Building Healthy Relationships With Your Teen
As a parent, Building Healthy Relationships With Your Teen can be one of the hardest things you will encounter. We all know the stories of the teen years being rocky, but you don’t have to have that. Working on communication with your child and keeping an open heart can make these years some of the bet you have with your child. We have some great thoughts to share with you on how to make the teen years something to enjoy and not dread.
BUILDING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR TEEN
Be their parent not their friend. You want your child to consider you their confidant, but you must respect the line between parent and friend They should be able to share with you, but they also need to know you will discipline and put down the law as needed. Create an open line of communication while giving them the parent they need to look to for direction.
Show understanding while enforcing discipline. There will be times when discipline is necessary. In those instances, show understanding and compassion. Their actions will warrant discipline, but you must show them you understand their emotions and needs. Explain to them that discipline is your way of showing them there are consequences for their actions so they will learn in the future.
Listen to them and their needs. Don’t always jump to conclusions about what they need. Sometimes what you think and what they truly need are two different things. Truly listen to them and their needs so you can give them the best. Some situations will be difficult, but you must listen with compassion. Encourage what changes you feel are best with understanding for their needs and emotional state, not just what you believe to be best.
Make your home a safe place for their friends. One of the best things you can do for your relationship with your teen is to create a safe haven for them to hang out with their friends. Have an open door policy that would give them the freedom to have friends over in your home. You’ll see what they are doing and with whom, and they won’t feel like they are unable to have friendships.
Building healthy relationships with your teen involves a lot of understanding and compassion. You must focus on showing your children they are loved, listened to and cared for. You don’t have to stop being a parent who enforces the rules. You simply have to be the one who also listens to their reasons for why they don’t think rules are just.
Those are all great points. I think listening to them is key!
This is why I want to have the house that my kids want to be at. So all their friends will want to spend more time here.
The teen years can make the terrible two’s seem like a walk in the park.
Those are great tips. I always tell my teen: I am your mom, not your friend. It is important to keep the relationship this way or we lose control
This is great. My kids will be teens before I know it. I am hoping to start that journey off right!
Great tips! My kids will be teens before I know it! I am hoping to start that journey off right!
I always had a great relationship with my daughter, still do. When she was a teenager I tried to remember what it was like for me when I was her age. It helped me navigate the teen years more successfully.
These are great things to know when your kids are approaching their teens. It’s a whole different game in those years.
So important to keep being their parent. I am bookmarking this and sharing it around
Having three step kids who are teens has been a fun journey watching them grow up and seeing them as they gain more independent lives is no easy way to tell if what you do is OK or not based off teens views.
Yes this is so important. I am going through this right now.
I know many parents who tried to be their teen’s friend and regretted it. You will sometimes have to make hard decisions as a parent, and you need your child’s respect. Luckily once they get past the stubborn teen years, they’ll start to want to spend time at home again. I can’t get my daughter to leave now, haha.
Oh teens, such hard years. I hope I can build a good relationship with my kids when they are teens
I agree with this so much. I raised a teen daughter and among her friends the biggest failures came from parents who wanted to be their kids best friends. They have enough of those they need someone to lead them.
Unconditional love is very important. Affirming their position in our hearts is very important. Those who are loved much, will love much.
I very much agree that building a healthy relation ship with teen is a biggest challenge that every parent will encounter. These are great tips for sure. And, understanding is so important when you enforce discipline
MY daughter is 17 and we have a great relationship. She comes to me with everything. The key is that you have to be available to listen, not judge, and give advice.
Being a parent instead of a friend is especially important in today’s world where children need that proper influence.
Growing up my mom taught me to respect her by respecting me. She allowed me to make my own choices and learn from my mistakes. We were always open and communicative. I felt this made my life much easier. She was my best friend and we talked about everything. I hope to have that same with kiddo. So far, so good.
First point is oh-so-important. I don’t know why people got away from PARENTING, but I’ve met many of those “friend” parents.
I don’t have a teenager yet, but I agree with a lot of the principles. I like to be friendly with my kids, but not their friend. God didn’t put me here to give birth to become their friend.
I have time left before my oldest is a teen. I am thankful because I remember my teenage days and how my mother and I did not get along. I hope that my kids and I will make it through those teen days just fine!
Being mom to two teenagers I can tell you that these tips are spot on.
These tips are really important. Communication is key during the teen years.
These are some great tips. I try to do all of these with my kids.
I think these are all great tips. I especially like the open door policy.