Week 3 How to Talk to your Teens about Risky Behavior

Welcome to Week 3
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Next week we will start to talk about teen development. However, this is an important aspect of talking with your teen about the dangers of experimentation in the teen years. You need to go in recognizing your the average teen believes nothing bad will happen to them or their friends. It is often shocking and scary when something does happen. Therefore, when you go to talk to them they will kind of blow you off. Talk about it anyway and the more concrete you are about the consequences of bad behavior the better.

The danger to teens is now more prevalent than any time before. In times past sec could lead to pregnancy. Now sex can lead to AIDS or HPV. Bullying used to end at the school day. Now, childen are cyperbullyied 24-hours a day.It used to be kids might try pot, but now they can become addicted to crack with one hit. Drinking underage is a serious problem in the US, and more kids die of drunk driving than ever before. This is just a small sampling of teen dangers. But there is an antidote. It is called good choices.

Here are three things you can do to encourage your teen to make good choices and avoid Most teen dangers.

1. Give them the facts without judgement or recrimination. As adults we often tell teen about the dangers they will face, in such a way to encourage them to try it. It is hard to keep your emotions out of the way when talking to your kids about drugs, sex, or drinking. The thing you want to do is not to offer an opinion until later. While talking to t hem about it keep it clear and factual. During your take they are likely to ask you about your feelings. If they do be honest. If you experimented with drugs as a teen tell them. Help them to see what it cost you in making that decision. 
2. They will ask you questions be honest. If they ask you an embarrassing one. Be authentic let hem see it is embarrassing for you. Being vulnerable with them will let them know you trust them enough to be transparent.
3. Ask them if they think either they or a friend might need help with overcoming an issue. This will allow them to open up about a friend with an issue. We all know that sometimes the friend is your child. However, they may actually have a friend with the problem. Ask them if they think their friend may need some support. Help them develop a plan. Ask if they want help in doing intervention. Encourage them to talk to their friend about seeking  help. Before talking about any one issue have a resource or two which have local services to give them to read. 

What you do as you approach the variety of issues you or your child may face. Remember  your goal is to influence your teen into making good decisions by giving the information they need to make them.

Here is your exercise for this week.

1. Brainstorm three areas you want to talk to your child about. Then journal about your own feeling regarding each.
2. Do some research and find a resource for each area and visti them to get reading material for your teen. Read it and journal about how the information makes you feel and what you think about it.
3. Pick one and talk to your teen about it his week. then journal about how it went and what you might want to consider doing or saying the next time. Then prepare for the next time.

Journal

Your exercise includes your journaling this week. However, if you find this cause you more anxiety journal about it.

Believe in Parnting