Sometimes love needs a helping hand. And extended family members can be a big help when you’re faced with the challenge of raising a teenager. How can extended family members help? 1. They can offer reassurance, share experiences, and help you to gain perspective. Especially if they’ve raised difficult teenagers and have lived to tell […]
Support and Advice
Having a child get caught up in a cult can be a frightening, frustrating, even a tragic experience for a family. How can you prevent such an occurrence in your family? • First, take steps to strengthen your teen’s self-esteem and his traditional religious or other altruistic ties. Teens most vulnerable to cults are those
Are you a perfectionist? Consider what your perfectionism has or hasn’t done for you and what it may be doing to and for your teenager. Being ambitious, hard working, and goal-oriented can be quite different from invariably demanding top performance from yourself and from your teenager. • Perfectionists work under unrelenting tension, and this takes
It can be a shock to discover that your teen is having sex. You may feel anxious, angry, disappointed, and distressed, and wonder “What do I do now?” Here are some suggestions: • First, take time to collect your thoughts. Calm down if at all possible before discussing the matter. Lashing out at your teen
Perhaps your child’s teen years are on the horizon, or perhaps they’ve already begun. These can be difficult, demanding years, ones that require emotional preparation on your part. How can you prepare yourself as a parent? • First, work on your own self-esteem, so you can withstand with wisdom, insight, and good humor the occasional
The noted psychologist, Eda La Shan, has said, “The only way to raise a decent human being is by being one.” Kids learn most readily, for better or worse, by your example. • You can raise your teen to be open minded and accepting of others, free of hurtful prejudices, if you keep your own
The turbulent times of adolescence can mean trouble at school, either academically or socially. If your teen’s grades have fallen, talk with him and his teachers about this to discover the reason. Make sure that he has enough structured study time and completes homework assignments on time. • Consider a temporary dip in grades as
How can you best discipline a strong willed teenager? The following are a few parent-tested guidelines. • First, give clear messages about household rules and limitations. Let them know what behavior is acceptable and what isn’t. • Second, accent the positive. “Do’s” make a stronger impression than “Don’ts”. • Third, give your teen increasing responsibilities
Creating happy memories as a family can be rich reserve of good will to draw on during stressful times. These don’t have to mean peak experiences – they can be simple moments, family traditions and activities you enjoy together. Creating happy memories can mean doing something alone with your teen, going to a concert or
Not all peer pressure is negative. Much of it can be positive if your teen is in the right peer group. How can your help him or her in this regard? • First, help your teen to find special interests and peers who share these interests by participating in group activities and organizations. • Second,
