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
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.
It will be interesting to see how my son gets older. Will he like more things my husband likes or will he like more things I like! I am so fascinated by him growing up. Granted, I love him in his cute little 7 month old state as well!
This is such an interesting piece, I think we are always struggling to find that medium and it is great to know that as they get older we can bridge the gap.
My teen and I like to go out to eat together. Or go to Disney! We both are huge fans.
I have a tween daughter, and we both mocked the Twilight series, so I guess that was a bonding experience. Sparkling vampires made us laugh hysterically, you see.
There are so many things pulling at teenagers today. Everything is right now, but keeping the conversation going is so important. They want your advice…they just don’t want you to know it.
That time you spend hanging out and talking together is definitely important. I like the book idea a lot.
These are all great ideas. My kids are a little younger and we like to play games together and visit lots of fun places.
These are some wonderful ideas, I remember feeling so very far away from my parents in my teen years. But these are some lovely little ways to make things to connect and talk about simple.
What great ways to bond with your teenager! I love the ideas of volunteering, reading the same books, and doing fun activities together. Life is short. Teens grow up. These are perfect ways to strengthen your relationship with your kiddos!
I’d add, make art together! We love to paint, make pots and anything crafty. I think we enjoy seeing each other happy!
I have 5 kids, all who are teenagers or older. I can say those are great tips! We found different ways to bond with our kids, but we always ate dinner as a family when possible. I think that helps a lot.
Wow! I am loving this a lot. Many parents are having gap with their teenagers. These wonderful tips will surely help them big time.
I really like these ideas. My kids are not teens yet, and I’m not sure I’m ready for them to be either. I still try to do as many activities with my kids now before they won’t want to anymore.
I just took in my preteen niece and connecting with her is a bit slow going. These are some great tips to help forge a bond and get her to open up to me more. I’ll be trying them all soon!
These are some great ideas! I often clash with my teenager at home and sometimes it’s a struggle but with good communication, everything can work out.
With two tweens at home, I’m starting to see glimpses of what the teenaged years will be like. My girls are already spending way more time in their rooms and talking less and less. These are great habits for me to start now so we can stay connected.
My oldest son and I are very close! One of our favorite ways to bond is watching funny videos together.
I think that doing an activity together is a great idea. I like to cook with our teens as well!
This is interesting, especially for parent with teenager. There’s so many things to get rid of the gap, and this tips is really awesome