Parenting Teens: The Most Important Ingredient For Success
Parenting teens surely isn’t boring. Every days there seems to be new challenges and new worries. I’m sure you wish that there was some magic potion to make your child’s teen years go smoothly. Unfortunately, I don’t know a way to make those years TOTALLY stress free but I want to share with you some tips on how to relate to your teens in a way that will tremendously minimize your stress of parenting teens.
In one line the trick to be successful at parenting teens is: Show them that you respect them as human beings. Show them that you have a good opinion of them and things go much easier with them.
Here are five ways to do it:
1. Listen to them when they speak. Seems simple, no? But in truth it isn’t so easy. After a hard day all you want to do is to look at the paper or watch a good show. DON’T!!! Be smart and when they speak to you, put down the paper, shut of the TV and just listen. But really listen to what they have to say about… anything. When they see that you respect what they have to say they will begin to talk to you more and more.
2. Make time for them. When they want to do something with you make your best efforts to make time to do it with them. It probably won’t be too often in the beginning but little by little you’ll see that they will spend time with you.
3. Don’t be judgmental in a disparaging way. Most teens (and adults also) find statements like “you should….” or “When I was your age I already…. “ to very insulting and this closes the line of communication and makes the job of parenting teens more difficult.
4. Give compliments. I imagine that there are a lot of times (or at least a few times) that you are proud of the way that they act. Don’t be embarrassed and tell them! Everyone likes genuine compliments; you, me and even teens. When they see that you respect them they won’t be scared of you.
5. Talk about yourself and when you were young. I’m not referring to those things that you don’t want your children (or anyone else to know about) but open yourself up enough that they will see that you are also human. Teens often times are closed with their parents because they are embarrassed about themselves in front of their parents.
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great tips, I’ll start using them right now B”H.
Thanks. I’m glad that you liked them. Did you use them yet? How did it go? I would like to hear your progress.
Shevach