How To Handle Your Cranky and Stressed Out Parents
A Teen Survival Guide
by
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8. How You can Help Your Parents Laugh More
I can guarantee that your cranky and stressed out parents wish they could laugh a whole lot more than they laugh now. Many studies have shown that laughter helps build a stronger immune system, which can help prevent illnesses and diseases. It also causes reactions in the body that force the brain to chill out. Once again, you ask yourself, “Why would I want to make them laugh when they always tick me off? I don’t feel like laughing myself… Jerks.”
Have pity on them for not enjoying life more. Think how enjoyable it is to be with your friends in person and online. Playing video games, chatting on the computer, sharing funny websites, etc., is a lot of fun and a great way to share time with friends who think like you and laugh with you. Now, think about how your parents are spending their time. When they are at home. You probably laugh a bazillion times more each day than they do.
When something is bothering you, you call or IM a friend so you can vent about it. Your friends allow you to vent and talk aimlessly for a long time, and they are always happy to help you. Adults are so busy with their own lives that if your parent wanted to vent and chat for no basic reason like you, they would soon lose all their friends
Even if you are often saddened or angered by your parents’ behavior towards you, you still have your dreams and your future. Your parents don’t feel that they do. They often feel stuck. They aren’t really—they just feel this way. There are many ways parents can learn to feel happy and optimistic in life, but they haven’t figured out how. Kids can often jump-start their parents into doing it so that they can feel happier and funner. Here are some ways to make your parents laugh when that window of opportunity opens:
(These are also especially effective when they are freaking out about something really stupid.):
1. Turn your glasses upside down on your face, and go over to your parent like you are injured, pleading, “I can’t see straight, I can’t see straight, please help me.”
2. Take a light aluminum can (like John Belushi in the movie Animal House) and smash it into across your forehead. This should look like you are deliberately trying to make them laugh. Most parents are familiar with Animal House, so they will get it. And if they haven’t seen the movie, get them to r
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About the Book
How to Handle Your Cranky and Stressed-Out Parents: A Teen Survival Guide puts parents in the line of fire and holds them responsible for producing kids who they label as trouble. You may wonder if it isn’t dangerous for you kids to have this much knowledge about your parents. But then again, isn’t it even more dangerous for you not to have this much knowledge about your parents?
Parents, you will want to purchase this book, too. Learn the truth about how your kids are feeling about you and why they are the way they are. Most of the time what you think your children are thinking and feeling couldn’t be further from the truth. You can learn the truth by reading this book.
About the Author
Laurie, former cranky and stressed out parent, lives in
Laurie Orloff demonstrates a remarkable psychological insight and an understanding of the underlying dynamics about the interactions between parents and their children. This book provides a valuable guide for the teenager who is dealing with stressed out parents and for the parent who wants to understand how their behavior affects their children.
Gordon Abbo, MD, board-certified psychiatrist, Melbourne, Florida
Laurie Orloff has an outstanding passion for understanding the minds of children and their interactions with the world around them. As a teen who has been through many of these issues she has brought up in her book, I can say she really hits on good points. Laurie has an amazing understanding of what’s in our heads.
Christopher Hunt, Nova Southeastern University Student,
Packed with nitty-gritty, from-the-trenches advice on how today‘s teens can survive despite their parents, this book provides answers to the questions most kids face (and are reluctant to ask.) It is filled with insightful alternatives to most parenting books. Bursting with practical information, Laurie‘s guidance empowers teens to face issues head-on with their parents, while providing humorous examples of what their parents‘ likely reactions will be. This book is a concise and reassuring guide for anyone facing those amazing teenage years.
Claudia C. Cogliser, PhD, Assistant Professor of Management, Rawls College of Business, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas