I think this quote pretty much sums it up.
It is important to teach our teens the values of boundaries and how to understand others reactions to them.
Boundaries are meant to protect us from the things and people that don’t serve us. When we choose to set them, it is with a conscious intention to protect ourselves and stay away from those things and people who bring us down or negatively impact our mental health.
Oftentimes, when we set those boundaries, there will be some people that don’t like them and will let you know wether verbally or through actions that bother you. That just validates your choice to set them and confirms you were correct in doing so.
Many times there is one piece missing that keeps others from adhering to them. That is poor communication.
Teach your teens that if they want to set a boundary, it is important to let the people know why they are setting them and what the expectation is.
When our teens make a choice to just ignore someone or set a boundary without explaining the need for it, it may be confusing to those who they are setting them for. This can cause the very people they are trying to protect themselves from to become more aggressive or persistent in crossing them.
Boundaries are important to protect ourselves both mentally and physically but communicating the need for them is vital for maintaining them.