Ever had your teen come home from school, throw their bag on the floor, and yell that their entire day was “awful”? Even if you know most of their day went fine, in that moment it feels impossible to convince them otherwise. What you’re seeing isn’t drama—it’s emotion dysregulation.

It’s the second week of school.

Your teen walks through the door, drops their backpack, and disappears into their room. You hear the door click shut.

You tell yourself it’s just a long day. But part of you wonders if this is the beginning of the same pattern you’ve seen before: the strong September start that slowly unravels until your teen feels completely shut down.

You’ve been here before. For most parents, back-to-school season brings school supply lists, shopping for new clothes, and making sure their teen has what they need to succeed in a new school year.

Learning to be BOLD

Guest Blog by Jen Moyer, LPC

In the last two blogs, you learned how to recognize when anxiety is keeping you stuck in a cycle of avoidance and now to use motivational skills and committed action to break the cycle of anxiety and live more aligned with your values.

When your teen pushes back, shuts down, or explodes, it’s easy to feel like your only options are to come down hard or back off completely.

You try setting limits, and it creates more conflict.
You try being understanding, and it feels like you’re being walked on.

When your teen is emotional, overwhelmed, or acting out, it can feel like you're walking on eggshells or stuck in the same frustrating conversations over and over again.

You want to help. You want to understand. But what starts as a check-in often turns into a vent session that leaves you both feeling worse.

Has your teen ever said, “I shouldn’t feel this way,” or, “If I feel it, it’ll never stop”? These beliefs don’t just make emotions harder to handle. They leave teens stuck, ashamed, and disconnected.

Many teens grow up learning emotional rules that are based on fear, not facts. These emotional myths come from family patterns, school culture, or personal experiences. And while they might sound true, they’re often the reason teens struggle to manage their feelings.

The transition to college isn’t just a milestone for teens—it’s a major shift for parents too. Whether you’re sending your first child off to school or preparing for a quieter house as your last teen launches, it can feel like there’s no roadmap for what this next chapter looks like.