Tips for parents

Joining the dots runs parenting seminars for parents of young people. The following information is from Parenting Through The Awkward Years
Know your parenting style, understanding natural behaviours

Some scientific stuff

Responding to natural behaviours

Know your parenting style

As a parent you will be responding to your teenagers behaviours from your own parenting values and beliefs (often influenced by your own parents) and your individual parenting style.

Parenting styles vary along a continuum from the very passive – who sets no boundaries and consequences or discipline –  to the very aggressive parenting style who sets far too many rules, boundaries and imposes rigorist discipline.

Where are you on the continuum?

When more than one parent is involved in parenting then it’s very important that both parents know their own and each others' parenting style and are able to work together to reach an agreement or compromise to get on the same page.  if parents cannot reach an agreement and work together then they will struggle to keep control and the teenager will split the parents boundaries and consequences.

Parenting do’s

As a parent of a teenager it is very easy to get lost in the every day things and forget some basic dos and don’ts . 

Here are some do’s to remember.

• Do make sure you carry out consequences
• Do put in safety plans
• Do remember the frontal lobe is still developing
• Do always try to communicate
• Do use rewards, lots of them and carry them out
• Do remain in control
• Do teach self-control
• Do seek support from professionals
• Do remember your teenager will mature into an awesome adult
• Do give unconditional love
• Do stay strong and positive

This information is from Parenting through the Awkward Years: Seminar 2 [ When to go into Battle ].