Talking to your teen about the importance of a good attitude.
It is important that our children know how important attitude is. A good attitude and an optimistic view of life will take one places that they never thought possible, allow them to meet people they never thought they would never have the chance to meet, and possibly open the door for opportunities that would have never been opened without a good attitude.
We must remember that teens are in a time of their life where they are developing their own identity and want to be more independent. We are still the parents, and we must set rules that they may not like as it does not fit into the mold they are creating.
This can be frustrating as your teen may become disrespectful. This disrespect can bleed into other areas of their world, so having some kind and thoughtful talks, even if they act like they are not listening, is a good thing. They do still hear what you are saying.
5 tips on helping your teen with attitude issues:
- Spend time with your teen. Take time to do an activity with them that they enjoy. Make sure this is quality time and strictly focused on your time together. It could be as simple as a game, a movie, or baking a scrumptious dessert.
- Help build your teen’s self-esteem. Recognize positive behavior, good grades, or the good choices they are making. As these good behaviors are recognized, you should start to see a positive change in attitude.
- Talk to your teen. Sometimes this is hard, but one thing that has worked for me is to say something like “I am not going to harp on this, but I do want to share some information with you just once. This will only take a minute. You can just listen and I do not expect any feedback unless you would like to talk about it.” Then go into your ONE POINT lesson that you would like them to learn from.
- Set clear expectations with your teen. Teens need structure in their life. The expectations you set with them should be the same rules and boundaries set for the rest of the family, as well as yourself. You are their role model.
- Give your teen some freedom of choice. Your teen must be able to make some decisions. Remember, they are trying to find themselves and to figure out life. You may not agree with everything they want to do, but if it is safe and there is not harm in a desire they have, you may want to allow them to do this. It could be something as simple as wearing holy jeans, getting nails put on, going to a loud concert, etc. Decide what you can compromise on.
Try not to take anything personally; most teens become disrespectful at some point. Stay calm as getting angry will not help the matter.
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Maya Angelou
