5 Ways To Strengthen Emotional Bond With Your Teenager

Adolescent years cause a person to undergo some emotional changes, posing a tough challenge for the parents who have to adjust to the changing patterns of their child's behavior. The parents also learn to cope with the hard reality their children are growing emotionally distant.

If your child isn’t still there yet, you must prepare yourself emotionally beforehand to deal with the ignorance, estrangement and conflicts that are going to be the defining factors of your relationship with your teenage offspring.

During the teen years, a person relishes the idea of growing up and learns to quickly embrace the intense physical, emotional and intellectual growths.

It’s wrong, however, for adults to nurture a negative outlook toward teenage years, because the kids are most energetic during that period, trying to get a grasp over anything that catches their fancy.

Kids undergo a dramatic change in their personalities during their teenage years and start to separate themselves from their parents in a bid to stay independent, which results in mental trauma for the parents oftentimes.

Ways to emotionally bond with your teenage child better:

Listen to them - Disrespecting or terrorizing them in the name of discipline can lead to dire consequences. Hence, parents should pay attention to their children's newfound interests and encourage them to become better individuals. The key to getting your child to open up is by discussing your own struggles as a teenager with them so that they learn from your experience.

Mind the warning signs - Signs like drastic weight gain, irregular sleeping patterns, falling grades or drug abuse can signal the child is going through emotional turmoil. Seek professional help if any of these warning signs appear in your child.

Give them responsibility - A teenager will leap on the idea of being responsible and not remain dependent on their parents. Sincerely supportive parents let their children become self-sufficient, for example, by allowing them to take the public bus from school or letting them enjoy a movie with friends without shadowing them.

Make time for them - It is very endearing to learn about the hobbies and likes of your child and offer to try them out together. This way, you will get to spend quality time with your child and take center stage in their life.