Parenting Teens - August 25, 2012

Day 9 - Home - A Place to Learn Good Relationships

Parenting Teenagers

Home is a place where teenagers learn how to build healthy relationships.

• Teenagers learn to relate through observing adult relationships • If parenting together, invest in your relationship (take our marriage course!) • If parenting on your own, build the best relationship you can with the other parent, when possible • Nurture other adult friendships • Mealtimes together – teenagers learn to talk, listen, debate issues, and respect others’ views • Regular family time – having fun together ias a family helps build relationships between parents and children and between siblings (consider having a weekly “family night”)

Question:
How can you intentionally model healthy relationships with others in your life, for your teenager to learn from?

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From Series: "Parenting Teenagers"

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We look at the role of listening and attention-giving in effective communications.2. Learn to listen

  • treat them like young adults (not children)
  • Listen carefully to their views and feelings
  • Effective communication requires that parents
    • learn to speak with their teenager rather than at their teenager (Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers)
    • engage in discussion and be prepared to debate the issues rather than repeating Simplistic slogans such as “You’re too young to have a boyfriend” or “drugs are dangerous”

3. Give your full attention

  • recognize the important moments to listen and give your full attention
  • don’t try to listen to your teenager while doing something else at the same time

maintain eye contact; observe your teenager’s body language

When have you had your best conversations with your teenager?