Resolving to talk more often with your child about healthy decisions and choices is a great idea for the New Year. We found the following tips from The Partnership for a Drug-Free America both enlightening and inspiring and wanted to
Resolving to talk more often with your child about healthy decisions and choices is a great idea for the New Year. We found the following tips from The Partnership for a Drug-Free America both enlightening and inspiring and wanted to share them with those of you who are doing the important work of helping Hawai‘i’s teens develop into healthy, strong adults. We understand the challenges of working with youth who come to us later in life and from our experience believe these, especially No. 4, can go a long way in helping create a household with mutual respect between adults and youth. We hope you find them useful.
Ten resolutions that show teens you care:
1. Teach your children to trust you by seeing you as a role model.
2. Be patient, not just tolerant. Apologize when you make a mistake or do something you regret.
3. Ask teens what they need from you — and do whatever you can to meet those needs.
4. Listen to your teens, a lot. Avoid interrupting.
5. Teach your children about ethics, values and principles they can apply as they make choices and decisions.
6. Help them discover the feeling of gratitude, not just to say “thank you”.
7. Keep the promises you make. If you do not keep your word, acknowledge that. Help your teen understand the circumstances or choices that precipitated the change in your plans.
8. Answer your teen’s questions and be consistent. When you notice behavioral changes in them, make yourself available and encourage them to talk about what is going on in their life.
9. Be understanding when they have a difficult time and let them know you will love them no matter what.
10. Be diligent. Have ongoing conversations with your kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol.
In the coming weeks we will be sharing other community members’ “top 10” for strengthening connections to your teenagers. Have fun practicing these this week!
• Questions? A support group of adults in our Kaua’i community have “stepped into the corner” for our teens, to answer questions and give support to youth and their families on a wide variety of issues. E-mail your questions or concerns facing our youth and families today to LaVerne Bishop, program director of Hale ‘Opio, at lbishop@haleopio.org.
