Author: Mr PK Jose, Founder Director, CareerSpotters Global Pvt Ltd In this Blog, I wish to focus on some successful tips for Parents so that they could play effective roles as guide, friend, teacher, facilitator and a problem solver to their teenage sons and daughters. The good practices that I wish to share are enumerated in the succeeding paragraphs for the benefit of parents educationists and youth workers who nurture teenagers and adolescent youth. Co-create shared activities: Parents who co-create shared activities with their wards have been found to be more successful than those who give instructions to do things. Co-created activities could be relating to leisure, recreation, problem solving at studies or house hold related works. It is found that when parents involve consistently in shared activities and keep the communication channel open at all times, teenagers appreciate and reap the benefit from the “connection” that is established in the process and breaks the barriers of communication. It also helps in strengthening parent-child relationships and promotes moral behavior. Link to Influencers: Evidence is also seen that carefully chosen and facilitated relationships of teenagers with other influencers such as an Uncle or an Aunty in the family, parent of a best friend, a life coach even a professional Counselor or even any other adult with a meaningful role in the youth’s life can become a “Change Agent” for the teenager. He or she could become a source for sharing their worries, concerns, confining their troubles, anxieties, and drawn matured solutions instead of falling back to their teenage friends who might not be in a position to help them at this time of need. It is worthwhile to facilitate such relationship for a healthy source of moral support and advice especially when they find themselves in troubled waters. Anchor Peer Relationships. Parents who knowingly and willingly fosters supportive peer network have been influencing behavioral changes in the positive direction. This shows that parents need to help teenagers find a supportive peer network to reinforce good behavior. But it is also found that there is a need for carefully facilitated peer engagement. These engagements could be in youth movements like Youth Parliament, Model United Nations Meetings or animated Religious or Socio-cultural groups that would engage their time productively for developing social connections and friends circle. But a need is found to assist and coach the teenagers in choosing friends, keeping friends and appreciating friends. Share Regular Meals. It was also found that absenteeism in family meals is a common practice particularly among the youth. It is very important to insist with them to have at least their dinner meals with family. It becomes a platform not only for having just food but also an effective forum for connecting with their most immediate social group- the family. It helps both the parents and their wards to take a stock of the day, discuss success and failures, re-assure support taking the roles as guide, friend, teacher and a problem solver. Enhance Life Skills: Sometimes we find an imbalance created when the parents place the entire emphasis on academic excellence manifested in good grades only and not giving adequate attention to developing their ward’s life skills. This indeed is a big mistake. It is very important to assist the teenagers to express and manage their anger, frustration, disappointment without hurting others and not getting in to sullenness or even depression. It is also important to set basic rules of conduct with regard to relationship, physical abuse like hitting, kicking, and hurting others through our words. Track Behavioral Patterns: ‘Tracking behavior’ refers to monitoring and supervising behavioral pattern of teenagers. Tracking by parents has high impact in preventing teenagers getting on to substance abuse, alcoholism, and in-appropriate sexual behaviors. Keep An Eye Open: It is important that parents be able to observe the intensity of the ‘mood changes’ occurring in the life of a teenager. If she or he looks sad, withdrawn, keeps oneself away from you, aggression without self control, keep an eye open. Such teenagers who seems a little ‘off’, not himself, is trying to tell us something. We only realize that something was wrong when a crisis occurs. Don’t allow problems with your child to fester and grow. Recognize them in time and take remedial measures. Teach to Assume Responsibility: It is very important to teach children to assume responsibility for their actions. We may do so by helping them grow as independent by teaching our children to pick out their clothing, dress themselves, pack school snacks and set their own alarm clocks instead of waking them up. Allow them to do his homework and projects by himself. Have your child help around the house and gain responsibilities instead of waiting to be served. They should be given the responsibility to take care of their belongings, putting away laundry, setting and clearing the dining table, helping to serve guests, cooking and keeping their room in order. Keep Open Channel of Communication: We find teenagers who are afraid to speak to their parents. Ideally, it does not matter what the issue is or what the topic is, even if they messed up something very badly, the fear of parents should not take them away. Our love must be unconditional, even if we have disappointment, anger, frustration - After all, we are their parents. If we do not keep the channel of communication open they would turn to seek solutions with their peers which could be disastrous. The main thing is that you put the time and energy in so that he knows that he matters in your life. It may be concluded that every teenager is a unique individual and so are the families in which they are being nurtured. It is also to be understood that parenting strategies adopted by one parent that might work well with one teenager may not work well with another. However, concepts and approaches shared in this article are to be treated as mere seeds from which some potential solutions could germinate. Yet as parents if we follow some of these guidelines, we will have the satisfaction that we have tried our best to nurture our teenage daughters and sons to the best of our knowledge and helped them navigate the road of life successfully. I firmly believe that the approaches mentioned in this article if followed, it is bound to catapult our teenagers in to a world of success. The author is the Founder of CareerSpotters Global Pvt Ltd & A Career Guidance Expert Website: https://www.careerspotters.in; Email: info@careerspotters.in; Mobile: 9810406573 www.linkedin.com/in/pkjoseph402