Insparenting

Both my kids are less than 10 years old. But, I’ve been preparing myself for the big moment: when they turn into teenagers–which usually are the most difficult time either for the kids or for the parents.

I think, the problem lies on communication. If you have a great communication, then teenagers are easier to handle. And, what comes most is it turns out to be a negotiation. Not only businessmen or businesswomen who need to know how to negotiate. We, parents, also need to know this very well.

I’ve talked to some friends, looked back at my own experience with my parents, and of course checked out some literatures. And here are some tips for a successful parents-teens negotiation:

• While making rules, try to always involve your teens in the process. That way, you can make them more responsible in dealing with the rules, since they make it along with you.
• As much as you want to hit the roof, you need to calm down. Keeping as calm and rational as possible. It is essential to control your anger. That way, they will sympathize and want to sit down with you and talk.
• Try to keep the negotiations focused on the issue. Do not talk about other things they’ve done. Focus! Or, they might do the same to you.

Anyone would like to add some more?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 8:53 am and is filed under Parenting, Baby Toddler Child Teen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.