6 Parenting Habits to Develop as Your Child Becomes a Teen

As children develop into teens, the overall influence a parent has on them becomes limited, whether the parent accepts it or not. They come in fourth behind friends, teachers, and, the Internet.

The best a parent can do is to create a positive relationship with a teen and hope that they have learnt enough to help them as they traverse their most formative years. To successfully do that, there are some basic habits that you have to imbibe in them. As the saying goes, “Habits are easy to form, but hard to break”. It is advisable to help them develop good habits that they will not forget.

1. Eat dinner together as a family

Most households these days do not even bother to have breakfast together, let alone dinner. Daddy comes home late, children are slouched in-front of the parlor eating dinner or in their bedrooms eating. It is necessary for this generation of teenagers to learn the essence of family time, what better time of day than dinner, where everyone can unwind and just relax.

2. No texting while driving or during family time

Children emulate what we say or do, especially when they get to an age that they can challenge you. Teach your child the value of not using a mobile phone while driving, as this is essential to protect their lives and the lives of other people driving. When it is family time, on the dinner table, parlor or an outing, let them know and understand that they cannot be chatting or texting. This will help them value just how important face-to-face relationships are.

3. Educate your self with their latest technology

It is dangerous to not know what your child is up to in the technical world. Technology changes everyday, and advances so much, that parents are in the dark 90% of the time. You should know what’s new in their tech world and check on how they’re using it. While you’re at it, put limits on their technology use and keep that up during their teen years.

4. Get to know their friends

It is often said that a parent cannot choose what friends their teenagers spend their time with. However true this is, it now falls under your responsibility to know all friends of your children, theirs parent and where they live. Do not be naive and conclude that your teen ‘knows best’, because they don’t. Heed this warning sign: If your kids are talking about people who you’ve never met and don’t know anything about, it’s time to get acquainted

5. Understand their interests

Being willing to understand what matters to a teenager is a huge relationship builder that carries over into their adult years. The level of interest on parents part may differ due to the huge age difference. Showing interest however indirectly tells your teen that you care and will care about every other aspect of their life. This in turn will make them be able to open up to you.

6. Let them fail or succeed

When your teen was much younger, it was your responsibility to ensure that they did not fail. Now that they have grown into this adorable person with flaring hormones, you have to learn to give them space. Space in the sense that, they have to learn how to put personal effort into things on their own, whether they succeed or fail is left to them. You will be their personal cheerleaders on the side line cheering them on, but you cannot help them win all their battles. If you keep interfering, they will grow to become very dependent adults and you might never learn to just let them live their own lives.