How to Talk to Your Teen

Teenage years are always a difficult time to go through for both parents, and the child. Starting, most likely before the age of 13, a child starts to experience new things, as their body begins to change. However the changes that occur are not just physical, but also emotional. For the parents of a teenager these times can also be a trying time. For them patience is a key aspect when dealing with a teenager. Parents also know as this time approaches they will have to talk to the teenager about a number of different topics that they may find hard to bring up or not know how to talk about them. So I'm going to give to some tip on how to approach difficult subjects with your teenager. Always remember talking to your teenager can promote a healthy relationship between the two of you, this is very important.

The first step to talking to your teenager is NOT to pressure them and make them feel uncomfortable. It is often easier to a girl to talk to her mother and for a boy to talk to his father. However today there are the case where it is a single parent family, in these case attempt to talk to the teenage, if however this becomes difficult talk to someone you know they trust who is also an adult, and ask them to talk to the teenager about difficult topics.

What should you talk to them about?

Sex: This is very important to talk to your teen about. Sex is probably something that is constantly on your teens mind, remember this will always be an embarrassing subject for your ten to want to talk about. It also may be hard for you you to want to talk about, with them. To approach the subject you probably do not want to do it over a family dinner or anything. Instead Plan a day for just the two of you. for a mother and daughter maybe try a girls day of beauty or maybe a shopping trip. For a father son situation maybe a day of sports and boy stuff. If it is a situation where it is mother and son or father and daughter do activities that the teen enjoys.

Drugs: A parent never wants to hear that their teen is taking drugs of any kind of drug or even experimenting with them. However parents should be aware that a lot of teens will try different drugs when they get to this stage. If you should find out your teen has tried a drug, however angry you are, try and be understanding. Sit them down and explain the consequences of taking drugs, and that you are worried and you do not want them getting hurt. Make sure they know you support them and will always be there to help them if they need it.

Alcohol and Tobacco: These substances are both drugs and are probably the most commonly used and abused drugs by teenagers. Many families do not consider talking to their child about these drugs till they get into their teens. However in reality many children start experimenting with them at a very young age. The best time to talk to your child about alcohol and tobacco is probably at the ages of 6 or 7, this may seem very young however many children like i said will start trying them at a very young age. If however you do not talk to them until their teen years it is ok. When talking to them explain why you want to talk to them about it. One way to approach this is to tell them that if they are using alcohol or drugs you would rather they do it in front of you than behind your back.

Remember always make sure that your teen feels that they have a safe and secure environment at home. It is also important for your teen to know that they can talk to you about anything and you will be understanding. Every so often remind them that they can talk to you. If when you decide to talk to your teen they say 'you know what i really don't want to talk about this right now' just say it is ok and that you are there and ready when ever they feel they are ready to talk. Even though these topics maybe hard to approach, remember it is a stepping stone to building a positive relationship between the two of you. By making them feel comfortable they will feel they can talk to you about anything and will most likely come to you when the are in trouble or have concerns. There is nothing more special than a parent, child relationship.