I don't know about you, but as a parent I find it difficult to help my teen sometimes with difficult decision-making. The most difficult part of this is watching your teen struggle with the consequences of his or her decision-making. I know that I want to rescue my teen sometimes, but rescuing your teen from consequences does not allow him to learn from these experiences.
We need to help our teens think through each decision and help them learn from those decisions. Pointing out the consequences of a negative choice can help but don't be surprised if your teen does not listen to you. No doubt you have had that experience already!
Where we help our teens the most is helping them understand "where things went wrong." As parents we must accept the fact that our teen will make some mistakes. And we need to be there to help them figure out what went wrong and how to make it better. If they don't have the experience of making mistakes while still living with us, they will struggle more when they have to make decisions later.
Dr. Debra
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