Your teenage son or daughter who previously loved running to your arms at the end of a long day, now barely speaks to you. There are no more fun trips to the mall, arcade or just a fun car ride around the block. Well, donít despair. Every parent with a teenager is going through the same thing.
You should expect your teenagers to turn away from you at a certain age. Itís a natural evolution between parent and child. The separation allows them to become well-adjusted adults. Well, here are some useful counselling for teaanagers and kids advice that should help you get through the tough years.
Counselling For Teaanagers And Kids Advice For Parents
– Don’t become a clingy parent, rather you should give them a leeway. Give them a chance to establish their identity by allowing them a little independence. Basically, you need to allow them to find their own place in the world. Of course, if your child starts going out with a bard crowd, you need to be more attentive. Therefore, some independence is good but not if it leads to them making some terrible decisions.
– Stop nitpicking at all the things your teenagers are doing. Therefore, you need to choose your battles wisely. Of course, if your teenager goes out and gets a permanent thing like a tattoo, you have the right to be angry about it. On the other hand, if he/she cuts her hair short or takes a while to clean up a messy room, you can settle down and find a proper way to communicate with your child for the best results.
– As a parent, you should try finding out the type of people your child is hanging out with. You can do so by inviting your child’s friends over for dinner. That means you’re not directly rejecting whoever your kids are hanging out with, rather you’re taking time to know them. If kids see how their friends act with their parents, they will get a better chance of understanding them. If a parent flatly denies their kids from hanging out with specific people, then the plan will backfire because most kids like going doing the exact opposite of what their parents say.
– If you have a teenager, you need to decide discipline and rules early enough. If there are two parents, they should both discuss everything about the family and come to an agreement. That way, they are both on the same page. If you choose to ban them from driving for a week, reduce their allowance or monitor their internet usage strictly, make sure the rules are set in advance. If your kid agrees that the punishment isn’t fair, you need to make an agreement on what’s fair and follow through.
– If your teenagers behave appropriately, you need to give them some autonomy but it needs to be age-appropriate. Of course, you need to know where they are at all times, if you want to be a responsible parent. If possible, you can have them call you in the evening to check in, especially if they are planning on staying out late. Of course, that entirely depends on how responsible your child has been. Most parents go to the extent of tracking their kidsí phones but if your kid ever finds out, he/she will not appreciate being spied on.
– You need to have open conversations with your child about risks they might go through. For instance, you should have an open and honest conversation about the consequences of doing drugs, premarital sex, drunk driving and absconding their education. Basically, you need to educate your child on how to avoid peer pressure or bad friends who might destroy their future. Rather than scolding your child, you need to sit down and treat your teenager like an adult and make him or her understand the dangers of doing the wrong things.
– Create a good game plan for dealing with specific situations. For instance, if they are torn between getting home with a drunk driver or walking in a scary place at night, you can always tell your child to call you. Whenever that happens, you should be happy that your child actually did the right thing, regardless of whether he/she is slightly inebriated. Of course, you should not let that go, but bring it up later. You need to teach your child how to handle an unsafe situation and if possible, brainstorm some of the likely situations that might come up. That way, your child is always prepared for anything.
– Finally, as a parent the best counselling for teaanagers and kids, don’t close the door on your child completely. Rather, you should be ready to listen or act interested in their lives. Don’t force your child to open up if they don’t want to but make sure that he/she always has a shoulder to lean on when things get tough.