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| Hanging with this cool crowd is the only cool crowd we need. |
Author: Mini Diva
I will tell you that in order for your teen to even consider losing that “cool” attitude, try your best to not act like a weirdo. Parents, your teen will feel embarrassed if you act weird and they will try to act even more “cool,” which isn’t very cool, it’s just ridiculous. The problem is that all of us have different definitions of cool and weird.
Teens have a very narrow focus during these years of our lives. This primarally includes boyfriends/ girlfriends, crushes, freedom, and all these things put together creates DRAMA. Nobody likes drama, not even teens but it’s like we attract it no matter where we are- even Disneyland!
Parents: To beat “too cool” syndrome, first, you need to understand why they are acting this way. There could be many reasons why, but some reasons are: that they are embarrassed of their parents, or trying to make their sibling(s) respect them, but that doesn’t do any good, does it? No.
So what can be done? Adhere to their NEED FOR SPEED! Some things in Disneyland that will keep your teen interested would be Space Mountain or Bobsleds. These rides are fast and adrenaline filled which are what teens like on roller coasters. Things like Alice in Wonderland or It’s a Small World don’t quite work for them unless they CHOOSE to do them.
Being with family is hard, because teens are not really sure what to talk about with them and so they just stand their with a smirk on their face trying to attract the ladies/ guys attention and that is pointless because most of Disney’s population are from other states and you will most likely only see these people once in your life.
Teens may be on vacation and are away from school but they are also away from friends, so let them text and call people because it makes them feel “better.” Us teens are unable to express how we really feel, and that is sometimes a problem, because whatever we feel we try to cover it up, and some teenagers do that by acting cool and like they are the best of everyone even though they aren’t.
Parents you need to realize that this is a huge time in your teens life and acting cool may be part of the deal and maybe that won’t change but, like a band aid, we can maybe cover it up temporarily.
Ways we can do this is INVOLVE them in decisions throughout the vacation so they don’t feel like they are forced to do what the rest of the family wants to do. If they don’t talk to you, please don’t get on their back for it. They have their reasons whatever they are.
REWARD THEM when they act well. A little incentive goes a long way. For example: Tell them that if they “play along” and act well you’ll give them an hour of freedom. A little bargaining can go a long way with teens.
Battling “too cool” syndrome is difficult to describe for you because I’m not aware of how your teenager behaves and reacts but if they are anything like me, we need to be considered, thought about, and involved. even if we don’t know it yet.
Sometimes we want to stay up late and just dance. Well that is not a bad thing and you can do that in California Adventure during the Mad Tea Party.
