Six Reasons Why You and Your Defiant Child Fight

If you have a defiant child, you might find arguments erupting between you and that child more often than with your other children. Sometimes, the fights brew out of seemingly nothing, but other times, they have very definite triggers. Here are six of the biggest reasons you and your defiant child fight:

1. Curfew – A defiant child is going to test you in any way they possibly can. Pushing and then eventually breaking curfew is going to be one of these ways. This might partially be because they simply want to stay out later than their curfew allows, but many children quarrel with their parents over curfews simply because it is something very easy to defy.
2.  School – Your defiant child is probably not just defiant about the rules you give them. They are also going to be rebellious against other authority, which then stirs up even more arguments between your two parties. Whether it is missed homework, skipped classes, or simply a slump in grades, this is a very common reason for fights between child and parent.
3. Clothing – Parents will eternally have to battle the shifting tides of clothing trends. What a child finds appropriate for a situation a parent might find very inappropriate. The defiant child will intentionally wear inappropriate clothing, simply to rile up their parent.
4. Dating – No matter what rules you lay down surrounding dating (from how old they have to be before they date to who they are allowed to date), your child may be likely to defy all of those rules, often just to get a rise out of you.
5. Chores – You know that chores are as important for helping a child learn to take stewardship over their living space and bonding with the family as they are for teaching that child valuable skills they will need later in life. Most kids, however, see chores as a burden or punishment and may decide to simply not do those chores.
6. Technology – As with clothing, parents may often appear to their children to be “behind the times” when it comes to technology. In reality, all you want is for your teen to be present at a family meal, and all they want to do is text their friends. Many children find this to be a very easy way to provoke their parents into an argument.

Asheville Academy can help

If your defiant daughter continues to show signs of behavioral and emotional struggles, you might consider getting professional help. Asheville Academy, a therapeutic boarding school for young girls ages 10-14, can help your daughter find success.

For more information, please call 800.264.8709 today!