Parents and their children often disagree, especially when the children are in their chaotic teenage years. It’s hard for see each other’s perspective and this causes arguments. Here are a few things parents want kids to know to help reduce arguments and make them understand other points of view.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
This does not only involve asking your teachers for help with something you didn’t understand, or asking classmates for help with notes or answers. Parents urge you to also ask them for help whenever you need it. Of course, they can help with academics, but they also urge you to ask them for help for other stuff. Like, if you have any confusion related to any decision, if you’ve been bullied, if your mental health is not good, if you got into any trouble or any other situation where you need support and help. They might get a bit angry at first if it was caused due to a bad decision but they will always willingly help. Hiding stuff from them will only make things worse for you. Parents learned from their own mistakes and want you to avoid those same mistakes and go through what they probably did.
All they want is quality time
Sometimes we get caught up in our lives. We get super busy with school, meeting friends, classes and other activities. When we come home and have some free time, we end up spending it alone, in our rooms watching something. We often forget to spend time with our parents, sitting down and talking to them. That’s all they want – to spend some time with us. They know how busy we can be but that doesn’t mean we can’t take out some time in a day and just sit and talk. It’s easy and, honestly, one of the best things to do. They can help you, give you great advice and you can learn so much from them. Maybe they realize how much they enjoyed their time with their parents. They also want to live in the moment with you. When you and they are just trying to figure life out, doing it together is the best way to do it.
Don’t be afraid to speak up
Speaking up for yourself is one of the hardest things to do, and yet it’s one of the most important. Learning to stand up for yourself will help build self-confidence, show that you believe in your self-worth is high, and will help you feel more confident. Being a people-pleaser will take you nowhere; you’ll just end up feeling drained and tired and still unhappy. You should not only stand up for yourself but also for what’s right. Expressing your beliefs is important as it helps you to form your own opinions more confidently and independently; it also builds integrity. In school, a lot of people try to walk over you. Standing up for yourself becomes super important.
Take care of your health
We take our bodies for granted, we overwork them and don’t think about resting properly until it hits us hard or we get sick. Another thing parents want us to know is that taking care of our body is one of the most important things. We don’t want to realize this too late, when the damage is already done and now reversing it becomes very hard. So although eating junk food is fine, but doing it all the time is really bad, home food is good and it’ll help you be at your best. Exercise is really important too! Sitting at home all day other than school, spending our time on our gadgets can prove to be really harmful! A little physical activity is useful in so many ways! You should also take care of your mental health. If you need a break or can’t do something, if someone is bullying you or mistreating you or something has happened which is weighing down on you, say it and don’t worry about anything because your mental health is super important. So taking care of your physical and mental health will have you at your highest level of health and will allow you to do your best in school as well as outside it!
Don’t get too influenced by others
Sometimes, we end up doing stuff simply because others are doing it. Peer pressure can be terrible. The need to fit in and not be left alone can get too much sometimes and it’s especially relevant to teenagers who are at the age they can get influenced very easily. Having confidence in yourself and your abilities, having firm boundaries and not seeking the approval of others will help you be your most authentic self. Also, trying to look cool by not doing well in school is all a cop-out. Doing well enough is what’s actually cool and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Although it’s not easy, being true to yourself can help you in many ways. Parents have probably seen others who got carried away, and want to protect you from that. Their advice is all based on experiences they or others have had, so it should be taken seriously.
Hopefully these will help you understand your parents’ point of view better and understand that they are coming from a place of concern for you!
