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10 Guiding Principles
Strategies to Change Your Teen's Thinking and Preempt Crises
By Mimi Doe
Today's teens face overwhelming issues – peer pressure, widespread instances of substance abuse, concerns about sexuality, the academic stress of high school, the risks and freedom of driving and the worry about getting into a good college. It's no wonder that these years often become filled with poor decision making and such a beleaguered battleground between parents and teens.
The 10 guiding principles below enable teens to develop an internal framework and moral compass to stay centered during these turbulent years.
Principle 1: Realize You Are Part of Something Bigger
A connection with spirituality sustains teenagers throughout their inherently rocky transition into adulthood. A spirited life is much more than just decisions about faith. Kids want and need to define their own sense of spirituality. Parents can join their teens in this exploration process, as their children quest for an understanding of the universe and an individual sense of spirituality. Principle 2: Understand That All Life Is Connected and Has Meaning
Adolescents need opportunities to recognize that they are not alone – no matter how different from their peers they may feel. Teens hunger to be a part of something. Their need for acceptance runs deep. Support your teens in developing a deeper connection with the natural world, as nature unconditionally accepts them. Plus, social activism and reaching out to others in need gives teens the same assurance that they are connected and can make a difference. Principle 3: Words Can Profoundly Change Lives
Tell your teenagers how they delight you, how much you respect their choices, your amazement at their abilities or your appreciation of the way they solved a problem. We need to remember that teens typically struggle with a low self-image at the same time that their need for love and acceptance is at an all-time high. Now is the time to flood them with positive words. Loving words from a parent fuel a child, no matter their age. Your positive, authentic words can be the grace that salves their fragile egos. Principle 4: Listen Fully – Acknowledge Deeply
