In some respects, you do not know what parenting is until your children hit their teens. It’s a whole new ball game. All of a sudden you realize that there is this huge gap between you and your kid and the more you try to fix it, the more it seems to broaden. Communication between you and your child seems to be dead. These are probably the toughest years!!
So what do you do to make it better?
Here are a few tips:
•
Try and get into their heads. Do not assume that because you do not like something, your teen does not like it too.
•
Remember to always be truthful to your teen. No matter how old your child grows, he/she looks at you as an example. If you want your teen to be truthful, you need to first be truthful. Honesty is the best policy you can instil in to them
•
Do not jump into advising; first listen to what your teen has to say. Be empathetic.
• Your job during their teens is
to spur and encourage them. If you are one who keeps criticizing, they are never going to want to communicate with you.
• You need to
be available for them whenever they need you. They may want to talk in the middle of the night, it is important that you talk to them when they are willing to talk.
•
If you are wrong, apologize. It takes a big person to apologize. Your teen will respect you much more for it.
•
Don’t wait for your teen to ask you for help, sense it and then do your best to help them
•
Respect your teen. Treat him/her like an adult. Give then their space.
•
Remember to use words like “please”, “thank you” and “I love you” frequently with your teens.
For a free special report with over 50 Parenting Tips just go to
www.awesomeparents.com Nigel and Jan have met hundreds of parents and helped them to become more awesome than they were.
