Talking to Your Teens About Stress

Teens having stress is nothing new and it's something that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives. Sharing personal experiences with your children can make a big difference, simply because that lets them know that you understand. The fact that your kids know some of the things that you have seen or gone through is very important. Sometimes talking to your teens can be very difficult at times so why not try a different approach. This time around try not to yell and start out by letting them know that they are loved and that it may seem like you're hard on them at times, but it's only because you don't want them to make some of the same mistakes that you made. Also let them know about some of your stresses and make them understand that it's not always about the stress but how you choose to deal with it.

When it's their turn to talk, listen to what they're going through and some of the things that they may be feeling or experiencing. Let them know that they don't always have to be a part of the crowd and that there is nothing wrong with being an individual. Find out their interests and help them to set some personal goals for themselves. Setting goals will give them some self worth as well as something to work toward and look forward to in the future. Talk to them about education and how important it is to keep up their grades, maybe you have a son that's interested in playing sports or a daughter that has some aspirations of becoming a doctor or maybe even a lawyer. Make them understand that the choices that they make now can and will affect their future.

Discourage them against drinking and experimenting with drugs and let them know that they don't have to do these things to fit in with their friends. Help your teen to stay on track with the goals that they have set and help them to plan out the steps that they will need to take to reach these goals. Be encouraging to your teen and let them know that you love them and that you're behind them one hundred percent. Maybe the two of you can get together once a month for a nice walk or some lunch and discuss their progress and see how everything is coming along. Also let your teen know that whatever problem that they have, you're the person that they can talk to no matter what it is. Once they understand that we all have choices in life and the choices that we make will help shape our future and this is why we must think before we act.

A great book for your teen to read is " Taking Charge Of My Life' written by Ed Harmon and Marge Jarmin. This book is great because it deals with a variety of things that teens can experience like anger, depression and peer pressure. Now that your teen know that you are their parent and not their enemy and once they have set goals for themselves the future can look a little brighter because they now have something to look forward to. Keep up the good work because you're a great parent and continue to do your best and guess what, one day the two of you will look back and laugh about some of these moments.