By Meena Ropp
All teenagers can relate to those awkward, annoying moments with their parents. Whether it feels like they’re trying to plan your life for you, not listening to you problems, or invading your privacy, all teens go through some form of poor relations with their parents.
The problem in each of these scenarios is miscommunication. Parents and teens don’t typically see eye-to-eye because of the large age gap, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be there for each other.
What we all need is to better understand how to relate to our parents and to help them relate to us in our everyday struggles.
The basic option is to be open about your problems and stresses to your parents.
Talking to an adult can be comforting, since our parents have gone through similar situations in their lives and they have gained experience and wisdom from those scenarios.
This also humbles you through admitting your faults, which will make you more open to assistance and will prevent you from feeling left in the dark.
For teens who are less extroverted, politely inform your parents that you just need some time alone to contemplate things.
This lets adults know that you aren’t shutting them out of your life, but you are simply the type of person who likes to work things out for yourself.
Teens can often go through moody and angry behavior, which is completely normal.
However, parents can often misinterpret this as a personal insult, which is why it’s important to inform them that you simply need to be left alone to blow off some steam.
Another simple but effective choice is to eat meals together with your family. Family dinners are an excellent way to talk to your parents about your day because you won’t feel forced to talk as you will have food on your plate to keep you occupied.
This also makes a routine which will allow you to have at least 20 minutes of family communication in a relaxed environment.
You should also take responsibility for some family chores like vacuuming or laundry. This shows your parents that you care about your family and are willing to be helpful.
Parents must understand the struggles of teenagers and vice versa. Through these relations, we can make the high school experience for both the parents and the student because, remember, high school only happens once, so make it a good time.