Teenagers and Summertime

On the one hand having a teen out of school brings less useless dialogue around homework completion, project awareness and test anxiety. On the other it presents a host of potential issues when teens have too much time on their hands and complain of being bored. Watch out for teens who have too much down time. As research suggests excessive time without activity or responsibility often leads to decision-making that leads to parent-teen conflict. To be sure, having some time to decompress from the stressors of school is a nice relief for teens. However, once the summer fun gets kicking and supervision and structure are compromised only the strong parents survive. It is important to stay connected with your teen during the summer despite their penchant to be with their friends. This does not suggest suffocating or setting up the Monopoly board nightly. But rather, make sure there is some check-in time so that you are aware of your child's thinking and plans for whatever may be brewing beyond your awareness. Kids are notorious for informing parents of impending parties at the last second. This leaves parents ill-prepared to work effectively with their teens. It is prudent to periodically sit down with your teen for a quick bite or two and ask the questions that will keep you abreast of what's going on; even if your teen thinks it's none of your business, your interest will be noted. Of course there is a place to discuss neutral conversation pieces not connected to your teen's behavior; sports, arts, music, war, BP oil spill, etc, that have an extremely significant place in your emotional connection with you adolescent. Be sure that you make your son or daughter know that you are accessible during times of need and want and that you'd love to spend some QT with them this summer. Then laugh it up and both you and they need some more good fun!!!