Having had a few years under my belt as the parent of a teenager I can say with all certainty that parenting a teenager is basically as involved–perhaps even more so- as the parenting of a toddler or tween… Hence I felt like I needed to share my thoughts with my 5 Ways for Parents to Bridge the Gap with their Teenagers.
Now these almost adults are out in the world – and there is just an overload of information coming at them- that as parents- it’s really up to us to help them wade through it– but our biggest obstacle– them!
These teenagers who refuse to give us more than one-word answers and “would die!” if we hung out with them at the Mall with their friends…even if we sat at a table across the room at the new food court!
So what’s a parent to do, knowing that they still have to parent their teenager- and be there for her/him- even when she implores them to “GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”–this quote comes directly from “a friend of mine” whose daughter just barked this statement at her!
Well- here are some words of encouragement because while there are 800 billion articles about how to tune into your toddlers they are not half as many about how to deal with your teenagers!
Keep reading for 5 Ways for Parents to Bridge the Gap with their Teenagers
5 Ways for Parents to Bridge the Gap with their Teenagers
— Read the same books.
One great suggestion is the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. These 4 books are page turners, extremely well done, with a well-handled supernatural element. I guarantee you and your teenage daughter will both enjoy them. Then, you can see the movie of Twilight together. (Your daughter will probably go with friends, but will want to see it more than once, is my guess.)
—Find an activity that you like to do together.
Does your teen like cars? One father I know bought a 1969 Mustang, and then he and his teenage son spend several years restoring it. This was great bonding time without the pressure. Both father and son share a love of cars of all kinds. This experience brought them closer.
–If you’re athletic, train together and plan a long distance bike ride one summer.
This is good for moms and dads as well as sons and daughters. It’s exciting, it’s something they’ve never done before, it’s something they’ll always remember, and it’ll give you several uninterrupted weeks of time together. (Not to mention great material for those “What I Did Last Summer” essays that are assigned in the fall.)
–Volunteer together.
Volunteering is about working together, but also about recreation after hours, and having lots of free time to talk about anything in the world. In addition you both walk away with the good feeling of time not wasted but put toward actions that make you feel better about life.
–Learn cooking together by watching any of the Famous Chefs on the cooking channel.
Watch it done, get the recipe, and try it together in your own kitchen. Cooking is one of those things you always wish you knew how to do, but you need someone to work with or model on. And if you need some recipes to kick start your kitchen adventures here are a few:
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
- Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fluff Wonton Treat
- Weight Watchers Two Point Cinnamon Muffins
- Weight Watchers French Toast Casserole
So do you have any to add to my 5 Ways for Parents to Bridge the Gap with their Teenagers
Love this post! It’s so true that the teenage years require parents to be “tuned in” more than ever. What’s so sad is that some parents think the teenage years are a sort of finish line, and they check out FAR too soon. My oldest is now 20, and I’ve got three teenagers right behind her, so I’m in the thick of it right now. But it’s so incredibly rewarding!
Some great ideas. Another idea is travel with them. My daughters and I have done a few trips with just them and myself and my husband did not come. Made for great conversations. We wandered England for 17 days and have also done a couple road trips.
The teenage years are rough and bonding can be extremely difficult, but extra important, during that stage. I think finding a common interest is an excellent idea!
These are some great tips. It’s about the time together without the pressure.
I love these bonding ideas. I will be honest I wasnt close with my mom growing up and as a teen even more we were further apart I wish we could of done some of these things on the list.
It’s important to show them that you support them and that you’re there for them all the time. They need you to listen and to be open about things that they’d be confused about. These are lovely tips!
These are awesome tips! We really need to do something and make an effort to bridge that gap. Thanks for sharing these!
I love reading this. I will keep your tips on my mind so when my kids become teenager I know how to deal with it. Thank you for sharing this.
I am dreading the teenage years, and for now i am trying to deal with a threenager lol. These are some really great tips as i think about when i was a teen, i did a lot this kind of bonding with my mom and we had a very close relationship.
I love it! My daughter is still young enough that I’m the coolest mom ever, but I know the day will come when I’ll have to work to get anything out of her.
Its hard to think of the day you will have a teenager, and the struggles that come with it. These are great tips and i will keep them in mind when mine get older. It’s very important to bond in different ways, i want to always make sure we share an activity we can do together!