When it comes to helping your teenager to navigate through life there are a number of things that as parents and carers that we want to ensure we share with them. Having these discussions are not always easy but they are incredibly important in creating a safe space for your teenager, developing a strong bond with them and enabling them to discuss their feelings in an open and honest manner. This has always been the case but is much more important today with the influences of social media and the number of teenagers and young adults that are suffering with anxiety and mental health issues. Here are some of the things that you may want to talk about with your teen:
Health
It is important that as your child grows up that they are made aware of ways in which they can look after their own health and some signs and symptoms that they need to watch out for. You need to make sure that this does not produce unnecessary anxiety within them but rather give them the information that they need. Safe sex is one such topic and iyou should talk about this openly with them and explain why it is so important. But you should also point out that there are Home StI kits available from companies should they feel that they have put themselves at risk of infection at any point and of course they should be made aware that there is no shame in this.
- Cooking
You probably spent a lot of your children’s younger years preparing all of their meals for them, but as your child turns into a teen you should ensure that they are capable of making nutritious food for themselves. This is even more important if your child is preparing to go off to university. There is nothing worse than surviving your university years on pot noodles because you don’t know how to cook a proper meal!
- Money
Again, when your children were younger you would have bought all of the items that they need and they will have been used to food and toys just appearing in front of them. When your child gets their first job you need to ensure that they have good money habits that include paying off any bills that they have first, along with any debts they may have accrued and then saving a proportion of their wages before then have the disposable income to spend as they wish. These habits will then carry on into adulthood.
