Parenting teenagers can be the most challenging and the most exciting part of your calling as a parent! WARNING: Don’t try to do it on your own!!! There are many youth and family agencies and online resources to assist you with your crucial role as the most influential person in the life of your teen. This page is dedicated to you and the good work that you do to raise the next generation.
Parenting Teens Competency Test
No parent is the perfect parent. We all have strengths in some areas of parenting and room to grow in other areas. It’s helpful to know where we are strong and where we need to do some work for improvement. This parenting competency test developed by Dr. Robert Epstein is designed for parents of teenagers and will give you some helpful feedback on your strengths and your growth areas as a parent.
Click Here to access the test.
Parents: Teens like you More Than you Think
Too often, parents distance themselves excessively during their child’s teen years. We live with this unspoken rule that teens don’t want anything to do with their parents and if parents try to get involved, their teens will push them away. It’s not totally unreasonable to think this because sometimes our teens actually do tell us they hate us and want us to go away, but it’s a mistake to think that those words are literally true. This article offers great insight on the great value of parent presence during the teen years.
Click Here to read more on the Aha! Parenting website.
Getting your Teen to Open Up
Parents often wonder why their teen doesn’t talk to them about daily activities or, more importantly, the serious stuff of teen life. Teens really want to talk about these things with trusted adults, but they don’t always feel like they are heard or understood. This article offers some keen insight into conversational styles that are effective for parents to use with their teens. Generally, if parents become more curious and less judgmental, they can be much more effective at getting their teens to open up.
Click Here to read more from the Child Development Institute.
Teen Dating
Parents play a key role in helping their teens to date wisely. It is not safe to allow teens to figure out this part of life on their own. Here are some facts to consider:
- One out of every four high school girls has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse.
- Middle school, high school and college-age females are more likely than any other age group to experience date rape.
- While the majority of dating abuse victims are female, it happens to males too.
Click Here for additional information and parenting tips about teen dating from the Very Well Family website associated with The Cleveland Clinic.
Resources
- Practical Information about parenting your teenager
- Practical Information about parenting older teens
- Access website dedicated to helping parents understand youth culture
Brag About Your Teen! Yes, It’s OK!
Teenagers thrive in a community where their gifts and accomplishments are acknowledged and recognized. They need to know that they are valued, contributing members of a vibrant community that cares for them. At St. Blaise, we like sharing good stories about teens on our social media.
Maybe there’s a teen in your family or in your neighborhood who has accomplished something good to share with others. Accomplishments may be submitted in the forms of certificates of recognition, newspaper articles, school recognition, club/organization recognition, service organization recognition, etc. Please provide a digital photo of your teen. Email your submissions to jmerhaut@stblaiseaustintown.org.
A Dad and Young-Adult Daughter Argue & Make Up
When people argue about things, there are usually a number of unspoken issues and emotions that are hidden beneath the surface. The argument is usually just the tip of the iceberg. These hidden things often add unexpected intensity to the disagreement. It’s wise to ask yourself, “What is going on here that I’m not aware of both in myself and in the person I’m addressing?”
Click Here to read more and watch a video showing the dad and daughter talking about what happened and what REALLY happened.
Do I Have to Yell to Get Results from my Kids?
“I feel like a raging lunatic!” How many times have you heard an exasperated parent say that? How many times have you said it? Waves of temporary insanity seem to be par for the course for many parents. We whine, yell, stomp our feet, throw things, kick things and perform any other number of colorful behaviors that we hope are not being shared on Twitter. Here’s a blog that addresses yelling, what it accomplishes and what it does to a parent/kid relationship. Click Here for more…
Talk Early & Often About Dating
Dating is a rite of passage for young people that needs the wise guidance of adults, especially parents. It is not safe to allow teens to figure out this part of life on their own. Dating abuse is a real danger for a large percentage of teens. Here are some facts to consider:
- One out of every four high school girls has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse.
- Middle school, high school and college-age females are more likely than any other age group to experience date rape.
- While the majority of dating abuse victims are female, it happens to males too.
Take the time to teach your teens the characteristics of a healthy dating relationship. Click Here for a article on guiding your teen through dating relationships.
Tweet Smart: Colleges Monitoring Social Media of High School Seniors
Some admissions officers at colleges across the country are taking a look at the Facebook and Twitter posts of prospective high school seniors. If they don’t like what they see, it could hurt the student’s chances of being accepted to college. Parents can help by monitoring what they see on their teens’ social media pages and encouraging them to post positive messages. It helps if we remind teens that when they post something online, it is as if they are speaking through a microphone to a crowd that may include family, friends, enemies, teachers, bosses, prospective employers, college admissions officers, and more. Regularly reminding them of the public nature of the internet could help them learn to think twice before hitting the post button. Read more…
Pornography: “I Caught my Teen!”
“I walked in on my son viewing porn on the computer.” This is a common experience in households today. Now what do you do? Should you pretend you didn’t see it? Should you ban your child from computer use? Should you throw out the computer? How can you begin to address this in a way that will help? Here’s some real-life advice. Read more…
Technology Changes Parenting
Technology is great and can add significant benefits to our lives, but kids can get into trouble with these devices. Parents need to develop ways to stay in touch with how their kids are using technology. Our kids aren’t born knowing how to navigate the digital world. It’s our job to teach them. Read more…
My Kid’s Friend Concerns Me
While it is important to teach our children to love everyone, we also have to teach them to choose their closest friends wisely. There is no doubt that friends influence our children in both positive and negative ways, but parents need to remember that nobody has a more powerful influence on their kids than they do. Parents can help nurture positive friendships in many ways. Read more…
Single Parenting
Single parenting carries with it particular challenges and rewards. St. Blaise Parish is happy to welcome and support single parents. When everything falls on you, it’s easy to forget that assistance is available.
Click Here for a helpful article about single parenting.
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