3 Conversations you Need to Have, plus your Teen

3 conversations you need to have with your teen when they start High School. You will feel better and they'll have the correct information from the start!

It's tough to be a parent, we all think we could do better….and are probably doing better than we think if we asked our kids their opinion. It's even harder once your kids become teens. Not only is the fact that they will be off on their own in a few years tough, but making sure you've instilled your values and guided them in the right direction before they graduate (and possibly leave the nest) is always a goal. Here are 3 conversations you need to have with your teen while they're still in High School.

Talking to Your Teenager

So this is our daughter….we know, we do NOT look old enough to have a teen but in fact we're lucky to say she is mine! We have to be honest….when we dropped her off for her first day of High School a few tears ran down our cheeks. We think it was harder on us than it was on her!

Not only was we sad that she was growing up way too fast, but what information (and inaccurate information) would she get once she was surrounded by a bunch of other 14-18 year old girls and boys….a bit nerve wracking.

Communicating with your Teen

Here are 3 tough conversations we've have that brought us closer.

1. Value yourself – What we mean by this (especially if you have a teenage daughter) is if you go out into the world with confidence, and value yourself as important you, will expect others to do the same, and not accept anything less.
   • Surrounding yourself with other teens who are respectful of you, your boundaries, and don't push you to do something you are uncomfortable with is important.
2. “The talk” – Way before getting into details of how things work “mechanically” it is super important to discuss what their definition of things are. Let's start with the term “dating”, how do they define that?
   1. We was surprised when we first had this discussion to hear that she defined it as hanging out and maybe holding hands.
   2. We was picturing in our head was A LOT different. You will learn where they are in their maturity by asking “what does that look like to you”.

She had already created her own boundaries that were much stricter than what we would've expected from her at her age! After that we could breathe a bit easier when we dropped her off each day.

Talking to Your Teenager About Drugs

• Drugs and alcohol – You know they are going to encounter it, even in the most affluent schools. We all worry what our teen will do or say when they are offered either by their peers…..discuss drug and alcohol facts before they encounter them!

like discussing “the talk” your child probably has already thought about drugs and alcohol.Start with what they've heard (believe us, they've heard something if they're in High School).

This is important so you can SHATTER THE MYTHS they might have such as: marijuana is not addictive or that it doesn't impair brain development, which are both false.

Finding resources to dispel these myths in great detail are great. From January 25-31, 2016 the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism sponsor National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week. These are great resource for parents and teens.