Tips for parenting teens

We thought their tips were amazing, insightful and practical. We hope you find them useful.  

Talking teens out of bad decisions

We can’t over-promise here! You may be able to talk your teen out of that tattoo, piercing, boyfriend, party etc and you may not. But it’s important to know that your teen doesn’t always do things on the spur of the moment. 
 
According to our friends at Bounce, hiding things from parents is actually really stressful for kids, and being supportive, open, and non-judgmental can save them a lot of worrying.

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Navigating social media (and porn!) 

When kids 'come out'...

Here are our four top tips for getting it right when our kids ‘come out’ or identify as another gender:

1. Assume this is NOT a fad or stage. Believe them.
2. Let them know you love them no matter what. 
3. Know that there is nothing wrong with your child and nothing about them needs changing.
4. Remember that you are their most important source of support. 

Listening, talking and staying grounded

Everything changes in adolescence — what we say, isn’t necessarily received as the only truth’ any more. 

Here are a few tips to help get your teen talking and listening:

1. Listen without judgment or trying to ‘fix’ the situation. 
2. Believe your kid. 
3. Mistakes = life. As much as we want to protect or minimise the chances of our kids making mistakes, it is really important that we let them learn from these.

Splendid Blendeds 

There’s no doubt about it, being a part of a “modern family” can be tricky. If we don’t already feel some discomfort when explaining our blended family situation, we then have to brace ourselves for the inevitable (and sometimes nosy!) questions that follow: “Do you and your ex still get along okay?” or “So they don’t all have the same Dad?”
 
We’ve done some research and have some experience and want to provide not all the answers, but some tips that can really help.
 

Difference and diagnoses 

Having a child with a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism, dyspraxia, Asperger’s or high levels of anxiety or anger can be challenging for you – and your child. 

Something to be mindful of — diagnoses or not — is that your child (and you!) will probably be experiencing BIG emotions. 

The tips we've developed, when applied as consistently as possible (nobody’s perfect, right!), will help your child. We’ve made sure to choose tips that fit the golden parent rule: Simple and doable.