Communicating with a Crazy Teen

There is so much talk in our society about how rebellious, crazy, un-controlling, careless, and selfish teenagers are. This perception gives parents the thought that they need to be stricter once their children become teenagers. Of course, not all teenagers are this way. You have to remember to not jump down their throats because they are experimenting and yes parents are the ones they need input from to lead them in the right direction, but it is not good to approach it in a negative way. 

Punishment - When and how should you punish your teenager for doing wrong?

Pick your battles! When you are having a disagreement with your teenager say this to yourself and think if what you are fighting about is worth it or not. Interactions between parents and teenagers are few, and you do not want them to remember every confrontation with you as a horrible experience. Parents should want their teenagers to feel confident in themselves, explore their options, but at the same time they need parents’ support and advice. It’s not really necessary to ground them for a month over a dirty room. Don’t punish your teenager about a low grade without talking to them first. Find out what the problem is and try to explore ways you can help to improve their grades.

Temptations - How do you keep your teenager safe without being a helicopter parent?

What is a helicopter parent you ask? It is parents who pay extremely too close attention to their child’s experiences, to the point where the child does not become independent. Teenagers are going through a lot during these years; issues concerning drinking, drugs, depression, weight issues and so much more. This is an important time where teenagers expand and try to become independent and if you are too loose and don’t care, your teenager will more than likely become rebellious. On the other hand, if you are too strict and are on their back all of the time they will feel helpless like they have no sense of self. Holding them back from certain experiences will only harm them. It is important to know where they are, who they are with, and what time to expect them home. On the blog Parenting Today’s Teens with Mark Gregston, he states the fact that the average starting age for drugs is around 7^th or 8^th grade. This may startle some parents, but you cannot jump right in at this age and lecture about it. Teenagers comprehend information more when you attach it with something meaningful to them. If you encourage your teenager to think for themselves they will be more confident and solve problems better.

Relax, be a parent and listen, don’t lecture!

 

Reference: Blog- Gregston,Mark; Parenting Today's Teens; http://www.heartlightministries.org/blogs/markgregston/  

 

Blog Recommendation: Parenting Today’s Teens with Mark Gregston (www.heartlightministries.org/blogs/markgregston/) this site gives a list of over 65 specific topics on teenage issues and issues including their parents. This blog I fully trusted because Mark Gregston has three books he has written, these include: Ten Ways to Turn Around Your Teen, Secrets to Effective Parenting, and Developing Rules and Boundaries for Your Teen.  The information on this blog was endless. As I started searching for blogs on the topic of parenting teens I made a list of topics I found in blogs; when I came across this blog it included every one that I had already written down and more. I really liked the layout of his blog because readers can find the topic they are interested in instead of having to read everything in order to find what they wanted. I will use this in my group’s blog and try to make ours more user friendly.  One of the things I read in his blog I felt was very important for parents to keep in mind “you only get a few opportunities to truly engage with your teen and every parent needs to pick battles carefully” you do not want your teen to remember every interaction with you as a parent to be a bad one.

~Kim