How to Deal With Teenagers As a Single Parent Colorado

Steps

1. Engage any support network, friends, or family you may have. First, if you know and trust the parents of your child s friends, ask them for help. That doesn t mean you expect them to take on your parental responsibilities, but to assist you in fulfilling them better. For example, if you have to work late, they might agree to feed your child dinner and give them a safe environment in which to do homework. You can pick your child up on the way home and return the favor to these parents by having their child stay overnight at your house on a weekend when they want to go out and need to know where their child is and what they are doing.
2. Ask sisters, brothers, and grandparents to call and check in on your child if she is home alone. Without interrogating the child, ask them to ask casually what they are doing, whether they have eaten, and if their homework is done. Studies show that even latchkey kids without parental supervision do better in school and socially if they know that there is someone checking on them someone who cares. A random visit during the afternoon or evening as your brother swings home from work is not a bad idea either. I m just stopping by to drop something off for your dad . You can come up with something.
3. Talk to your child about the fact that you can t be there all the time and let them know what you expect. Ground rules are important. Homework is done first before they play video games, etc. Lock down dangerous websites on your computer. If your child is more computer literate than you are - get a computer literate person at work to teach you how to check and monitor your child s browsing history so you can see where they are going on the internet. Again, let your child know your expectations.
4. Give your child chores to do to earn money or to earn favors (like going out with friends on a Saturday night) to keep them busy while you are gone. Laundry, vacuuming, walking the dog, making dinner, whatever you need done. Remember, you are a team!
5. Know your child s friends. As your child matures, they are exposed to more people and their circle of friends may change from when they were in elementary school or middle school. Get to know these kids and if you have a concern about their influence, watch things very carefully and make a move if you must.
6. Above all, make time to talk to your child and do things together when you are home. Don t just sit in front of the TV. Go to a movie. Go shopping. Take him out to lunch and talk. Ask questions gently, and don t demand information, but find out what they are interested in now as they grow and mature. Stay in touch. Call from work to chat on a break. Leave notes. Schedule special dinners or outings to do things you both enjoy.

Tips

• The biggest problem a single parent has is finding time to do everything that must be done. But, if you grow away from your child during these critical years, you will have a problem. Teenagers have a natural tendency to bottle up feelings and stop communicating as they struggle with new feelings and begin to recognize that you don t "know it all" as a parent.
• Try not to over-parent. If you are constantly getting in the way of your child's life, they will not act the same.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.singleparentcenter.net
• How to Deal With Teenagers

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