Parenting Teenagers - Parenting Advice to Help Parents and Teenagers in the New Year

As a parent of a teenager, how would you describeculture blogs for some conversation starters. You do
your relationship with your teenager last year? Did it gonot have to necessarily agree, just have a dialogue
as well as you had hoped? Are there any areas youwith them.
would like to improve in the New Year? If honesty4. Combine mutual hobbies and quality time
was required, than I bet every parent of a teenagerIn today's overly scheduled society, both parents and
would agree there is room for growth in their parentingteenagers can find it difficult to find some time to
relationship. Whether you are a veteran parent of aspend together. Why not combine the two. Does your
teenager or a newbie, here are some practicalteenager like be outside, and you like to exercise?
suggestions of how to improve your relationship withWhy not learn a sport together? Get your creative
your teenager in the New Year.juices flowing!
1. Make a weekly time to have breakfast5. Implement a Family Night once a month
The great thing about breakfast is it is usually the onlyA Family Night is simply a scheduled time where
time of the day when it is easy to be on time. No prioreveryone in the family will be together. Even with
meetings can cause delays. No prolonged priorhurried schedules, it is still possible to gather together
appointments will necessitate a need to reschedule oronce a month to spend time together. A Family Night
cancel. Some families find it helpful to find a morninghas just one agenda: Fun, fun, fun - no lectures, no
during the week because they are already at homehandling any conflict or discipline problems. Just some
together. Others find a weekend morning better. Whytime to relax and be with one another. It can be as
not use this time to catch up on your teenager'slavish as a dinner and play, or as relaxed as ordering
activities for the day?pizza and watching pay per view.
2. Make it a point to eat 3-5 meals together6. Plan a family vacation
I've heard there are studies that suggest eating mealsI know this sounds simple, and for some it even seems
together as a family decreases at risk behaviors incrazy given the difficult relationship you may have with
teens. I would attribute this to it provides a time foryour teenager. However, family vacations can also be
parents to stay consistently involved in your teenager'shealing for some parents and teenagers. A lot of
life happenings, more than just once a week. Use thisconflict arises from miscommunication, short tempers,
time talk about what is taking place in their daily lives,and just being exhausted. Family vacations allow
not to lecture them. Out of 21 meals in a week, what 3parents and teenagers to relax and recharge. Involve
meals will you set aside to eat together with youryour teenager in some of the vacation planning to give
teenager?him/her a sense of ownership. This can decrease the
3. Improve communication with your teenageramount of conflict and self reported claims of
Use your ears more than your mouth. If you areboredom on your family vacation
unsure what to talk about, find something to get yourIf last year did not seem to go as you had dreamed,
teenager's opinion on. If there is one thing a teenagerthen do not get discouraged! You now have over 300
likes to give, it's his/her opinion. Check out the populardays to strengthen your parenting relationship.