With parenting anticipation comes the crucial uncertain teen years. It's a phase when all kids experience multiple emotional and physical changes. I term it as a discovery stage in which we parents mistake our children to be arrogant and disrespectful. However, it’s a confusing age that requires support, and guidance. To maneuver parents and guardians need to invest in the best strategies for teen communication.

Teen maze: how to maneuver

Teen-youth years are pretty much a maze that is quite twisted but fun if interpreted. There are always the good times, the confusing days, boundary-pushing, anger, and exciting moments. The mixture is unique for everyone. Actually, parents should never compare their teen children as they develop differently.  As parents /guardians it is crucial to have a healthy and trusting parent-child relationship during the teenage stage than ever.

To navigate teenagers and parents need to establish robust communication techniques. This helps maintain effective communication and create strong bonds.  The relationship goes a long way to adulthood and helps develop strong mental stability. It's all about understanding, allowing our teens to voice their concerns, direct them, and allow easy discovery. However, the majority of us parents don't offer that social ground but a judgmental and accusation platform. With keen observation, I have realized the harsh presentation only pushed the teenagers away. We as parents are left feeling guilty and angry about bad parenting. With an understanding of the best strategies for teen communication, we can produce the best young adults and create the best families ever.

Tips for effective communication with teenage children

To raise a great child we need proper parenting skills. With the fact, parenting is more of an instincts rather than a learned or inborn skill. Parents and guardians can practice better communication and understanding skills. This will help parents not to overreact to children's activities but to analyze every situation.

Once we understand and create good communication skills, we can build healthy and successful relationships.  It's all about teen well-being, a happy lifestyle, and raising great children. Here are some tips for the best strategies for teen communication.

• Be a loving parent

Besides the emotional and physical waves, parents can be the major challenge.  The fact that we forget about own teenage journey is astonishing. During this period all one wants is love. Adolescents struggle with their changing sense of identity and need to feel loved. Try to demonstrate your love using whatever physical contact they are comfortable with and appreciate their achievements. Forgive their mistakes and support them in their problem-solving methods.

• Listen to them keenly

With communication comes listening and comprehending. Parents need the essential skill that takes practice and discipline to master. Always listen to your teenage kids and don’t interrupt or make assumptions.  Listening gives a sense of security and being understood. Give your child a chance to express their feeling. Make expressions that show you understand and feel their pain or emotions. To create a listening platform practice the following skills.

• Ensure to give your children undivided attention
• For easy problem solving and communication effectiveness maintain an accepting and open approach.
• Use good questions format to help simplify your understanding
• Communication is beyond the content of the words but also in body language. Study your teen's body language to comprehend what they are really going through. It doesn't have to be negative issues all the time. Sometimes they just need someone to participate in their celebration.

• Provide multiple opportunities

Parents need to create opportunities where they can spend with their teen kids. Don't always be gloomy to not accommodate them. Request if they have some spare time for certain activities. You can also create opportunities where they can assist in various chores. Don't remind them about their age crises, just make the moments memorable and fun. Doing these activities together will raise an effective communication Channel.

• Stop implementing communication barriers

We parents have a tendency to bring up fights and remind our children of the negative facts about their age.  This will not go down well but develop a communication barrier. The act of constant harassment and public discipline will negatively impact your relationship.

 This affects teens emotionally as they feel neglected or hated for every action they take.  The emotional barriers prevent a teenager from feeling safe and secure enough to express their internal feelings. For smooth communication learn to give attention without casting judgment or jumping in with unsolicited advice.

• Always offer praises

Don't all be low-spirited and non-appreciative, celebrate little teen achievement.  It is essential to praise your teenage child for something done well. This will help differentiate moments when they are in the wrong and right. They will also learn what you want them to do and what is not commendable.  Appreciating them creates room for them to be loved.  Besides the word of praise buy them some gifts or give a hug.

• Use the golden words

In appreciating the nice moments parents need to learn to say thank you, please, and excuse. Remember your children also have feelings. It's respectful to knock before getting in their room and saying thank you if they do something nice. This creates a sense of honor and increases discipline. It's a reminder that even in adulthood you require some manners.

• Control your emotions

Teenagers will always make mistakes, which is one way of learning and gaining wisdom. Through the discovery process remain calm and control your emotions. Constant emotional fluctuations might you an unhealthy lifestyle or depression.

However, a calm approach gives room for the teens to communicate or have a relationship with you regardless of the bad actions they present.  

• Spend time with them.

Teenagers' life is always occupied, by their school, friends, favorite activities, and more.  Ensure to seek a chance to spend with your children. Don't assume the breakfast and dinner time is enough, have some fun activities that can be within the day or school breaks. This creates time to bond and solve emotional damages that cannot be addressed openly.  

• Give them privacy

Me time is the best time to reflect on different aspects of life. Teenagers need their privacy and it should be respected. It's a simple act that helps them to review their days and even make various choices. An act of knocking on the door to their room or not asking the why, who, and where questions are a great start.

• Show them empathy

Teaching your teen to be passionate and empathize with others will improve their effective communication breakthrough. People will always like listening to and having a dialogue with them because of what they feel for them.

Barriers to effective strategies for teen communication.

Most teenagers don't have active communication, especially with their parents. Here are tips on barriers affecting communication with teenagers. They include;

• Peer pressure

The teenage phase is marked by peer pressure and comparison. Everyone what to resemble the other or outsmart their peers. The pressure can result in negative or positive effects all producing various consequences. Most teens fear judgment by peers due to various situations thus creating a negative sense. This can discourage open and effective communication for some teens as they feel left out.

• Limited education

The probability of acquiring new knowledge is pretty low, especially during the teen years. On feels, they know enough and don't need new details. This acts as a defense mechanism since they will not interrupt what they feel is right.  This has created a massive barrier to better effective communication as they can only give what they have.

• Use of technology

Tech innovation takes most of teen and adult time. Everyone is occupied with their phones mind less of family time. This has disrupted normal family communication leaving children in the hands of technology.

• Lack of experience

Each developmental stage is a new experience.  Teenagers may make decisions based on current emotions which can negatively or positively affect their lives.   This can be problematic when they have little knowledge of specific issues.

• Lack of self-confidence

Teenagers' life revolves around parents and society. The fear of what others think rules their decision thus affecting their self-confidence. The fear of being judged leads to practical communication barriers.

Benefits of Effective Strategies for teen communication by Parents, guardians, and society

• Strengthens leadership abilities

Teenagers can develop leadership qualities by learning to communicate their vision and positively motivate others.  The skills come along by learning from their parents/guardians and experience.  This also develops good communication tips which are crucial for effective leadership.

• Enhance academic success

Teens with practical communication skills tend to perform better academically as they can express themselves clearly in class.

• Helps promote emotional intelligence

Effective communication promotes emotional intelligence by helping your teen kids recognize and manage their emotions and also understanding the feelings of others.

• Creates room for workplace preparation

Teenagers with great communication techniques are better placed to receive or prepare for the job market.

• Encourages cultural diversity

 The world is full of different people from thousands of cultural backgrounds. A teenager with respective and effective communication will easily maneuver and connect with all people from various parts of the world.