Be aware of the way you speak to your teenager. Convey respect in your words even if, at times, this is difficult. Your delivery – a combination of breath, tone and body language – must correspond to the words or the meaning is lost. Observe yourself and how you speak. Take a breath, count to 10 and think carefully about what you want to say and how you will say it.
An important ingredient for any healthy relationship is ensuring that both participants feel loved. To foster the best possible relationship with your teenager, you should make sure they know they are loved. In the rush of everyday life, we can often forget to remind our loved ones how much they mean to us. If we can just take a tiny portion of our day to convey this, our daily interactions will be much more meaningful, productive and fulfilling.
When girls enter adolescence and begin to turn to their mothers for advice about the changes they are experiencing, this can be isolating for fathers. It is often difficult for fathers to know what their role should be in their daughter’s life now that she is becoming a woman. It is important to remember that your daughter needs you now more than ever. Teenage girls need the affection and advice of their fathers in order to feel fulfilled in their development.
