Communication with teens is extremely important and as it is the principal ingredient in any relationship and when you have teens at home, it’s important to know how to communicate with them. Dealing with this delicate age is not only the toughest but tricky job for parents.

During this age when they are not only pushing up their boundaries, they will learn unknown things and more important throw tantrums too. Dealing with these tantrums and communication with teens need to be very easygoing and mixed with some excellent tricks.

Now, if you ask me what tricks how to communicate with teens, trust me I am also learning daily but found some advices that opened good way to communicate with teens that I am sharing here. Now, this is not a prescribed prescription, as like every illness needs different medication, every child is unique, and so for them, there would be unique sorts of parenting advice and tips.

Why Good Communication with teens are important?

As I believe and strongly advocate that for the moral foundation of parenting its important to have good communication with your child at every stage of life starting as a toddler till adult. Communication with teens might look tough but its extremely important.

It’s normal that when they enter this phase of life as a tween and teen they talk less to parents as they sense the feel of independence and feel getting matured and can go ahead, taking up their decisions. But, this is the time we need to make them the difference between being responsible and being independent and that could be only possible with good communication with teens.

Read also: Key facts of Mental health of adolescents

How your tween and teen want to communicate?

* Your kids need your ears: For having a healthy and trusting parent-child relationship it’s important to understand the foremost thing every tween or teen need is your valuable time to share their version of talk and situation.

* They look for more patience and less advice: As I mentioned earlier too this is the age when they are exploring new things and feel more independent now while communicating with you whether sharing their day-to-day activity or any other things, they expect you listen to them with patience and give them less advice, which we as a parent have to give them but how that I will share here.

* Secret and Privacy: Now when they are coming to you to confront or share their things, problems, or anything, they expect that if they want it to keep secret and maintain their privacy. Respect this, it’s important that they share and communicate with you so you can guide them but maintain their privacy and secrets.

7 Watch out before you have communication with teens

1. Understand: Like communication, understanding is the second ingredient that will make this relationship stronger. Whenever you are interacting try to understand your child first, try o understand even if you don’t get why they are reacting differently.

Might be some issue which seems not important to you, would make a lot more different for them in this age.

DON’t Assume or read their mind: If you don’t understand certain behavior change or less communication or even they are not doing things according to house rules. First, try to understand rather making or assuming some point or even reading their mind.

Week’s ago my daughter returned from school and took my phone and without having lunch or anything else made a call to her friend and spoke to her for over 15 min. As a mother, I was definitely getting furious that after spending so many hours in school why she is on phone before finishing her lunch and then when I spoke to her she told “there was some fight with her friend in school and she doesn’t want to carry this forward as she realized her mistake in the bus and want to say sorry. So, she did the first thing to call her and say sorry”. I felt so proud that she is taking care of her small relationship and understanding it. I could have scolded her to finish lunch, change uniform, and doing other things first, but in that way, I would set up the wrong example of not understanding her and her action.

So, when you will communicate, understand your child before making any assumption.

2. Listen: It’s important to give them open ears and listen to them, now that really sounds easy and many of you will say “I listen” but do you, really. Listening means let them finish their story and their thoughts. Just make sure when they talk, look in their eyes, and show interest in their versions. Your opinion or your version on the same topic might differ but remember to give them equal opportunity to give their opinions and thoughts. Thumb rule of communication with teens or with anyone is to have acceptance to listen.

Don’t show impatient body language when they are talking to you. Don’t do multitasking while you are communicating. It’s right that your thoughts might be different and you don’t agree to whatever they say, listening doesn’t mean you agree to their every thought but remember if you don’t listen respectfully they will stop talking, sharing and communicating.

3. Appreciate them when they are sharing their achievements, might be it’s just a drawing right picture which might be a big achievement for them just show your happiness, celebrate their every small achievement. Tell them how they made you proud.

They might have not scored 100/100 but scoring 75/100 would be his achievement, praise them that time and tell them to encourage them to tell that you know their potential is much more than this. It will only boost them to do much better and they know that you are there to support. Appreciation is one of the key way to communicate with teens.

Don’t criticize, Don’t compare…your child is unique and one of his own kind remembers never to compare with others and never criticize them. Just stop sarcasm, criticism, and yelling.

4. Trust them, trust is one of the important factors. Now when you are talking and sharing views. If they come up to you with certain thoughts, trust them to show them and talk about it. Your trust on kids gives them confidence and it also open doors for communication with teens. Now, you might feel setting up a few house rules which are perfectly fine and I advocate that and feel it’s important to set some rules for everyone at home. Now when you are setting up those rules and saying NO to certain rules which might your child want to be on the list. Don’t just say NO to his demand give proper reason tell them why you are not agreeing to that rule and saying NO. Build that trust between both of you that your child needs not look out for trust and question you.

Don’t be a dictator, now you are setting up some rules and conveyed them but as they are pushing the boundaries is natural and now your time explain to them why you are setting up some rules at home.

5. Control your emotions: Communication with teens really needs patience, while you must think so many things we have to do but that’s the job of parenting, now you understand them, listen to them but it may happen sometimes while listening to you just lose your temper or get angry or emotional, please control. Your child might make wrong choices, hold on to your emotion and guide them. One of the best therapy that works in this situation with me is reverse counting 10 to 1 and then I guide or talking to her(Secret tip for communication with teens)

Don’t argue or communicate until you both are calm. This is the thumb rule of any communication, don’t talk, don’t argue until both of you are not in a real excellent mood to talk and solve any issue. So if in the middle of a conversation you or your child is upset or not in the mood, just leave that subject and talk later with a calm mind. Communication with tweens and teens should be done with a cool mind.

6. Observe: As a parent, you need to be very observant and check out the change in behavior which is not normal as kids go through changes with mood, energy and other things but if you find changes which don’t look normal and suspicious talk to them calmly and understand the problem.

Don’t be judgemental by yourself and make an assumption, talk to them and remember don’t feel shy accepting your mistake, if you notice any changes because of your behavior or talk and you feel yes you were wrong to do accept your mistake in this way they will also learn to accept their mistakes.

7. Eat together, my dad always said and we have this home rule since my childhood and now I carry this to eat meals together, as when you eat together as a family you share a different bond with your kid. Best time of the day is when we eat meals together, communication with teens over the meals is best time.

Don’t forget to give a hug daily to your tween and teen as this is really the best way to show love.

Last but never least appreciate your kid as they will show a unique view of the world with their opinion and views.

It’s not rocket science, it’s just Communication with teens with little sensitivity and understanding.

© Ruchie Verma. Disclaimer: This blog post is meant to be educational in nature and does not replace the advice of a medical professional.

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