Criticism
Parents who often dote on their kids on a regular basis may be taken advantage of this. Kids may attack this soft spot in their parents’ characters whenever they don’t get what they want. The loving parents who are afraid that their children may regard them as a failure would easily fulfill their needs.
Suffering
This is the case of parents who are often afraid of guilt. The kids may pretend to be hurt, sad or unhappy to make their parents guilty.
Helplessness
Teens may pretend to be resigned or desperate so that the parents who are sensitive to pity will feel sorry for them.
Apathy
Mothers or fathers who are afraid of abandonment in relationships may be fooled by their children. Teens may act as if the relationship with their parents does not matter anymore or as if they mean nothing.
Explosiveness
Manipulative teenagers may go to such extent as pretending to lose their minds or act as if they’re showing signs of unstable mental condition so that their parents will be cautious to approach them and play along with their commands. In some cases, they may even initiate harmful threats.
How to Deal With Manipulative Teenagers?
To turn off these kinds of manipulations, parents must be determined and more importantly consistent. This means they should refuse to play along with their teen’s tricks. After all, you still hold control over their behavior. So if you state clearly that you will not be softened under any circumstances, they will stop their manipulation.
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