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With each passing day, your child is growing up. And you dread the approaching adolescent years.
It’s a tumultuous phase both for the child and parents. The children undergo noticeable physical, emotional and psychological changes. It’s crucial to understand these changes by creating a supportive and nurturing environment.
This newsletter will explore how parents can better understand and support their teenage children, improve communication, and strengthen relationships.
“Adolescence is just one big walking pimple.”
– Carol Burnett
Understanding the Adolescent Transition
It’s not for nothing that this phase is often referred to as the ‘Terrifying Teens’.
As the children evolve into adolescents, they undergo a conflicting, and often confusing, phase of growth. From experiencing hormonal changes, to discovering their identity to asserting their desire for greater independence. These unsettling changes often lead to misunderstandings and conflicts with the parents.
It’s natural and expected yet parents find it difficult to accept the changes, thus creating more anxiety and disharmony at home.
In these situations, parents need to be more understanding and patient by accepting the changes and allowing the child the space and support to accept the changes for themselves.
By doing this, parents will be able to empathise better with their children, provide the much-needed support and create a balanced environment at home.
Dealing with the Common Challenges
Every parent, without exception, is trying to find the best way to connect with the teenager at home without scaring them off.
What is needed is for the parent to understand the challenges their teenager is facing. Peer pressure, academic stress, identity exploration and social acceptance. And each of them is trying to bravely go through these by themselves.
It becomes vital to approach these challenges with empathy and patience if you want to reach out to them.
Reaching Out to the Teens
The only tool needed to develop a strong parent-teen relationship is communication.
The 5 effective and practical tips to improve communication between parents and teens are –
1. Active Listening: Show genuine interest in your teenager’s thoughts and feelings.
2. Open-Ended Questions: Encourage deeper conversations by asking questions that require more than a yes/no answer.
3. Non-Judgmental Approach: Create a safe space for your teenager to express themselves without fear of criticism.
4. Consistency: Be consistent in your communication and actions to build trust.
5. Quality Time: Spend quality time together to strengthen your bond.
Building a Supportive Environment
For your teen to feel comfortable to reach out to you, you must create a supportive environment where you’re available for them both physically and emotionally.
Listen to them before offering unsolicited advice. Be patient, encourage them and provide guidance when needed.
Parents will be able to assist better by cultivating an environment at home which is supportive, understanding and non-judgemental. This will give your teenagers the confidence to navigate the complexities of adolescence with ease.
Your teenagers will grow into confident, empathetic, and well-adjusted adults if you provide them well-timed and appropriate guidance and support.
Conclusion
Remember, the goal is to guide them, not control them, as they navigate this critical phase of their lives.
Supporting teenagers through their growth and change on this journey is a mean task that requires empathy, patience, and understanding from the parents. Using effective communication strategies and creating a supportive environment will help parents improve their relationship with their teenage children significantly.
Interesting articles I read
Pirates once swashbuckled across the ancient Mediterranean.
‘The Women’ gave me a new perspective on the Vietnam War – Bill Gates
5 great things to read or watch this summer.
Books by my bedside
The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Latest Blogs (in case you missed)
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