Tips For Parenting Pre-teens And Teenagers

Parenting changes with each passing phase. What you did with your toddler and how you interacted with your kindergarten child will be different. Parenting preteens can be a challenge. Hormonal changes creep in as puberty approaches and with it there is extreme peer pressure. Teens and pre-teens become very moody, irritable, and increase focus outside their family. However, parents instead of distancing themselves should provide a secured nest to their still not so adult ones and make them fell always wanted. Children who are disconnected with family at this age, lose their anchor and look it in the peer group.

The best way to make it through the pre-teen years is to maintain a strong bond with your child. Here are some of the positive parenting ways for your pre-teen and teenager:

Stay Connected

There is an old adage, family that eats together stays together. In this fast paced world, we often miss out on eating together as a family. F not lunch, a family should have atleast dinner together. Studies have shown that children who spent time having dinner together have better grades than those who do not. They are also less likely to use drugs and alcohol and are  less likely to experience anxiety and depression.

It has also been seen than 15 minutes of private time with each parent increases the bonding. Short walks, swimming or doing any common activity together is also a good way of bonding. Don’t expect your teenager to reveal all their secrets at each interaction, but regular interaction will definitely increase its chances.

Recognize Work

As parents of teenagers, we tend to be overprotective. Instead of forcing or setting standards against their wishes, set some reasonable deadlines like having dinner at 9, no mobile phones at dinner table, and late nights only twice a month.

Be the Change Yourself

You can’t discipline your teenager in the same way as you did with your kindergarten child. You need to adjust to their demands which are reasonable. If you are imposing rules of no phone at dinner time, then you should follow the same.

Understand the Hormonal Changes

Your child is undergoing both physical and emotional changes. Their brain is undergoing extensive changes which can make your teenager emotionally volatile. Teens can throw full-blown tantrum without understanding the consequences of it. Give them some time to calm down. Instead of screaming and shouting at them and making things worse, you can just leave the topic for that moment. Listen to your child after she calms down and acknowledge the child’s perspective even if you do not accept it.

Best time to Teach Values

To get your child to open up, you need to talk to your teenager. You should become a good listener and should be able to satisfy the curiosity of the child. Give examples from your childhood of both good and bad things that you did, so that he or she can learn the values. You can also talk about your failures and breakups and how you coped with them.

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