Woman's teen son challenging stepdad's parental authority

Q: My husband and I have been married for five years. He has been a great father to my children from a previous marriage. Just within the last month, my 13-year-old has become disrespectful toward his stepdad, saying things like, “What are you going to do? You’re not my dad!” What do we do?

Juli: The behavior you’re describing is pretty common for a 13-year-old boy, whether or not he’s in a blended family. In the early teen years, boys are prone to challenge authority as their bodies and brains develop. Often, this is done through boundary-pushing and disrespectful behavior. The added element of a stepdad may give your son even more gumption to question authority.

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