Communicating with your teen

Teenage years for any individual is a difficult and a delicate period. This arises because teenagers begin to develop their own individual identity, experience biological and physiological changes, face peer pressure, become aware about their sexuality etc. And this is often a major period of worry for parents to deal with their teenage children. During this time, effective communication with children is of utmost importance as it can hamper or blossom the parent-child relationship for years to come. Here’s how you can communicate with your teenage child in a better way: Spend time together During this age, teenagers prefer spending time with their friends than their parents. However, as a parent, it is important that you need to spend time with your child. Spend time through fun activities like going out to eat, watching a movie, shopping or simply eating at least one meal together as a family. This provides ample opportunity to bond with the kids and know what’s happening in their lives. Be patient Teenagers often face a lot of confusion about things and making decisions. If your child does do something wrong, be patient. Instead of giving them a sound thrashing, talk to them and let them explain their reasons for doing what they did. After this you should tell them how their decisions made you feel. Assure them that they can always come and talk to you, if they need anything. Let them know that you love them. Give them privacy It is very tempting for parents to spy on their children, under the garb of parental supervision. However, overhearing their telephonic conversations, checking their email account or befriending them as a stranger on a social networking site are not advisable options. Teenagers are young adults and need some degree of personal privacy. If the children find out that the parents have been spying on them, they will see it as a sign of mistrust and completely lose faith in the parents. Therefore, parents need to set boundaries about their expectations from the children, regarding the company they keep or their whereabouts than spying on them.