Home | Family
I thought I had seen it all. As a mother of 5, I was used to dealing with a messy house, skinned knees and sibling rivalry. I am sure I could write a book on each of these subjects. While they seemed difficult at the time, I have found recently that they were pretty easy to deal with compared to what I am dealing with now. You see, I now have a teen! When your child is young, almost any problem can be whisked away with a hug and a kiss. When your child is young, almost any problem can be whisked away with a hug and a kiss. The issues facing teens are much more difficult Teenagers face problems like teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and smoking. Prior to their teenage years, we spend a lot of time teaching our kids right from wrong. As your kids, figuring out what is right and what is wrong isn't so easy. It takes a lot of preparation and a lot of coaching from you. Teen peer pressures can distorte the viewpoint of even the best kid. Here are several strategies you can use to address teen peer pressure. 1. I know who I am: A good portion of your teenage years are spent trying to figure out who you are. If we don't help our teens figure this out, their friends and the TV will. Make sure to spend time helping your teen to visualize and vocalize who they want to be. Then, when it is time to make a decision, have them ask "Does this fit with who I want to be?". 2. Know what you are getting into: Any time your teen leaves the house, make sure that the both of you know what you are getting into. Ask as many questions as you need to until you are both comfortable that your teen will be safe. This is not the time to be shy. 3. Know what questions to ask: Make sure your teen has a good arsenal of questions to ask their friends to find out what will be going on. Who will there? Are there parents there? Will there be alcohol or drugs there? It might be embarrassing the first time for your teen, but make sure they understand that their safety is more important than a slight bit of embarrassment. 4. I need help: No matter what your teen may have gotten into, they need to know that you will come get them no matter where or when it is. You need to also give them a list of several other adults who will rescue them also, with no questions asked. 5. Can you say "No!": Telling their friends "no" can be very difficult for your teen. Practice role playing where you are your teen's friend who is trying to get them to do something they shouldn't. Try everything a teen would like "Come on, everyone is doing it", "Don't be a baby", "Are you scared?". Teach your child how to respond to each of these situations 6. Good cop, bad cop: Teens often say that they go along with things they shouldn't because they didn't want to look un-cool. An easy way to let them off the hook is by telling them to make you the bad guy. Simply tell your teen to tell his friends that "I cant, my mom and dad would kill me if I do. It's just not worth it". 7. The "real friend": One thing you have to remember is that teens value their friendships more than anything, but they also need a sense of what true friendship is. Would a real friend ask you to do that if you really don't want to? Would they stop being your friend if you don't go along? Ask your teen to try and examine the motives of their friends. If they really cared about you, why would they be trying to get you to do something that could harm you? 8. Now that guy is cool: See if your teen can make a list of a few people who they think is cool. Chances are this person isn't cool because they were following the crowd. Chances are cool that this person is cool because they went a different direction and did their own thing. Make sure to point out that doing your own thing is cool, not following the crowd. 9. Confidence Building 101: Being a parent is hard work. Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in what isn't right, what isn't getting done that we loose focus on what is right. Our teens need to hear how much we respect them, how much we love them, and how proud we are of them. If they don't get positive reinforcement from us, they will turn to their friends even more. Try bragging about your teen to another parent when your teen can "accidentally overhear you. They will beam! 10. Its family time: Your teens are going to have a ton of tough choices to make. They best way to help them make the right choices is to give them a strong foundation of love and support. Make sure that you block off time to spend as a family just having fun. It's a great time for your teen who can relax and just be themselves without having to worry about peer pressure. One final thought. Both your teen and you are going to make mistakes. It is important to forgive each other when you do and stick to these guidelines.
By: Catherine Ann
Want more great details on managing your Family Life? Sign up for my newsletter and I will send you my private "Time Management Guide" and my free e-course on "Finding Your Hidden Sources of Money". These are critical guides for busy moms and dads
Article Directory: http://www.articlewisdom.com
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
Powered by Article Dashboard
