3 Tips on How to Get Along with Your Parents

Do you have authority issues with your parents? Are you sitting in your room right now thinking something along the lines of, "If my parents give me one more order I am going to move out and never come back?" Summer is a time that many young adults associate with having to move back in with the folks for a few months. Often this abrupt transition between college life and home life can cause a great deal of tension between parents and their children. After living away from home for half a year the child has probably forgotten what it is like to have to obey parental authority for an extended period of time, and the parents may not realize that their child is now a young adult and deserves to be treated accordingly. Being that I am an only child, which in turn has resulted in receiving constant attention from my parents throughout my childhood and young adulthood, I have devised a number of strategies that I believe have helped me in getting along with my parents. If you use any or all of the three tips below, I'm sure that you will at the very least be able to stay sane this summer.

1. Make an Effort to Humor Them

I realize that number one is a little difficult to swallow, but I firmly believe that in order to get anywhere towards coming to a mutual understanding with your parents you first have to respect their orders with a smile on your face, even if it "kills" you. For example, if your mom asks you to clean your room, don't argue. Instead, put your pride on hold for half an hour and get the job done. The benefit of humoring your parents far exceeds the pain associated with the menial task you have to do in order to make your parents happy. After all, if you listen to your parents they will probably be a lot more open to discussing the idea that as an adult you wish to have more freedom at home than you did as a child.

2. Try to See Things From Their Point of View

Again, I realize that seeing things from a person's point of view that is 17-40 years older than you may be a little bit difficult. However, making an effort to see things from your parents' points of view is an essential step towards strengthening your relationship with the folks. If you are able to understand where your parents are coming from you may find their orders easier to accept, and your conversations with them easier to handle. Secondly, by understanding your parents' points of view you may be able to calmly discuss with them why you argee/disagree with the way they treat you and be able to support your argument using ideas that they are able to understand.

3. Do Not Avoid Them

Although I have no empirical evidence to support this claim, I strongly believe that one of the reasons why young adults in general have strained relations with their parents is because young adults refuse to talk openly and calmly with their parents. If you are a college student that has returned home for the summer, or if you're a high school student who is tired of being told what to do, do not avoid your parents. Instead, try to be their friend. Have a few meals together each week. Go get ice-cream or see a movie with them once in a while. Even if you really can't stand being with your parents, by becoming their friend you may find that you are able to communicate with them in a calm and easy-going fashion whenever a disagreement arises.