5 simple steps to truly understand your teenager

Are you trying to understand your teenager better? Tried everything from the vast array of parenting tips but can’t make any headway? We’re here to guide you ahead. Forming a strong bond with your teenager is vital to establish the foundation for a healthy relationship in the long term. So it comes as no surprise that you want to get it right! While popular culture has driven unpopular stereotypes around parent-teenager relationships, forging an amicable and loving connection is much easier than you think.

Start by listening to them

Now that you know what to and what not to do, let’s talk about talking points! If you’re having trouble getting your teen to talk to you, try leading with some of the following:

• Ask them about their friends

- Why are you friends with so-and-so?

- What activities do you like to do together?

- How do you feel about your friendship with them?

• Ask about school

- What’s your all-time favourite class?

- Who’s your favourite teacher and why?

- Did anything happen with a friend at school today?

• Ask light-hearted questions

- What’s your favourite TV show?

- Who’s your favourite band/singer?

- Are you reading any books these days?

While these are great ideas to start with, we’d like to point out that it’s okay to allow them to decide when to share than to expect them to speak when we want them to. And to ask them how they would like to be spoken to.

In Conclusion

Be there for your teenager. Spend time listening to them. Give them a shoulder to cry on when they need it. Sometimes that’s all that they want from you. Have a safe space at home and practice empathy and non-violent communication wherever you can. While you might be tempted to solve every little problem that they encounter, give them the freedom to figure it out and they might very well surprise you! Have an open and honest conversation about how you can be a better parent and in turn, build a strong and healthy relationship with them. With that in mind, it’s vital that you understand that sometimes there may be instances where you might be doing everything right and it still might not work. Don’t give up or feel frustrated - a different context, event or a different time might be the solution. You might just have to wait for that without giving up hope. Hang in there when it gets difficult!

Would you like to read more articles about catering to your teens better? Keep an eye out on our blog and Instagram for more information. Please feel free to reach out to us at contact@beyond8.in if you have any questions that you’d like us to address!