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Expert Q&A
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| By Jenny Lewis, M.D. Pediatrician | ||
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My son will be 15 soon. My husband (my son's stepfather) and I have a 5-month-old baby. What can we do to make this adjustment easier on our teen?
Your question implies that your teenager is having a hard time with the presence of a new baby in the household. He may not be saying it directly, but he is quite likely to feel displaced by all the attention that is no doubt being shown to his new half-sibling. If he is interested in helping care for the baby, certainly he should be encouraged, but if he wants nothing to do with the baby, try not to criticize him or suggest you are disappointed in his reaction. Let him build that relationship in his own way in his own time.
Meanwhile, continue to show interest in his activities, friends, and attend school events as much as you can -- and don?t always bring the baby along unless he says its O.K.! (Sometimes teens can be embarrassed that you have given birth to a baby as it is seen as a visible/public statement that you and his stepfather actually have sex!)
Most importantly, encourage him to talk about how he feels now that there is a baby in the house and respect his point of view even if it differs from yours.
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