Above all, adolescence is a process that takes time to happen. We have all heard the frightening and heart-breaking statistics about youth violence, depression, tobacco, and alcohol and other drug use. Even the best-informed young people are constantly tested by social pressures, emotional needs, and their peers. The push and pull between right and wrong can become a tug of war between adolescent and parent. Being a parent, grandparent, foster parent, or caregiver of a teen is both rewarding and challenging.
Caring adults can make all the difference in a child s life.
This guide provides some useful tools to improve your communication with your teenager to help him or her get through adolescence successfully. Read it all or select the sections that help you the most. Getting the Conversation Started tips for opening up the dialogue, even after it has been shut down. Increasing Responsibility and Freedom ideas for how to set the limits that protect your teens while still giving them room to grow and develop. Theirs and Yours anger-management skills that you can use, and that you can share with your adolescent.