Everyone always seemed to tell you about how difficult your life would be like for the first few years after the birth of your child and give your hundreds of advices on how to deal with your newborn, but not one of them told you how challenging dealing with a teenager would be – let alone giving you parenting tips for teenager. As a parent to a teen-aged child, you often find yourself in a difficult situation with your teenager where all you can do is sigh and mutter “they really should have warned me back then” to yourself. Now you realize that raising a child does not get easier as they get older – sure they no longer need your help to change diapers, but the challenges that come with raising a teenager is much more complicated.
Adolescence is just another developmental phase that you, as a parent, has to go through in your parenting journey. When you think about it, all of these developmental stages come with their own set of issues and challenges – although said challenges are different from one another, one thing that they have in common is the fact that it is always difficult in the beginning. Remember that moment when you felt like 2 AM feeding was your biggest problem? Now you can laugh at that. One day, too, you and your teenager will be able to look back fondly and laugh at the ridiculousness of this phase.
Be your teenager’s best friend
As your child steps into adolescence, your parenting style must change. Your teenaged child is no longer your little baby who needs you to cater to their every need. As a parent of a teenager, you must realize that at this stage, they do not need a babysitter – they need a friend. Give them a little space, and work on being their friend. That way when they have problems, they’ll come to you and listen to you instead of the shady advices they get from their equally clueless friends.
Stop being too available for them
Being a teenager doesn’t only mean they’re getting bigger and taller, but also their potential. It’s time for you to gradually stop making yourself available for them – instead, make your teenager responsible for everything to introduce the concept of responsibility and obligation. When you make them responsible, you, in a way, also help them to expand and learn more about the real world.
Do not yell at them
No matter how angry you are at your teenager when they misbehave or make a bad decision, do not yell. Stay calm, and take a few moments to let them vent before you calmly explain to them. This does not only teach them the proper way to handle situations like this, it also reduces the risk of unnecessary conflicts that drive you and your teenager away from the initial issue. If there’s one thing that you must always remember from this parenting tips for teenager is the fact that they tend to have an attitude when you yell at them.
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