Raising A Teen

Teenage Observation. After bringing up two separate families and being a Mum for 31 years with teenagers still under my care this is what I've learned.

Very often as a child grows up there will often be a time when they go against what the parent believes. This is a natural order of things as the child gets ready to prepare for the wider world and leaves the nest, they need to find who they are by pulling as far away from the parent's ideals, and finding out what works for them. I've found the best way to handle this time is to give them as much room for that growth but to always stand up in a controlled assertive manner (where possible lol) for what you the parent have learnt whether they fight back or not because this will teach the child to respect you but also themselves and what they believe. This means that they learn to respect their own values watching that you respect yours. Let go asap so you also teach them that you still love them even if you don't agree. We should all be able to live creating the desired outcome that makes each and every one of us happy. Bobbie Richardson