All parents dread the teenage years, and it certainly does not help that they seem to be starting earlier each year. Parents should expect and learn to deal with their teenage children’s unreasonable whims and caprices with patience and tolerance. Parents of teenagers should take a cue from the useful tips discussed below. Encourage open conversations early. Open conversations foster trust and confidence and children will be encouraged to open up about their problems, in the process keeping you informed of their activities. Ideally, you should start having regular conversations with them at or about 12 years of age and you can encourage that by showing forbearance and understanding. Keep [...]

Keeping an open communication with our children can be a difficult task at times. Just as we feel they are not listening to us, they feel we are not listening to them. Effective skills of communication and listening are vital to being a good parent. What your child feels and think is worthy of your attention, and you should really make an effort to sit down and discuss what is important to them. It seems to be a natural tendency to react rather than to respond. We also tend to judge on the basis of experiences we have had in the past or because of personal feelings. However, responding means [...]