty first century who should be proud of being able to pick up her own tabs. Maybe you should reinforce that thought.

Let her know how proud you are of the fact that she is so confident of her independent lifestyle, and how well informed of all the latest fashion trends she is, and how confident she is about her ability to get on by herself (and is that not the reason you began to date her in the first place? So, let her know!). Chances are she will pay for her shopping to prove that you’re right.

Do you find yourself always headed out to one of those fancy expensive restaurants every time you have to go out and eat dinner? And then the bill always ends up burning a hole in your credit card... This one is easily resolved.

Quick question: what is more romantic than a candle-light dinner at an expensive restaurant?

Answer: a candle-light dinner on a rooftop (even on a rickety table top) that you cooked. Imagine it. A gentle breeze plays about the table (and the mosquito repellent that you strategically placed near the table keeps the pests at bay), the makeshift dinner table and tablecloth (even if it is stained at places) looks as lavish as the silk at a palace, and the love-light unmistakably shines in her eyes. And no need to bring up your credit card. Alternate suggestion: your room with the lights dimmed works just as well as the rooftop, and takeaway Chinese may work if you burnt the pasta.

The thing is that it is not how much money you spend that actually touches her heart. It is what you do with it. Your money may sometimes work as a substitute for your attention, but if you pay attention and spend some time thinking about how to make for her a perfect evening, you’ve just earned yourself a considerable number of brownie points. And that, after all, is the point of your expensive dinner date, isn’t it?

Here’s another question. Why must you always meet over a meal? Go on, be creative and find other things to do on your date... How about a game of tennis? She probably is looking for an excuse to wear that oh-so-pretty tennis skirt anyway. Not eating and burning calories instead?! Sounds like a good idea to us!

And once you’ve done that a couple of times, that shopping expedition where it’s the “done” thing to get her something won’t feel so bad on the pocket anymore. Plus have you thought about buying something beforehand, strategically vanishing during the shopping spree, magically reappearing with previously-(secretly) bought-at-the-factory-price-store trinket, and becoming the hero? Listen carefully.

Source: http://www.onlymyhealth.com/dealing-expensive-girlfriend-1273475452