Five things you should give teenagers

Teens, nowadays, are so occupied with either school work, friends, gaming or social media that sometimes, parents find it harder to communicate with them and get them to sit down and listen. While it may be disheartening sometimes, parents have to understand that their kids are no longer toddlers and are on their way to adolescence and, eventually, adulthood. The best thing is for parents to just continue giving what they can–and I don’t mean material needs. Give the following things to Teens and I believe that they would grow up to be more responsible and mature in handling life’s in general.

1. Give them space

Parents always feel that they need to be in control of their kids, even when they grow up. Thing is, parents will need to let go at some point, and give teens some breathing room to know and be who they are and who they want to be. The more you give them the space, the more you send the message to them that you trust them well enough. All parents can do is to tell them that they are just around to guide and help them no matter what. (and hope in themselves that they have done everything to equip these teens enough to face the real world). 

2. Give them confidence

No matter what they’re going through, or however they perform in a certain task in school or at home, always encourage them and tell them they’re doing a good job and, when they’re not, that things are still okay. When they make mistakes, tell them you’re always rooting for them and that there’s no other way to go but up or better. Confidence is something they would need when they grow older as it will make them braver to face up to future challenges. 

3. Give them love

They will appear more distant as they discover the world more, with new experiences and new friends. But they will constantly need your love. So even if you seem to be “losing” their time more to friends, social media, new adventures etc., one thing should always remain: the way you love them. And no matter how corny it may look to them, always show them- both in words and action. Because, believe me, they’ll carry those with them wherever they go.

4. Give them a voice

That means give them the right to voice out their opinions and even reason out. Of course we’d always insist that we know better because we’re older and have gone through a lot. But it doesn’t mean shutting them down when they voice out their opinions.

5. Give them them the power to decide

This may seem tricky. But it’s part of letting go. Giving them the power to decide will make them more equipped in dealing with situations and weighing its pros and cons. Start with the easy stuff, like make him/her decide what activity the family can engage in this coming weekend or maybe, let them decide where to spend their cash gifts from last Christmas. With this, you can be at least comfortable when your teen is faced with difficult decisions to make in the future, like what course to take in college or which person to go on a date with.