How to spend quality time with your teenager
Spending quality time with teenagers seems like a utopia, but it can be done! Follow these tips and you can have a better emotional bond with your children at this stage.
It seems that spending quality time with your teenager is mission impossible, but it is necessary that you achieve it in order to take care of your emotional bond. Your adolescent child needs you more than ever at this stage, although by his nature and his desire to show his own identity, he wants to show you the opposite.
Now that many childhood activities have been overcome, it can be difficult to find family activities that your teens are totally interested in. The teen years are times when young people begin to spend more time with friends than with family . Without an effort to create quality family time, many teens are able to drift away from their parents.
Although it is somewhat normal for adolescents to become more independent, it is essential to invest your energy in maintaining a good relationship, even when there are communication problems. Instead of emphasizing the amount of time you spend together, you better have some quality time to enjoy. If you don’t know how, don’t miss out on these ways to create quality time to spend with your teen, even if it’s only a few minutes each day.
Index
NO INTERNET OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES
If your family is like the vast majority of families today, electronic devices are likely to get in the way of face-to-face communication. You need to set screen time limits for the whole family, also for adults. There should be a house rule that electronic devices must be turned off at certain times.
There should be ‘a time without electronic devices and without internet’ at least once a day. Even if it is only an hour, it is necessary to turn off all televisions, computers and telephones … do it and see what happens. You are likely much more likely to have your teen communicate effectively with you.
EAT OR DINE ALL TOGETHER
Lunch or dinner, at least one meal a day together, can create an opportunity to talk with your teenager. During meals, you can turn off the electronics and focus on the conversation you have. Talking right now is the best way to connect as a family and get to know (really) your teenager.
ENTER THEIR WORLD
Your teen is likely to enjoy things you don’t know about. It is important that as a parent you are willing enough to enter your adolescent’s world, even when it is not something you particularly enjoy. For example, if your child likes video games , try playing together. Let your teenager teach you about it or show you something new … you will really be amazed at how your child is able to teach you new things.
DO ACTIVE THINGS
Sometimes teens are not very motivated by sitting down and talking to their parents. But if you can get them to play a board game with you, or move around with you (go for a bike, go for a run, go for a walk, rollerblade together …), you may be able to have more natural conversations that lead you to have a more stable emotional bond.
GO FOR A WALK
Going for a walk is good for your health, but it is also good for spending quality time with your teenage children. A simple walk around the neighborhood, going on errands together or taking a walk in the park is a good way to spend time together away from the daily distractions of home and thus, you will have a good opportunity to talk in private.
TEACH HIM SOMETHING NEW
Show your teenager that he is capable of doing new things. You can pass on your cooking skills to help him learn to cook delicious dishes. If you know languages, teach him to master it … Offer to teach him to do new things.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.
