Simple Tips for Raising Teenagers
Ahhh, the teenage years. Those special years when hormones kick in, finding your niche is vital, friends mean everything, and the brain just doesn’t seem to function like it did before (at least to the parents). Well, there is definitely some truth to this.
Recent neuroscience suggests that the rapid and massive structural change happening in the teenage brain is the true reason for their, sometimes, irrational behavior. In essence, they need time to adapt to their changing brain. Sleep is the best aid for this necessity. Author Eric Jensen offers these 8 tips to help you cope with raising your teenager in his book Teaching with the Brain in Mind.
- Be straightforward. Teen’s frontal lobes may not be good at storing many ideas at a time. Give single step directions without sarcasm.
- Model desired behaviors. Allow them to talk through what you may be asking of them.
- Be a coach. Guide them through the tough decisions with discussion, not lecture.
- Be understanding not judgmental. Teens have difficulty reading facial and bodily expression. In fact, they have difficulty reading their own. Identify the behaviors you are witnessing and let them explain.
- Be tactful and not hurtful.
- Approach discipline fairly. Actions sometimes come with consequences but teens need extra care in this department. Their changing brains sometimes can’t help their silly mistakes.
- Let them sleep. Teens need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. This is when they adapt most to their growing minds.
- Be clear with expectations and family values. Their brains are quite vulnerable to effects of drugs and alcohol at this age. Their brains are growing as much as a new born baby’s. “The greatest risk for alcohol and tobacco addiction occurs between the ages of 12 and 19.”
Try these helpful books for parenting teens.
