If you’ve been struggling with your relationship with your teenager, try this exercise to help you get in touch with them:
Close your eyes and let yourself travel back in time (mentally) to when you were a teenager yourself. Remember what it was like and feel the emotions you felt during those years.
Did you feel awkward, insecure and confused about what you wanted? You might have felt embarrassed to be seen with your family or maybe you just didn’t enjoy being around your parents anymore.
Use your own teenage history to increase your understanding of your teen’s current behaviors. Next, focus on strengthening your relationship with them.
Applying some of these strategies will help you navigate your child’s teen years successfully.
Take action now to improve your relationship with your teenager. Although they don’t yet realize how much you may understand their experiences, you can still use that understanding to better your interactions with each other.
Applying these strategies will improve your bond with your teen. With the knowledge of your own history and the use of these suggestions, your relationship with your teen will flourish!