Teenagers needs the confidence that comes from knowing they are loved.  Their behaviour often acts like a gauge showing how full of love their internal “emotional tank” is.  Today, we introduce the concept of the five love languages as a way of expressing love to our teenagers in order for them to feel loved.

• Our teenagers’ greatest need is to feel loved and accepted during this enormous transition in their lives a time of:
  • self- discovery
  • pushing for independence
  • much self-questioning
  • peer pressure
  • they can experience a lot of self-doubt and feel awkward and unlovable
  • confidence rests on:
    • security (knowing they are loved)
    • self-worth (knowing they are of value)
    • significance (knowing there is a purpose to their lives)
    • seek to keep their emotional tank” full of LOVE:
      • their behavior acts like the gauge to show how full of love they feel
      • knowing that they are loved and accepted enables them in the long-term:
        • to resist peer pressure when they need to
        • to make good choices
        • to build close relationships

Discovering how our teenagers feel loved

• discover the primary way each teenager feels loved, whether it’s through:
  • time
  • words
  • touch
  • presents
  • actions
  • (see Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers)
  • importance of a particular love language may have changed as a child has grown older

Question: Which of the five way of expressing love was most important for you during your upbringing?