Building a relationship with teenagers isn’t always easy, many parents find it difficult to navigate conversations with children going through fluctuating moods and hormone changes.
TV chef Gino D’Acampo, 47, is no different — in fact, he publicly wrote about the challenges he faces with his kids Luciano, 22, Rocco, 19, and daughter Mia, 12.
Leaving readers baffled by his ‘bizarre’ comments in an interview with The Times he said: “What do you say to kids? You can’t have a proper conversation. I’m not the sort of father who sits there for two hours just because he has to.
“I sit there for 20 minutes because I want to. Then you get the best of Gino. My daughter, who is going to be 12, can have proper conversations now. That’s great.”
Earlier he also shocked viewers on Loose Women after saying he “doesn’t really like children.”
He explained: “Is it OK to say that? I’m one of those parents that when I say I don’t like children, don’t think I see a child and then kick it. I mean I don’t like to do children’s stuff.”
“My daughter she is 12 today. I don’t like the glitter stuff and the finger painting. There’s stuff everywhere and I’m thinking ‘I don’t really want to do this’. I was not born to do this!”
He added: “The only difference is I actually say it. I say to my wife, ‘I don’t want to do this, it’s boring, I’ve got nothing to say to this child’.”
One person on the social media platform X commented: “Why did he become a father”.
What to do if you’re struggling to build a relationship with your teen
For those who are struggling to communicate with their teenager children, Counselling Directory member Rosalind Miles says that sometimes when a teen acts out, we can be quick to admonish their character, rather than their behaviour. If this is happening, Miles recommends parents addresses the behaviour first and foremost.
“For example, you could say, ‘I feel hurt when you use disrespectful language’ rather than, ‘You are a disrespectful person’,” she suggests.
“You can try to express your emotions without blaming or accusing. You have feelings too!”
Finding time to sit down and have a meaningful chat about this might help, so they can perhaps even explore the deeper reasons for this behaviour. But Miles acknowledges it might be hard – and even scary – to instigate this with tensions running so high.
You could try to let your teen know that they can talk to you about their feelings and concerns without resorting to rudeness,” the therapist suggests. Or, you can suggest they talk to a trusted friend or family member instead.
She urges parents to remember that the teenage years can be particularly difficult, an age which “can be particularly challenging due to hormonal changes and emotional development”.
“Try to be patient and understanding while setting those boundaries,” she adds. “Easy for me to say, I know!”