Teenage is the most crucial part of every child’s life and you may not feel like you have much influence on your child these days, but teens’ behaviour is highly correlated with the strength of their bonds with their parents.
It’s very important for a parent to support them, be patient towards them, consult them and create a friendly bond with them. They require sufficient attention and care as children tend to make mistakes at this age and their actions and activities sometimes seem alien to the parents.
Here are some parenting tips or advice that will help you to raise your teenager:
- Remember you are a parent as well a friend.
Teens crave the security of knowing their parents understand them, appreciate them, and love them no matter what so they do want the relationship to be a form of friendship. But they also need to feel like they have some independence, so sometimes you may feel a bit shut out. If you can navigate your closeness in an accepting way that doesn’t take advantage of your role as a parent to tell your child what to do, he’s more likely to open up and share with you.
· Establish dependable together time.
Be sure to check into your child every single day. A few minutes of conversation while you’re cleaning up after dinner or right before bedtime can keep you tuned in and establish open communication. Even teens who seem to have forgotten who their parents are the other 23 hours a day often respond well to a goodnight hug and check-in chat once they’re lounging in bed. In addition to these short daily check-ins, establish a regular weekly routine for doing something special with your teen, even if it’s just going out for ice cream or a walk together.
· Parent actively and appropriately.
Don’t invite rebellion by refusing to acknowledge that your son or daughter is growing up and needs some freedom and privacy in their life. But don’t be afraid to ask where your kids are doing in their life. Ask them about their ambition in life when they grow up. Get to know your kids’ friends and their parents so that you are familiar with their activities.
· Try to be there after school.
The biggest danger zone for teenagers is getting into the bad company of friends, and drug & alcohol addiction. Spent time with your child educating them about sex education and have an open discussion about the addictions problems they might face. If your child will be with friends, make sure there’s adult supervision, not just an older sibling. Keeping a track of their activities with less interference in their lives is necessary.
· Keep your standards high.
Your teen wants to be their best self. Our job as parents is to support our teens in doing that. But don’t expect your child to achieve the goals you decide for them; they need to begin charting their own goals now, with the support of a parent who adores them just as she is and believes that they can do anything she aims to. Support your teen’s passions and explorations as she finds her unique voice.
- Have good communication with them.
If you don’t know what’s going on, you lose all hope of influencing the outcome. Try to be a good listener listen to whatever your child has to say and in case they are facing any problem try to solve it, support them and let them know you are there for them no matter what happens.
- Make it a high priority to eat meals together
Meals are a great opportunity to talk about the day’s events for unwinding, reinforcing and bonding with the family. They are also your best opportunity to keep in touch with your teen’s life and challenges, and to spot brewing problems. Finally, an important factor in kids’ happiness and overall success is whether they feel they get time to “just hang out and talk” with their parents every day.
- Encourage good self-care
A healthy and balanced diet with 9-12 hours of sleep is what every teen requires. Coffee is a bad idea for early teens because it interferes with normal sleep patterns. Too much screen time, especially in the hour before bedtime, reduces melatonin production and makes it harder for kids to fall asleep at night.
- Engage them in activities
Ask them to participate in competitions in high school which will enhance their leadership skills and create a winning spirit in them. This will also create a sense of responsibility in them.