When your children grow up, they can become moody and sullen teenagers. It’s really easy to make a few pregnancy mistakes during this time, and it could cause some long-term effects. Your teenager is going through a lot right now. There are a lot of decisions to make and hormones are crazy. Think about what it was like for you.
Before you make any mistakes, here are the most common so you can watch out for them when dealing with your teenagers.
There’s No Need to Yell
Yelling is one of the worst things that you can do at any point, but is damaging to your relationship with your teenager. She is learning from you, but still wants respect.
The problem is if you don’t show her respect, she’s not going to show you it. Stop yelling and focus on having a grown up conversation together. Air out your complaints calmly, so you can cover everything.
Listen to Your Teen
Talking is just half of having a conversation. You need to listen too.
She may be younger than you, but that doesn’t mean her feelings and thoughts aren’t valuable. It is possible for teenagers to teach their parents a few things. Listen to her and acknowledge her thoughts and feelings. It shows her respect and that she is a valued member of the family. She’s more likely to listen to you then.
Spend Time With Your Children
Teenagers need to know that you put them before anything else. They don’t want you working all the time, or spending time with your friends instead of them. You need to organise days where it’s all about you and your children.
Take your teenage daughter shopping for a new dress or spend some time with your son at the park playing football. This quality time shows them that you really do care.
Stop Snooping on Their Private Lives
You know how important having a private life is.
You never wanted your parents snooping through your drawers or diary, and the same applies to your teenagers. It’s all about trust and respect. If you go snooping for something, you tell your teenager that you don’t trust her or respect her privacy. By opening up the gates for honesty, she is more likely to tell you when there is a problem.
Don’t Push Her Into Talking
Stop forcing your teenager to talk. If you push her, it’s going to start driving her away. You need to make it clear that she can talk to you whenever she feels ready for it.
Let her know that you’ll drop everything as soon as she is ready to let you into her feelings. Make it clear that you’re not going to judge her and you just want to help in any way you can.
Know the Signs to Look Out For
Your teenager could get into the wrong crowd and do drugs. She could suffer from an eating disorder.
Your teenager is no different from the rest, and you need to accept that. By accepting it, you’re prepared to look out for signs that she’s in trouble so you can help her.