Understanding Teenagers Blog

When Parents Can’t Trust Teenagers

Chris — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:58:48 +0000

How should you respond if your teenager’s behvaiour means you are unable to trust them anymore? This is a problem faced by most parents of teenagers at some point during their child’s adolescence. In the previous post, I discussed how important it is for parents to maintain their teenager’s trust. But trust is a two [...]

Does Your Teen Trust You?

Chris — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 20:44:26 +0000

How many of us would walk into a shop to purchase something without making sure we had a means to pay for it? When you go to buy something you make sure you have the means of providing payment, cash, credit card or some form of credit account with the store in question. Money is [...]

Letting Teenagers Fail – Why It Matters

Chris — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:00:19 +0000

The saying goes “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” This is not traditional parenting advice, nor is it perfect parenting advice, but it wouldn’t hurt this generation of teenagers if it got a bit more of an airing. Parenting teenagers with the goal of keeping them happy or preventing them from enduring any form [...]

The 7 Secrets of Motivating Teenagers

Chris — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:19:18 +0000

There is a good reason that the stereotypical view of modern teenagers is they are lazy kids who just want to sleep in, play computer games, surf the net and hangout with their friends. The reason this view exists is because all around the world this is all parents see their teenagers doing. The image [...]

The Dad Factor: Why Teenagers Need Dads

Chris — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:54:46 +0000

This weekend was Father’s Day here in Australia. While the focus of Father’s Day is to honour and say thanks to dads for all they do, it got me thinking about exactly what it is we, as dads, do for our kids. More particularly, I am reminded about how important dads are for teenagers and [...]

What Every Teenager Needs: Encouragement

Chris — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 20:56:38 +0000

Everyone knows positive messages are important, especially for young people. Clear, well timed messages of affirmation are vital for a young person’s sense of self-worth and confidence. But some positive messages are not as effective as others. Being able to translate your positive feelings to your teenager in a manner that will make a lasting [...]

Why Parents Shouldn’t Praise Teenagers

Chris — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 21:23:33 +0000

As parents, we all want our kids to grow up with a positive sense of who they are and what they can achieve. We hope our kids will grow up with the self-belief to chase their dreams, change the world, find happiness, and live their life to the full. In order for young people to [...]

Teenage Sexting: What Can Parents Do?

Chris — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:30:25 +0000

What do you say if your teen comes to you distressed having received an unwanted image of someone else’s naked body? What do you do if you find explicit sexual images on your teenager’s phone? Even more importantly, what do you say to your teen or tween when they get their first phone about the [...]

Teaching Teens Emotional Intelligence

Chris — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:04:33 +0000

Helping teenagers succeed at school is about a lot more than just learning the 3 R’s and having access to the internet. As discussed in the last post a teen’s capacity to learn can be severely impacted by their emotional state. When teens feel anxious, angry, or upset they will absorb far less than when [...]

How Teenagers Feel About Learning

Chris — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 21:09:51 +0000

How is your teenager going at school? Do they look forward to going to school and enjoy the challenge of academic learning? Or are they a less than enthusiastic student? With a new school year starting in northern hemisphere, and southern hemisphere kids heading back for the second half of their academic year it seems [...]