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Keep the
lines of communication open by:
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- Take an active
interest in your teenager's friends, activities, and opinions. Make
their friends feel welcome.
- Respect areas
of privacy by not prying, opening mail, eavesdropping on phone conversations,
etc. (However, parents should know where their children are and what
they're doing.)
- Clearly express
your own values in important areas like sex, drugs, money, and religion.
Teenagers need parents with firm convictions, not ones who harp on
them continuously.
- Listen carefully
not only to what teenagers say, but to what is really meant. Respect
their opinions knowing they may change.
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Good parent/child
relations are dependent upon these principles:
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- Establish Rules
and Expectations - Parents should clearly state rules on hours to
come home, homework, chores, family, and other responsibilities.
- Realize Need
for Independence and Individuality - Making decisions, and some mistakes,
is essential in growing up.
- Be Flexible -
Adolescents see things from a different slant. In turn, parents may
need to rethink their own behavioral patterns.
- Avoid Needless
Criticism - Since adolescents are not yet sure about themselves, overt
criticism can be destructive.
- Offer Support
- Parents must express trust and confidence that the adolescent is
a good person whose judgment can be sound.
- Give Love and
Affection - They may not show it, but teens still need parental affection
and approval.
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