Handling Teenagers and even Tweens
You all know that I don’t have teens or even tweens yet but believe it or not, I was once one of those. And, this post, this post couldn’t have come at a better time. Today would have been my 66th birthday and with that, I think a story about his awesome parenting is in order.
First of all, I was a goody-two-shoes. Adults questioned my Dad’s trust in me but he never trusted my loyalty to him. He taught me well, he understood teenagers since he taught high school and his method of handling teenage drinking was a bit odd, maybe unorthodox but it worked.
This is a really long story, I’m giving you the reader’s digest version. Because I was a goody-two-shoes, it wasn’t abnormal for my father to leave me at home, alone for weekends and even for weeks at a time in the summer. So, let’s just say, I was a good teenager. My mother, who was never quite as well at communicating with me, says my first 20 years of life were a breeze, it’s the last 20 years that have been bad.
So back to the reader’s digest version. The words my father said to me were “if you are going to ‘try’ alcohol, let me know, do it here, at home, and stay off the roads”. Now, that’s a very controversial method these days but definitely represent the power of parents. anyway.
So, you know what I did, I never tried it. I never did the drinking and driving. I never did the drinking at home. My father took the stigma off of it making the whole idea of partaking in activities that I shouldn’t and that were illegal and I was never interested.
Does that work for everyone? Of course not. But, if you have reared your children through trust and love, you know what they are capable of, you know how their minds work and you know how to reach them. And, the only way to know that? Talk to them. Ask them questions. Listen to them. Take part in their lives. Be their parent, not their friend.
Here are a few links that you might find helpful especially if you are the parent of a teen or tween.
And, to go along with that, here’s a few tips provided for Reaching Your Teen:
- COMMUNICATE BEFORE A PROBLEM STARTS
- DISCUSS RULES AND CONSEQUENCES
- SHOW YOU CARE
- PAY ATTENTION
- SHARE FAMILY ACTIVITIES
- GIVE AND GET RESPECT
- ENFORCE CONSEQUENCES CONSISTENTLY
Not sure how many of those sound exactly like my final paragraph above but sure looks like my father who died in 1988 was way ahead of himself in the parenting department.
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of MADD. A donation was made to MADD in my name to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
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