Help your adolescent move toward independence

Excerpt from “99 Tips for Talking with Your Teenager:”

Tip #27: Begin to shift your role from parenting to coaching. Ask questions like, “Have you considered…?” or , “Is there another option?” or, “If you try A versus B, what will happen?”

Commentary from ACS Executive Director, Dr.Philippe Rey:

Help your adolescent move toward independence. For each youth, the need to assert independence will happen at different times and through different means. Becoming attuned to your children’s attempts to operate independently will help you support those efforts and provide guidance when early attempts at decision-making result in less than desired outcomes. It is sometimes difficult for parents to give up control out of concern for their child’s safety. Remember, though, that adolescents’ skills in coping with increasing responsibility will be enhanced by parents’ willingness to support them as they make choices and face new challenges.