Teenagers Enter Their Adolescent Years

Teenagers enter their adolescent years with a mixture of optimism, excitement and apprehension. Rightfully so! Adolescence is a time when boys and girls begin to establish greater independence from their parents. It is also a time when young people begin to develop the sense of personal individuality that will help define their future identity as adults. It is not easy for parents or teenagers to smoothly navigate this transitional stage which is often accompanied by an increase in tension and strain in the parent-child relationship. Some parents find it easy to keep the lines of communication open with an adolescent child. These parents are often perceived by the child as stable sources of positive influence, and the teen feels supported in his/her growing independence. Employ fair and firm discipline. Discipline changes as your child grows up and becomes a teenager. But it doesn't stop. Your teen will still need your guidance and discipline. You will still need to say 'no'. You will still need to have consequences in place if your teen refuses to adhere to your family's rules. Basically, fair and firm discipline is you, the parent, creating a discipline plan for your teen that is fair to both of you and sticking to it using a firm and loving approach. When you employ the fair and firm discipline approach your teen will learn the value of doing what is right along with how to take responsibility for their actions. It's a win-win that leads directly to raising your teen successfully. Teach your teen life skills. Life skills are those abilities you need to make it in the world outside of your family's home. For instance, can your teen cook? Or do they know how to use a bank account? These skills help a teen not only survive, but thrive when they begin to live on their own. Parents need to be aware of the tasks they do for their teens and be sure their teens are capable of successfully doing them too.