Parenting teenagers is never easy. You might be tempted to seek help from a book, but most books are written by adults, for adults. Vanessa Van Patten created
RadicalParenting.com, a site where teens are the ones giving answers to the questions. Van Patten recently wrote an article for NJFamily, listing the top 10 best things parents should know when dealing with their teens.
Among the advice:
The issues are the same, the circumstances are different. Facebook alone adds an entire new layer to a teenager’s social life.
Comparison hurts more than you think. Stop asking your teen why they can’t be “more like” their sister/cousin/best friend.
Don’t ever ask “answer questions,” otherwise known as questions that already have an answer (“Don’t you think you should do something about that extra credit assignment?”). It comes off as condescending.
Check out the article for a more in-depth read.