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Raising a teen could be quite challenging, these tips may help you

Raising a teen could be quite challenging, these tips may help you
Grant some privacy to help your teen become a young adult © Shutterstock.

These parenting skills will not only help you deal with the challenges of raising a teen, but also help instil responsible behaviour in your child.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : February 12, 2020 9:01 AM IST

Raising teenagers could be the hardest part of parenting as adolescence is a delicate period of change. This stage of life is characterised by many physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual changes. For many teens and their parents, adolescence could be a confusing time of change that is highly emotional and full of highs and lows. We have some tips to help make this difficult phase of life as smooth as possible for both parents and teens. These parenting skills will not only help you deal with the challenges of raising a teen, but also help instil responsible behaviour in your child.

Spend time with your teen

Spending time with your teen is a way to show that you love and care for him or her. Respect your teen's feelings and listen when he or she talks. He or she may have many doubts about bodies, such as the differences between boys and girls. Help clear their doubts. Share your own adolescence experience too. They may be able to relate to you and understand things better.

Respect your teen's privacy

You'll need to grant some privacy to help your teen become a young adult. Until you notice warning signs of trouble, don't invade your child's privacy.

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Your teen may not want to share some thoughts or activities with you, it's OK. You don't need to know every detail. However, for safety reasons, you can ask where s/he is going, when s/he be returning, what s/he is doing, and with whom.

Set rules and consequences

Make him/her know what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable at home, at school and elsewhere. When you impose a restriction, explain its purpose. Your child may not rebel against your decision if he or she knows that it is being done for his or her safety. But don't set rules that your teen can't possibly follow.

When enforcing consequences, reprimand you're his/ her behaviour not your teen. Avoid lecturing your teen about his or her shortcomings or using a sarcastic, demeaning or disrespectful tone. Love, nurture and guide your teen, but try hard not to embarrass them. Embarrassing your teen can instil a sense of shame and put him or her in a defensive position. They may also start avoiding you even more.