PARISH NURSING

Belonging to ... a caring community

I would like to take a bit of your time to talk about God's children especially during the teenage years. How as parents can we nurture and foster our children's physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth? Often times we think about the problems that we have to deal with, but research has shown that one of the best ways to deal with problems is to focus on the positives. That is, the positive assets of our teenagers. For those of you who have teenagers, what are some of their assets? Are they motivated to do well in school? Do they place a high value on helping others? Do they read for pleasure? Do their friends model responsible behavior? What other positive attributes can you identify in your adolescent?

Being a parent or guardian of a teenager can be a challenging task. Adolescents are moving from childhood to adulthood and reaching out for independence using newly acquired skills. Parents can help with this transition by keeping these points in mind.

Maintain a positive outlook.
Establish clear, simple rules.
Keep the lines of communication open—develop communication with your teen, even if they don't seem to be listening.
Talk about topics that interest them.
Respect and ask their opinions.
Give them privacy but that doesn't mean you can't knock on their door when you want to talk.
Set limits on their behavior based on your values and principles.
Continually tell them and show them you believe in who they are, rather than what they accomplish.
Be patient.
Praise good behavior.
Evaluate your own attitude.

Get professional help if your teen's behavior has gotten out of control. Remember, you are the most important influence in your adolescent's life. May you have many warm and wonderful moments with your teen as they are growing and developing into adulthood.

God Bless,

Your parish nurse,
Mary Sue

St. Matthew's UMC

30900 Six Mile

Livonia, MI 48152

(734) 422-6038

email us

kdesantis@stmatthewslivonia.com