Get through to your teenager with clear limits, empathetic communication, and brief, direct messaging.
Don’t bend the law
Restrictions for teens like city-wide curfews or rules about driving with passengers are backed by science and exist for teens’ safety — insist that teens follow them.
Make or break
Teens crave limits, so set clear rules with your teen’s input, and provide logic-based consequences for failing to follow through.
To the point
Teenagers’ views exchange more emotionally than parents. To keep tempers from boiling over during a heated discussion, express your viewpoint in 25 words or less, then declare a cool-down break.
Negotiate
Teenagers are still learning the give-and-take of adult social interaction. Giving them the chance to negotiate about rules, curfews, and limits builds this critical skill set.
Sources: Sheryl Feinstein, PhD, and Laurence Steinberg, PhD.
