Raising modern-day teens
Raising and nurturing an adolescent into adulthood can be difficult, frustrating, and unpredictable. But if you can make it through the moody teenage years, while avoiding some common parenting pitfalls you will have done a great deal in raising a responsible child.
Here are some helpful tips for raising teens:
Have them sleep at home
It’s not just a cliché. Teenagers really do sleep differently than the rest of us; they have a harder time going to bed early and a much, much easier time staying in bed the next morning. Its also quite true that as age advances teenagers may opt to hangout with friends and some may sleep away from home.
With advancement in age some may develop resistance to what their parents want for and from them and therefore it is a parent’s role to check that the teen sleeps at home and if he wants to hang out with friends have him/her seek for permission. This helps you keep tabs on them and the compromise could be that they spend time with their friends during the day.
Have regular sex talks with them
Teen life has to be one of the hardest life phases. That teen will go through body changes like growth of pubic hair for both male and females, deepening of voice for men and enlargement of breasts for females. So you as the parent or primary caregiver its now time to put down your phones, rein in his/her defensiveness, anxiety, and fear and listen to their questions and answer them truthfully.
This helps them learn about sexual health and they would be more likely to approach you with an issue instead of their friends who may give the wrong advice.
Give them space
Adolescence is all about finding identity. This stage normally involves individualization, which is the process of separating from parents and becoming a unique person. And this person may or may not agree with everything their parents believe or represent.
Parents who tend to intrude into their kids privacy by reading their texts or tracking their movements by use of friends interfere with their kids finding own identity and fitting into the society. As a parent though you have to set standards at least allow your teens to interact with their peers. This will be a golden chance to have good strong and positive relationships key for anyone’s growth.
Be a good example
From the time they’re born, children learn how to live in the world by observing and imitating those around them. One thing you may worry about is that your teenager will pick up bad habits from their peers, the friends they learn and hang around with. But studies show parents are by far the biggest influence on their kids’ choices and behaviors. The things you do and the way you act influence your teen’s choices and behaviors. If you happen to be a drunkard be sure that your kids will likely pick the habit from you.
