Parenting is challenging, especially when your child is in their teenage years. They’re growing and changing right before your eyes, and there’s nothing you can do to stop or slow it down. They’re trying to find their mature side, but it’s likely they’re not quite there yet.
This can be cause for some conflict and rough days between you and your teen. Stay focused on using tools that help you to build a solid relationship and accept there will be obstacles. Remain optimistic and know the storms will pass with time. It’s not going to be a perfect process, and you have to continue to be flexible as you both learn and grow together.
Find Shared Interests
Your relationship will be stronger when you find shared interests. It will give you common ground to work from and strengthen the foundation you already have. Think about what topics or activities you both enjoy and go from there. Use this connection you’ve started to find additional ways you’re similar to each other. Make time to chat or participate in activities that you’re both interested in.
Take Care of you First
You’re not going to be a very good parent if you’re slacking on your self-care. You have to feel good to be able to parent well. For example, if you’re experiencing a lot of lower back pain then read up on what it could be and possible treatment options using a resource such as echiro practor. Walking around and living in pain will make you crabby and frustrated, and it becomes easy to take out how you feel on your loved ones.
Learn how to Communicate Clearly
You’re not going to get very far with your teen unless you both know how to communicate with each other. It means talking in a level voice, listening and showing that you understand what the other person is saying. Continue working on this one until you get somewhere with your teen. It’s worth the effort because closed off communication will only lead to problems. You have to show respect for the other person and actively listen if you want to get anywhere with your conversation.
Be Understanding
Put yourself in your teen’s shoes and recall what it was like to be that age. Realize they’re going to mess up and make mistakes. While it’s your job to teach and discipline them, you should also be understanding and learn to help them work through their problems. Try to see the situation from their viewpoint and come up with a fair reprimand for what it is they did. If you fly off the handle and fail to hear the whole story, you’ll likely miss out on the real reason why they’re acting out.
Conclusion
Having a successful relationship with your teen is possible. Use these pointers to develop your connection and move in the right direction. Accept that you’re both going to make mistakes along the way, but don’t let that stop you from continuing to try to develop a bond.
Brought to you by our friend, Carol.