Parenting Teens - September 4, 2012

Day 19 - Effective Communications Strategies Part I

Parenting Teenagers

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 o learn to speak with their teenager rather than at their teenager (Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers) o 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

Question:
When have you had your best conversations with your teenager?

From Series: Parenting Teenagers | More Messages from Parenting Teens | Download Audio

From Series: "Parenting Teenagers"

Study Guide

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  • for children, love is spelled T.I.M.E.
  • children need quantity time as well as quality time
  • significance of first eighteen months of a child’s life
  • who will be our child’s main caregiver?
  • can be hard to work out balance of parenting and employment
    • working at home/from home
    • full-time/part-time
  • the time we spend with our children is more powerful in communicating our love than anything we say
  • we need to prioritize our time
    • learning when to said “yes” to our children and “no” to other people and things
    • the only place we are indispensable is at home
  • we need to plan our time
    • time with the people who are most precious to us doesn’t just happen
    • if married, plan marriage time” each week
    • as a parent, plan “family time” each week
    • plan some one-to-one time with each child (we will look at this in detail in Session 2 Part 2)
  • we need to protect our time from
    • the TV
    • the telephone
    • other people
    • our work

What demands on your time stop you from spending time with your children?

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