Re: Controlling behavior of teenagers
I've seen parents afraid of upsetting their 3-4 yo. They are afraid of crying and tantrums etc. Partly out of love; partly out of not knowing how to handle it. I feel like it just gets worse as time goes by.
Also many kids turn into strangers when they become teenagers (or seem to). Otherwise friendly social kids who used to adore talking to mom and dad are suddenly much happier shut in their rooms and "plugged in" to something. I guess it's hard to know how to approach a kid when this happens -- it can be scary.