Many parents need to grab their teen’s attention for many reasons. But if your child is in the midst of those trialling teen years, trying to have a conversation with your teen is no easy feat. Here are a few tips on how you can grab your teen’s attention, without resorting to drastic measures.
Open ended questions
Your teen is probably an expert on giving one-worded answers. “Fine”, “ok” or if you’re lucky “I don’t know” may commonly be uttered by your son and daughter. By asking open ended questions, you not only give your teen an opportunity to properly engage in a conversation with you, but also a greater chance of bonding.
Be direct
Don’t beat about the bush, sometimes taking the direct and honest approach is the best way to go with your teen. Side-stepping the issue will only make things worse and delay the inevitable. If your teen is going through a difficult time, it sometimes helps to share similar experiences from your own life.
Activities
Your teen will probably not want to spend any time with you and often prefer the company of their peers. But if there was a time to grab your teen’s attention, it’s by doing activities that you both enjoy. Something as simple as playing board games, going for walks or even an afternoon of shopping can create great opportunities to bond with your teen. Not only will these fun activities put you both in a great mood, it will also make it easier for your teen to open up to you.
Remember your teen years
Your teen could seem like they are overreacting about something but remember it is probably everything to your teen right now. It’s best you put yourself in their shoes. Yes, a lot of things have changed, but remember what those teen years were like for you, it’s not easy. Sometimes, it’s just best to listen and if possible try to relate. If you laugh about your teen is currently going through, they will definitely not want to open up to you again.
