Puberty - tips for parents
Young adolescence and puberty can be challenging times for parents. Knowing how to respond can make these years much easier. You might all come out of the adolescent years in one piece!
Be supportive. Acknowledge your teen’s feelings and sympathize with the struggles s/he is experiencing. Explain that these feelings are normal, and the changes your teen is experiencing are normal.
Provide reassurance. If your child is concerned that she is not progressing at the same pace as her peers, reassure her that everyone develops at their own pace. She will catch up. Do not tease or poke fun at your child’s changes. This will only reinforce how weird she feels.
Teach your teenager about good hygiene. This will help with the smell from developing sweat glands, and it will help with acne. Don’t forget about dental hygiene. Brushing at least twice a day will help with bad breath and will keep your teen’s teeth healthy.
Set appropriate limits. Make sure they are reasonable. Even though their behavior may say the opposite, teenagers really do feel safe when there are boundaries. It is helpful to determine ahead of time what the consequences are for violations. Involving your young teenager in developing the consequences will help him own and take more responsibility for his behavior.
Listen and hear what your teen has to say. When you and your teenager disagree, allow her to talk about her point of view. Calmly have a discussion about both of your perspectives. And try really hard to see things from her perspective.
Provide opportunities for more responsibility. With age naturally comes more responsibility. Let your young teenager have more responsibility as he proves he is capable of handling it and has shown he is able to use good judgment. Have a backup plan for things that might be more challenging than your teen is used to.
Find support. Talk to other parents who have young teenagers or have raised them through this period. A fresh perspective is always a good thing, especially when you’re in the midst of a difficult situation.
Pick your battles. How important is this particular issue? Do you really need to argue over this particular thing? In a week, a month, a year, will this issue matter? Fight the big fights. Let the rest go.
For more information: Please return to the list for more developmental stages during puberty.
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