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Saturday, November 15, 2008

The Parent Trap: 13 Tips for Teen Parenting

Guest Post by Juliane Elliot

Teenagers are complex and add drama to our lives. Teenagers can challenge even the most confident of parents. Here are some ideas to help you parent your teen.

The Parent Trap

Teenagers. The very word makes a usually patient human being roll their eyes. The teen years can be compared to the “terrible two stage” of child development. As parents, we all remember the “terrible two stage.” But nothing on earth can prepare us for the teen years.

Here are thirteen suggestions for success:

  1. Money is power. You are the parent and you control the cash. Appropriate behavior will follow. You teen needs money, like a fish needs water. Always bait the fish and gently remind your teen who has the credit card.
  2. Know your teen's friends and know their parents. Encourage your teen to hang out at your house. Parents can be in a different room of the house, yet still home to supervise.
  3. Don't be afraid to set the home rules and the limits. You are the still the ruler of your castle. Talk about the expectations that you have for your teen in your home and elsewhere. Your teen will listen, if you keep the dialog open and direct.
  4. School is first. It is before extracurricular activities, sports, parties and a social life. Teens need to be reminded that school is a priority.
  5. Establish a curfew and don't budge. If your teen wants the car Friday night, then they will abide by your curfew limits.
  6. Tell you teen that if they ever overdo the partying, that they can count on you for a safe ride home
  7. Encourage your teen to have friends of both genders. But don't encourage exclusive dating. Too often teens become involved in exclusive relationships and they don't know how to handle them.

1 comment:

megat said...

your blog very beautiful and more info ,make me excited. Congratulation!!