Episode Details

Dealing With Conflict With Tweens and Teens: Anger, Hormones, and Staying the Adult in the Room

Podcast: Making Biblical Family Life Practical with Hal & Melanie Young
Episode: Dealing With Conflict With Tweens and Teens (replay)

“Is it normal for a nine-year-old boy to be angry?”

In this episode, Hal and Melanie Young respond to a parent’s honest question—with a big backstory behind it. Family stress, pressure, and emotional overload can collide with early puberty changes and create what the Youngs call the “rage monster years.” The good news: while it can feel scary and personal, this season is often normal, predictable, and shepherdable.

You’ll learn how to respond biblically and practically when your tween or teen loses control—without escalating the conflict, losing your authority, or damaging the relationship.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why hormonal emotional changes in boys often begin before physical changes are visible

• How to recognize when your child’s anger is developmental vs. intensified by family stress

• What to do when your tween/teen starts making wild accusations and blaming you for how they feel

• Why parents must avoid “jumping on the roller coaster” and instead become the steady reference point

• A practical step-by-step approach to conflict:

  • Stay calm

  • Pray immediately

  • Separate to cool down if needed

  • Listen first