4. For Parents No two teens are alike No instruction manual Adolescence is the most tumultuous period in human development Who has it harder - teens or parents?
5. For Parents Teens are struck by shock of human experience Increased school responsibility Increased social complexity Emotional & social changes
6. For Parents Teens have new feelings Insecurity Vulnerability Confusion Sadness Hostility Self-esteem issues
7. For Parents The Teenage Brain “Work in progress” Growth spurt in “thinking brain” Learning to operate efficiently “Use it or lose it”
8. For Parents Teens have difficulty with Judgment Impulse control Insight Long-term planning Organizing Short and long-term consequences Reading others’ emotions and intentions
9. For Parents Teens are trying to figure out How to do things What they like What they don’t like What they’re good at How to be in the world!
10. For Parents What is a parent to do? Don’t just tell your teen what to do Help them work out solutions Help them see possibilities Help your teen exercise their brain
11. For Parents What is a parent to do? Always: It’s about the relationship Learn to “read” your teen Look for openings and opportunities to connect Even the small moments matter
12. For Parents When to ask for help Is your teen unreachable? Is he involved in risky behaviors? Is she “cranky,” irritable, sad, lonely, angry?
13. For Parents When to ask for help Is she having difficulty with school, friends, activities, etc? Is he having a hard time with things that were never hard before? Do you worry that your teen is suicidal?
14. For Parents When to ask for help Sometimes kids need to talk to someone other than a parent, even if things aren’t so terrible Sometimes teens have difficulty asking for help, so parents have to ask them if they want outside help
15. For Parents Helping your teen imagine who they could be Advise & guide Let them be different from you Encourage them to try new things Don’t hold on too tightly Don’t sweat the small stuff
16. For Parents “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other is wings.” - Hodding Carter
