Is teen-parent arguing really just play in preparation for future social interaction?

All Things Considered “Why A Teen Who Talks Back May Have A Bright Future”

What is really cool about the study described in this valuable radio piece is that it reinforces the idea that much of what children and adolescents do is “playful”: even arguing! Teens who enjoy arguing with their parents are just like kids who enjoy running or jumping or dancing: they are trying out a new skill — one that will prove invaluable in later life — in a safe environment. Although every parent of a teenager would like to think that these discussions are “serious”, they are in fact “playful”, and the worst thing that a parent can do in this situation is to take away that safe and playful environment in which the adolescent is free to improvise new means of argumentation. By hanging in the argument with your teenager and treating it as a form of safe practice, parents better equip their children to negotiate social dilemmas and conflicts.