Talk to them.
Your teenager’s favorite words after I hate you may be Leave me alone. But as a protective parent you need to keep up with what’s going on in their lives. Talking to your teens about school, their friends, and important issues like sex, drugs and alcohol, is imperative—even if neither of you enjoys it much. “Our teens are going through a lot, to put it mildly. There are many changes and going through that much they are uncertain how to manage,” explains Melissa Kester, MA, LMFT, Founder and Director of Madison Marriage and Family Therapy, PC in New York City and the editor of Towards Healing. “If we can be loving and compassionate soundboards, they will be more interested in turning to us for our wise advice.” But don’t overdo it: “If we attack them with our wisdom they will turn elsewhere,” warns Kester.
