There are many ways to raise a child, and every child is different. So there is no magic formula for raising good teenagers.
Perfect parents can still have troubled children, and good children come from bad families. However, by taking an interest in your children's lives, you are teaching them the lessons they need to learn in order to become the successful and happy adults you want. Here are some tips to keep teenagers on track:
1. Love her: Tell your teenagers that you love them every day. You may be too embarrassed to return these words at this point in your life, but this is temporary. One day they will remember that no matter what, you always told them you loved them. Emphasize that if they do something wrong, you still love them, even if you don't like their behavior.
Teenagers tend to dramatize and say, "You don't care about me" when yelled at. Make sure he understands that you can still love someone even if you are not satisfied with their behavior.
2. Don't be afraid to set boundaries: You don't have to be your teen's best friend. If you feel uncomfortable walking anywhere, put your feet on the floor. Sometimes they really want an excuse to say “no” to their friends and say, “Mom won't let me go!” Could there be a better reason? Don't be afraid to be "painful". It means you care.
3. Get them to participate in something other than themselves: Young people benefit greatly from joining religious youth groups or community-based youth groups. Often times, these groups place great value on thinking of others and having fun at the same time. Mission travel and community service opportunities are often some of the greatest experiences in young people's lives and are a good lesson for seeing how others are far worse off than they are.
4. Emphasize the importance of family: Children need an anchor, a sense of belonging to "something". Emphasize that your family is a team. And encourage your children to spend time with their extended family such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Instead of watching TV, have dinner together a few times a week and talk about your day.
5. Get help: You may annoy your children by saying you want children to only have housekeeping, but don't let that stop you from insisting that they take part in the housekeeping. Teens are old enough to do their own laundry, clean their rooms, scrub the bathroom, wash the dishes, and everything else you do.
You are doing your children (and future spouses) a favor by teaching them how to care for themselves and their home. Don't step back because they are complaining or doing a bad job. All family members should be encouraged to participate. Also, don't let them do things they already need to, such as: B. to keep your room tidy. Give them money for extra chores like mowing the lawn or washing the car.
6. Respect your choices: Let's face it: our children will never be the little clones we want to raise - people who act and think the same way we do! Teens are constantly trying to find out who they are and what they believe in. I don't like to criticize their choice of music (if not particularly violent), hairstyle, clothes etc. Look at your old high school pictures and you will see that your own children's experiments are perfectly normal!
Yes, they are still children, but they want to be treated like adults. Exercising full authority over them is doomed to failure. For things that are temporary, the choice is yours. Blue hair will grow. (But tattoos don't. Say "no" to them.)
7. Teach them about future consequences: Children need to know you won't be looking at them forever. Express the importance of education in finding a good job. Explain to them how their actions today will greatly affect the future. If they have a criminal record or don't have a high school diploma, they probably won't get what they want.
Show them how much a car and a house cost. Raising a family, paying for utilities, providing housing and transportation, etc. Check a monthly budget with your children to see how much money it will take Children tend to take these things lightly. You need to think about how their parents can provide these and how they can do the same as they grow up.
The world today offers many temptations and bad examples for adolescents, but parents are still the primary teachers of children. Now more than ever, your teenagers need you to be present in their lives. The right balance between love and discipline will allow your teenagers to grow up in an environment where they will grow up to be caring and responsible adults.