It can be quite challenging as a parent raising teens, but it can be a lot of fun with the right tips. Parents are always keen to work in the best interest of their children. Here are some useful tips on how you can get excellence out of your kids’ teenage:
Try To Understand Their Miscommunication
There are times when children will not communicate properly, and that can be quite frustrating. Some parents even get angry and lash out; this only makes things worse. Teenage is a period of rapid growth and dynamic changes. It is normal for some behavior to be out of line. Some can even border on juvenile delinquency.
Immediately you notice a miscommunication pattern or deliberate refusal to communicate, relax, and try to comprehend why they have changed. Be mature enough to absorb their emotional responses and resist the urge to judge. Studies show that the prefrontal cortex controls teens’ thoughts, working memory, and decision-making, so they cannot be blamed.
Do Not Transfer Aggression
Adults have their life issues, and that is a fact we must all accept. There is nothing bad in facing adulthood’s challenges, but you must take good care not to transfer your aggression. Projecting your hurt, pains, and worries upon your children will not make them thrive. It will only make things a lot worse and that should not be the case.
One technique that functions very well when dealing with teens is being able to rein in your feelings. You cannot afford to be emotionally unstable before your kids as that will be passing the very wrong message, triggering the opposite of the impact you desire.
Be Realistic
It would help if you remembered all the wild things you did as a teenager too. This is going to allow you to remain grounded in reality. As you were not an angel in your teen years, it will be folly for you to expect your children to be perfect angels. Some parents are having severe problems with their wards because they are unrealistic.
This is particularly true of those who are helicopter parents who end up making life miserable for everyone. The realities of an adult and a teenager are very different, and your priorities are not the same. If your goal is to make the best of your kids, then you will have to see things from their perspectives most of the time.
Respect and Calm Go a Long Way
Being a parent does not mean you have to be a ruthless dictator. Your generation is different from the one in the 21st century. Respect is an ingredient that will go a long way in soothing the relationship between the two parties.
There are times when your children will want to be left alone – do not force it. Please respect their privacy and let them enjoy their space. They will also have their own opinions too, and you will not agree all the time. Let them know that you cherish their opinions and it is normal to disagree once in a while.
Decrease Control Gradually
You cannot control your children forever. You have to start relinquishing all that parental power gradually. If you had been strictly reinforcing bedtime rulings before, you may have to start loosening as they approach the teen years. You have to be careful to relinquish gradually because giving up all your power is also not good for anyone. It has to be gradual and you need to examine the effects.
Be Open with Them
Some parents find it awkward to discuss in detail and freely with their children because they did not have the experience of having an open line of communication with their parents. Letting your teens know that there is no topic that they cannot discuss with you is the first step to success. Teens will always tell their parents anything once they see the space and welcoming arms are there. Yes, some topics can be dicey, but you can always find a way to go around it, so you satisfy the curiosity of your bundles of joy.
