Recently MTV and Associated Press released a report of a survey that they conducted with over one thousand teens, and there were some interesting answers. Twenty percent of the 13-17 year olds said that spending time with their family made them happy. That was the highest percentage of answers by the way. The next was spending time with friends at fifteen percent. What does that mean for us with families that have teens in them?
Either my teen thinks that way or they do not or they are somewhere in the middle about it. So I can study my teen and find out how they feel. Obviously, I do not mean following them around with a magnifying glass and detective hat. There is a parenting method that has been used by a few brave souls that might help is this case. It is a bit simplistic mind you, but it is free. You also must psyche yourself up for any possible reaction. It is called…………………………..no, I am not sure you are ready for this; maybe another post some other time. OK, just kidding. It is called CONVERSATION. You know the kind where you think of something that you would like to know, then you form it into a true question, not an accusation. Not in every case, but it has never failed in my experience that true questions can actually generate true responses, and therefore get a conversation going.
We might be surprised at how much our teens actually do like us, and like to share their thoughts and ideas with us. The other day there was a dad who just wanted to find out if the sex talk that they had a few years ago made any impact. He just decided to ask if his son’s thoughts and ides had changed any or if there were anymore questions. It took a little intuitive questioning (not yes or no answer questions), but he found that his son was quite open and willing to talk. Maybe we should just ask.
I believe that the report gives us some encouragement that we have not lost our teens. They are still interested. Let’s show some interest in them. Let’s talk to them and enjoy being around them.
No comments:
Post a Comment