How to Reconnect with Your Teen

Ways to Reconnect with Your Teenager

Sometimes in the teen years, it seems as if your children don’t have time for you anymore. They’re busy making their own way, learning what type of adults they are going to become, and school also adds a lot of pressure at this age. Work gets harder, there is pressure to spend time with friends, and after school activities. All of these things may have you, the parent, feeling like you’re not as connected to your teenager as you used to be when she was younger.

How to reconnect with your teen. 

• Take the time to listen. When we say listen, we mean really listen. Don’t try to put your own opinions into everything. Just remain open to what they have to say.
• Do something new together. Go rock climbing, try a new sport, or visit a new place together. Doing something new together as a pair can be a great way to bond.
• Don’t take it personally. If your teen pushes you away, didn’t share important info with you, or even yells and says she hates you, it’s not you. You can’t take it personally and you have to let it go. This means the teen is struggling with her tangled up emotions and she doesn’t know how to properly express them.
• Don’t pressure your teen to talk. No matter how great you think you are at listening, this can cause your teen to hold back, in order to preserve some of their own independence. Be available and ready to listen when he’s ready but give him space that he needs.
• Take time to do things your teen likes. Step out of your comfort zone if needed and spend some time doing things your teen likes to do.
• Turn off distractions. It sounds obvious but when you are with your teen, avoid distractions like TV, radio, or cell phones. Allow yourselves to have the time together and free of distractions and your teen might open up in new ways.
• Take time to repair past hurts. If you need to reconnect because something has severed the relationship between you and your teen, then stop and take some time to repair this damage before you try to be “friends” again. You can’t just pretend as if things never happened. You need to take time to work it out.

Now that you know these ways to reconnect with your teenager, you’re ready to get started today. They’re not getting any younger!