Would A Vacation To A Teen Boarding School Help?

Would a vacation at teen boarding school help my defiant teenager? If your teenager has started showing signs of defiance, a short sharp shock approach may help to put them back on the right track. Generally speaking, the longer a teenager has been acting out, the harder it is going to be to help them unlearn this defiant behavior. There are no quick fixes in life, but occasionally, early intervention can work wonders!

How defiant is defiant? If you are considering a summer camp of the boot camp variety, then you are worried about your teenagers' behavior. Ask yourself, honestly, if this behavior has been going on for a while and you have been ignoring it, or whether you believed it was normal teenage behavior until you started reading books about it, or talking to your friends? It is hard to separate normal teenage hormonal stroppiness from developing defiant behavior. So what are the signs of defiance?

• Does your teen stay out late, and not tell you where they are?


• Have they been getting into trouble at school and not doing homework or class work?


• Have they started locking themselves in their room and refusing to communicate?


• Do they regularly shout at you, siblings, other relatives, and display physically aggressive behavior?


• Do they refuse to follow any requests you make, such as helping with chores, or going to bed at reasonable times?

Any two of the above and your teen is well on the way to defiance; all five behaviors and your alarm bells should be ringing! If you answered yes to any of the above, but qualified it with, sometimes they do listen to me, or, they are not like this all the time, then you can have an immediate impact with a summer camp.

Teenage holiday boot camps can focus on self-discipline in a cooperative and team building environment. Choose carefully; identify which area of defiance you are most concerned about, and look for a teen boarding school that specializes in that area. Most long term boarding schools also offer vacation programs, and a short version of their ongoing therapy. If your teenager attends one of these types of schools, they are likely to receive a professional behavior modification approach. Beware the school that offers "instant remedy" vacation therapy, there is no such beast!

A vacation at a teen boarding school for troubled teens is not a bad idea, as long as you realize that the work does not stop when your teenager returns home. A good idea, is for you, the parents, to also take a vacation at training school, to learn how to deal with your troubled and defiant teen.