6 Keys To Talking To Teenagers – Being Parents

Adolescence is a complicated age. It is a moment of change that affects not only the visual aspect of a young person, but also the emotional aspect. Talking to teens can get really difficult at this point in their life. To know how to deal with them, we present some useful suggestions.

Parents of young people between the ages of 12 and 20 can face a great challenge when it comes to trying to communicate with them. At this age, their interest is centered on themselves and their independence. Parents, on the other hand, are often a source of conflict, repression of their freedom and discussion.

However, we all know that the ultimate goal of older people is to promote their child’s happiness. For this, dialogue is a basic matter, although it can be extremely difficult and complicated to establish a calm and confident relationship with a young man of this age.

6 keys to talking to teenagers

Beyond the difficulties that may exist in speaking with a teenager, parents should be patient and not give up. After all, it’s your best tool for connecting and bonding with your kids. These recommendations can be helpful in achieving this:

1 – do not force the situation

Discussion should not be given every time parents want it. On the contrary, it must take place when young people need it. Don’t rush him to sit down and talk and voice his problems.

The best you can do is to be open, understanding, and available. Empathy will also be of great help: without disturbing him, tell him that you have been through similar situations and that your experience can be useful to you.

2 – listen to it

Interestingly, the second of the keys to talking to a teenager has to do with listening instead of talking. Many parent-child talks end with irrelevant monologues, sermons, and anecdotes. Thus, you will only succeed in pushing it away.

Your mission is quite the opposite: you must address their concerns and, when prompted, comment with your opinion. He acts the same way he would like to make a friend, logically, without ever leaving your role as a parent. If you need to set limits at any point, don’t hesitate to do so.

3 – Build a relationship of trust

Along with the non-negotiable privacy you can ask for, your son also wants to see you as someone to trust. For example, if you are talking about a serious problem, it is best to comfort him and help him correct it. Once done, you can proceed to warn, punish, or mark what he might have done wrong. Think about what would be the result if you do it in reverse order? He will probably never tell you about his problems again.

4 – Cross-examination

A very effective communicative tactic is to cross-examine. For example, by saying: “Do you want to tell me that what is happening…?”. Be careful: don’t do it out of questioning or suspicion, but in all honesty.

This, besides showing attention and interest, is a way to relieve tension and give yourself time to lift things up from another place. It may even give him the peace of mind to make him feel more pleasant and tell you more.

5 – You must bring serenity to the conversation

Nothing good can come out of a conversation where screams and high pitch predominate. Therefore, always try to bring calm and reason to the conversation. The young man will already be there for the impulses and the passion.

6 – The answer

We have already seen the keys to listening. Now how should we respond? The first thing to take into account is that while we want to gain the confidence of the young person, we must also show the way and educate him.

Therefore, remember to negotiate some things and stand firm in others. Making it a big deal won’t give you any advantage in this relationship.

Also, try to look for the positive side of each event. Encourage him, trust him, and tell him that with effort and persistence, things always end well. Remember that at this age we tend to be dramatic and negative. So don’t worry if you see your child a little “closed”. He learns to build his identity and tests his limits.

So always keep in mind that your mindset is not his. Put yourself in her shoes and also think about the difficulty of opening up and saying things to the mother or father. Do not miss the opportunity to help him!