POSITIVE PARENTING: SURVIVING & THRIVING IN THE TEEN YEARS, PT. 2, BETSY LITTLE

Here’s the follow-up to POSITIVE PARENTING: SURVIVING & THRIVING IN THE TEEN YEARS, PT. 1:

1. Listen, listen, and listen! When you are driving kids in your car, listen to what they are saying. If you are really quiet, you become almost invisible and you may learn a lot.

2. Be sure to compliment your teen for the many things s/he does right. In the course of a day, teens need to hear a few more compliments than critical remarks.

3. Have fun with your teen— find reasons to laugh together!

4. Try to be available when your teen is talkative. Sometimes it means staying up a few minutes later when s/he arrives home and sharing a snack. It may be well worth your time.

5. Ask your teens to come see you when arriving home at night. Give them a hug or a kiss. This closeness may also let you know if they have been smoking and/or drinking.

6. If your teen is watching T.V., sit down with her/him. Just be there. Conversation may occur.

7. Insist that your family eat dinner together at least a few nights a week. Research is showing that families that share meals together have fewer problems with the kids’ behavior.

8. Be a model of the behaviors you want to see in your teen.

At the time of this writing, Betsy Little was a Family Health Educator at the Marquette Co. Health Dept., working in-home with families who have children birth—18 years, and with pregnant and parenting teens. Betsy and her husband have two adult children.

Excerpted with permission from the Summer 2010 issue of Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine. Copyright 2010, Intuitive Learning Creation. All rights reserved.