Taming the teenager storm: SADAG launches free support group for parents

WE'VE all been teenagers before. It's easy to remember the growing pains, emotional outbursts, and moments when we felt misunderstood.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

But what happens when it's your turn to parent a teenager, especially one struggling with emotional and behavioural challenges? It's a reality many South African families face, and it comes with its own set of difficulties.

Parenting is often described as one of life's most rewarding journeys, but it's also one of the most challenging. When your child is troubled, the weight of it can feel unbearable, especially in family dynamics that are already stretched thin, like single-parent households or child-headed families.

The stigma surrounding mental health can make things worse, leaving parents feeling isolated and unsure of where to turn.

When a teenager is struggling emotionally or behaviorally, it's not just their problem, it's a family problem. Trauma, anxiety, and stress rarely stay contained to one person. Parents, siblings, and even extended family members can feel the impact.

Jacob Thomason, a family therapist at New Vision Wilderness, explains that when you have emotional, behavioural, and mental health challenges around you, any trauma that happens isn't contained to one person. Family members will be affected.

Parents, in particular, often bear the brunt. They feel a societal pressure to "fix" their child, and if they can't, they may see it as a personal failure. This guilt can be debilitating.