Parent survival guide: Tips for Raising Teens
Have you heard the joke about a couple choosing to have a dog or a child? Well, a couple were in constant struggle with the decision of having children or not. The husband wanted to have children, but the wife said it wasn’t essential and suggested they get a dog instead. After days of arguing, they decided to consult a marriage counselor. The couple said, “We cannot decide whether to have children or instead get a dog. What should we do?” The marriage counselor said, “This isn’t so hard. You just have to decide; do you want to ruin your carpets or your life?”
The point of sharing this joke is only to drag your attention to a great responsibility you have on your shoulders as a parent. Parenting teens is not that big fuss as it is normally believed. Your children need your love and care throughout their lives, but Teenage or adolescence is most important. It is a developmental stage; very sensitive and important because it determines what sort of a person your teen will grow up to. Look at teen years as a time of immense growth, not only physically, but also emotionally, and you will understand that it’s a time of confusion and turmoil for them. You know how it feels; you’ve been through it yourself.
Ace Parenting Teens:
While these years can be tricky, there’s a lot you can do to foster your teen and encourage them to behave responsibly. Here are a few tips you can use to ace parenting teens:
Be a good friend
For your teens, life is changing at turbo speed every day and people around them are not being able to grasp that. You should understand that they are going through so many different changes in their body and mind. You try and come to terms with it as soon as you can. Be a good friend to them, if they see you as a friend they will come to you with all their queries instead of going to their friends and receiving lousy advice. It is best that your teens trust you enough to talk to you if they have any problem. Let them see you as their friend before a parent.
Give them some independence
Give your teens some leeway! It will give them opportunities to make their own identity and figure out their place in the world. But be very vigilant about who they ‘hang out’ with and where they go. You should be aware of their online and offline activities at all time while you give them the confidence of your trust. Parental monitoring apps can be a great tool for this. You get to keep an eye on them while they have fun. A win-win situation!
Be a role model
If you want your teen to follow the rules in your house and practice certain behaviors, you need to follow them yourself. Teen will always follow your actions, not your advice; so look at yourself in the mirror. Are you the person you wanting your kid to be? Whether your answer is no or yes; you really are their model. So be the person they can follow – lead by example.
Be understanding and supportive
Your bond with your teen might not seem that consistent at times, but you should understand that this is just a phase. Your kid will resurface, they all do. How you behave with your teen during this time will greatly affect your relation with them for the coming years. Remember, they key to being a good parent is unconditional love and endless patience. Your love and support mean the world to them!
