How To Stay Connected With Your Preteens And Teens

How To Stay Connected With Your Preteens And Teens: When the child enters into adolescence, they begin to spend time with friends and by themselves. They also spend time with friends and family.  However, teenagers look forward to strong relationships with parents so that they can feel safe and secure to overcome adolescent challenges. When you are with them they feel strong, and confident and begin to explore new things. Staying connected with your teenage child does not mean that all the time you are with them. It helps in building a relationship where you can respond whenever they require.

Your Connection can be planned or casual. Casual is when you both talk to each other every day and enjoy each other’s company. While planned connection is when you schedule time and do certain things together. To have a strong bond, you can acquire both kinds of connections. If you remain connected with your child, you can sort out your child’s problem within no time. Your child starts relying on you and can come up to you for your suggestions and solutions to a specific problem. Trust and a stable relationship with your teenager will help them grow into responsible adults. They are likely to handle tricky situations easily.

Tips To Make Strong Connection with Your Pre-teens and Teenagers

• Focus On The Moment:

When your child comes to you, stop the work you are doing. Like keep your phone aside or stop working on the computer. Just give a full attention to your child. You can establish a strong relationship by giving a complete focus to your child’s problem.

• Listen To Your Child:

Keep eye-to-eye contact while talking with your child. Listen to what they want to express. This will assure your child that he/she is important to you. Show your interest in what they are discussing with you. Ask, express, explore, and give opinions to them. They approached you with some expectations, so fulfill them. Make sure not to interrupt, judge, or correct them, unless they ask for help.

• Keep In Touch:

If you stay away from your child or go out for a couple of hours, then drop a message to your child. During the long stay, send one message every day via your phone. If you are a busy parent then talk to your child while doing home chores like cooking, tidying up the house, washing the dishes, etc. However, if your child does not want to talk to you then do not conduct a conversation forcibly.

• Plan For A Visit:

Find out the place that suits you both and plan a visit. You can plan for a short stay as well. Or else let your child choose the place ideal for him/her. This will help your child to open up with you.

• Enjoy Your Child’s Company:

When you are out with your teenage child, enjoy their company. Do a lot of fun activities together. This will boost their confidence. Be an enthusiastic partner and cooperate with them. Accept their choice and show enthusiasm.

What If Your Child Does Not Want To Spend Time With You:

If you feel your child is avoiding spending time with you, make the most of opportunities to get each day like chatting, driving, cooking, etc. If your child is not willing to spend time with you then try the following:

• Keep brief in the beginning. Start with an ice cream after school.
• Find quick ways to spend time rather than just preaching them.
• Ask your child to come with things that you both love to do.
• Send funny messages to your child to stay connected.
• It may take time to get connected, so don’t give up.
• You may feel that only you are taking the initiative to create a connection, it’s okay if you feel in such a way. Your constant efforts can help in creating positive feelings and goodwill. Use simple words, like please, give hugs, pat on the shoulder, and knock before entering their room, and cooking their favorite food.