7 Ways to Deal with Overprotective Parents ...

1. Remember That They Love You

In order to avoid constant frustration with your mom or dad, you should remember that they’re only protecting you because they love you. In no way are your parents out to get you, or to ruin your social life, even though it may seem that way at times. At the end of the day, your parents love you and want to take care of you the best they can. One of the easiest ways to deal with overprotective parents is to accept that, and try to understand their love for you. Then, you’ll be well on your way to a happier life at home!

2. Negotiate

You can’t approach your parents with an ultimatum and expect them to say yes to your every wish. You can, but it wouldn’t be very smart. Instead, you should negotiate rules with your overprotective parents if you want to earn a little extra freedom. List the reasons why you deserve a later curfew or a driver’s license, whatever it is your parents won’t allow you to have in the attempt to protect you. If they make a deal with you, negotiate, but don’t be too stubborn on what you want. Remember, these are your parents and you ought to treat them with respect if you want anything but punishment from them.

3. Don’t Push Boundaries

If your parents say you have to be home by 10 pm, don’t sneak out just because that curfew seems too early. Pushing boundaries will only make your parents tighten the reign over your life, so it’s better to obey than do anything else in secret. So stay within your parents' boundaries if you ever hope to earn enough of their faith in you that you're offered more freedom.

4. Earn Their Trust

A great step toward getting your parents off your back is earning their trust. If your parents are ever going to give you a little wiggle room, it will be a reward for your good behavior. You can earn your parents’ trust in a number of ways, such as getting good grades, telling the truth, and spending time with them. And those all seem painless enough, right? Because once they know you’re a trustworthy teen, your parents will have enough faith to let you spread your wings a bit.

5. Learn to Defend Yourself

Your parents want to know that you have a plan for how you’ll deal with all the dangers waiting for you in the outside world. Overprotective parents probably believe that everything that can go wrong will go wrong, so you need to prove to them that that isn’t the case. If you enroll yourself in a self-defense class, or simply learn some tricks for defending yourself online, you may be able to put your parents’ minds at ease. You’ll need to prove yourself to them time and time again, but your ultimate freedom, and ability to protect yourself, will definitely be worth it!

6. Have a Plan

If your parents aren’t convinced by your stellar self-defense skills, you’ll need to present them with a concrete plan. Tell them that when you go out, you’ll keep your phone with you at all times, use a buddy system, avoid strangers, and whatever else it takes to assure them that you’re prepared for any and every situation. But don’t just say these things-really mean them! Because if you lie to your parents, that will only make them stricter and more protective in the end.

7. Have Fun at Home

If your parents won’t budge on letting you go out on your own, let the party come to you! Invite over your friends as frequently as you please! Surely your parents will have no quarrel with you and your friends having wholesome fun under their roof. Of course, you’ll need to ask your parents’ permission before you invite over your friends. But once you have their blessing, it will be easy to have a great time, even under the watchful eye of your overprotective parents.

Parents don’t always know where to draw the line with how protective they should be. You should be respectful of and thankful for their desire to keep you safe, but never let them control you to the point that you become unhappy with your life. So you should remember these simple ways to deal with overprotective parents, but I’m certain there are many other effective ways! What tips do you have for teens living with overprotective parents?