Parenting Tips for 14 year olds

Parenting Tips

Teens can be hard to talk to sometimes and even to engage with. Many kids are dealing with changes during the early teenage years that can lead them to act out, be closed off, or be generally disrespectful toward their parents or authority figures.

When you are trying to engage with and parent a child going through this period in their life, it can be tough to feel like you are getting through to them.

Parenting for 14-year-olds can be much easier when you have the right tools in your belt. While this might be tough, even with the right skill set in place, you can make your time with your child much more enjoyable for both of you with these tips in mind. Remember that your teen will grow out of this phase and that you will have a better relationship in the long run if you handle this time in their lives in the right way.

If you are ready for parenting tips for 14-year-olds that will make your job much more manageable, keep reading!

Parenting Tips for 14-Year-Olds That Really Work

Hand Out Advice Sparingly

This is one of the critical areas where you need to act with restraint as a parent. While your child has many lessons to learn, and many of them can be taught by you, you need to avoid sounding bossy or preachy.

Your 14-year-old child will balk at a constant stream of advice that feels like it is getting in the way of their own judgment. It is better to focus on the things that need to be said and covered so your teen will be more likely to listen when you offer advice.

While it is true that your teen doesn’t know everything yet, they are learning many things on their own through trial and error, and sometimes this is the best teacher.

Let Them Figure it Out

While it can be tempting to spare your child from disappointment and stress, part of the process that makes teen life challenging is that essential personal growth is happening. When you get in the way of your teen learning their own lessons, you will impede their ability to grow and learn on their own.

Best of all, your child will be learning without feeling like they were pressured to make choices that you wanted them to make. Choices made on your own that have immediate consequences are often the best teachers, and you do not need to fight with your teen over things they can figure out alone.

Welcome Change

While it can be hard as a parent to embrace the signs that your child is growing up and becoming an adult, you need to reframe these changes in a way that makes them comfortable for you.

Remember that your child will have to figure out how to stand on their own two feet and be proud of them when they can, even at a young age. These signs of independence indicate that your child is growing into their ability to take care of themselves, which is a good thing in the long run.

Make a Point Without Being Pushy

While it can be tempting to press your child for compliance all the time, you must remember that you would not engage with an adult in this way. When teens learn to grow their wings and be more confident in their own opinions, it can be hard on parents looking for obedience in their children.

There are many times when you will need to make your point and then walk away and let your child choose to follow your advice or not to do so. You cannot force an adult to do what you want and maintain a healthy relationship; you will need to remember that with your teen, that is becoming an adult.

Be Clear About Boundaries

Some teens like to have their cake and eat it too. You must be sure that you are clear about what you are willing to do when a teen has chosen a path you disapprove of. If they are acting against your best advice, be sure that you are clear about what you will be willing to do to help them if this choice is not a positive one in the long run.

Teens respect fairness above almost everything else and are not afraid of rigid boundaries that they know you will not argue with them about. You might not be able to force your child to comply with you, but you can be clear about your continued investment in an action that does not support behavior you approve of. This clarity makes your punishments fairer to a teen and your communication more open.

Parenting a 14-Year-Old Doesn’t Have to be Stressful

While parenting a teen will have its ups and downs, much of the determination about how stressful the experience is can be up to you. You will need to remember that your teen is going through many changes as they become an adult, and you will need to navigate the changing relationship you have with this min-adult without falling back on old habits.

Being transparent with your teen and consistently fair will make caring for a teen much less stressful for you and them overall.

If you are struggling with the communication and parenting of your teenager, we can help. Reach out to us today for assistance to help your teenager to feel better about this time in their lives.

You and your teen will be able to get through this difficult growing period in their lives if you have the proper support. Call us today and get access to the right support for you and your child.

Request Free Admissions Information

Step 1 of 3 - Your Contact Info

Written by Natalie

12 Sep, 2022

Recent Posts

Fun Family Teen Building Activities

The teen years can be challenging; from mood swings and big emotions to wanting to experience a bit of freedom, it can be an exciting transition as these young adults become their own people. If you’re looking for fun ways to interact with your teenager, look no...

How to Best Help My Troubled Teen

Has your teen started acting out? Behaving in a manner that seems uncharacteristic? Perhaps your teen has started running with the wrong crowd or seems to have lost interest in things he once loved to participate in. Some behavior and attitude changes are considered...

Keeping Your Teen Safe on their Cell Phone

For most of us, our smartphone is rarely far from our hands. There are many things to be said about our reliance on the little devices that holds so much of our lives. Good and bad. For parents, a cell phone can be a helpful tool when they need to keep in touch with...

Why We Are Seeing an Increase in Teen Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural response to stress and fear. For years teens have been facing increasing pressure from school, sports commitments, family concerns, and even peer issues. With everything they’re struggling with, it makes sense that they would have increased...

Let’s Get Creative! How to Spark Your Teens Creative Side.

While the summertime can burst with days of full-filled activities, most of the time is probably downtime for your teenager. This isn't bad; after all, time for rest and recovery is imperative. However, too many days of quiet time can lead to boredom for kids of all...

8 Ways to Stay Connected To Your Teen

We live in an increasingly interconnected world. This is why it can sometimes be baffling that it’s not always easy to connect and stay connected with your teen. Most of the time, we have communication devices in our hands, using them to connect through social media...

Shy Teen? How to Make Friends!

If you are shy, you probably know how frustrating it can be to try and make friends. This is particularly true if you have to move to a new school or town and you don’t know anyone. Thankfully, some excellent ways to make friends when you are a little shy will work no...

Defiant Teen Behavior Lying and Stealing

Rarely do you meet a person who never tells a lie. Even the best of us may stretch the truth when serving our needs. Children and teens will often tell lies to get themselves out of trouble. It can become frustrating when a teen starts to act out, be defiant, and...

Summer Fun Tips for Tweens

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of the end of the school year. For parents, it can mean fewer mornings rushing around and fewer afternoons ferrying kids to an assortment of activities. For students, it means a long summer of fun stretching ahead of them...

Learning How to Show Your Teen Love

How do you express love to your family and friends? How do you prefer to be shown love? We each have our love language. This is the way that we prefer to show and be shown affection and love. When our children are little, physical touch, protection, and words of...

You May Also Like…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *