Practical Help for Raising Teens
Talking late at night is one of the best times to communicate with your teen. When adults are tired they tend to listen more and talk less. Please read the following articles to learn more tips for communicating with your teen.
- Research indicates teen’s moods change 60-80 times a day. Help teens identify and manage their emotions – listen to them and take them seriously; don’t laugh at their thoughts and ideas.
- Be there when they are ready to talk. Let them know you want to listen when they are ready and LISTEN. The opportunity to connect and listen is most often late at night or in the morning hours. Engage in activities where your teen can talk with you and they are not required to make eye contact, for example, driving, or watching TV.
- Don’t over-indulge your teens. Don’t do for them what they can do for themselves. This provides them with a sense of value and mastery.
- Model healthy behavior. Allow your teen to see you relax and enjoy yourself. Take care of yourself. Regulating your stress shows your teen how to manage their stresses.
- Put your relationship with your partner first. It’s important for teens to look up to your relationships, and not need to be part of it.
- Try to be a little ignorant sometimes – let them be in the “expert” role.
- Don’t just watch as your teen pursues their dreams – pursue your own dreams too.
- Remember, things are not always as they seem – when your teen is driving you crazy, get support; call another parent, attend a parenting meeting, read parenting books.
- Remember, it is not easy being a parent or a teen. Try to be easier and more tolerant on yourself as a parent and be honest with your teen about your feelings about the difficult times and worries. It helps you help each other through it all.
- Look for the good in your teen, no matter how hard it is sometimes, find the good and acknowledge it to them.
- Remember that above all, you matter in your teen’s life and they do not want to disappoint you. Remember this even though they behave otherwise. Never give up on them.
