Teenage Boundaries should be Helpful and Meaningful

When you think of teenage boundaries you may think, stay within the lines, restrict, confine, and limit. As a parent when you think boundaries you should think assist, guide, direct and nurture. Your teenagers needs healthy and meaningful guidance to help them grow into responsible adults. We all need guidance and direction at times. Your teenager is no different. Regardless of whether they are 13 or 19, they need you.

Set boundaries based on your child maturity and responsibility level. This doesn’t mean to smother your child or hinder your child in their decision making and quest to become independent. It’s assisting, directing and nurturing your child through the decision making and learning process from infancy to adulthood.

It’s okay to explain why you are setting boundaries. The more they understand and feel like it’s not a mystery the more apt they are to buy into the idea. Remember an open line of communication is the best. Remember you are being nurturing and you’re assisting your child through the adolescent process.

Your experiences and your wisdom are invaluable. If you have more than one teenager, you also know they all have their own individual personalities and needs. You have a very distinct advantage, you are not on the outside looking in; you are there and know your child. Trust your instincts ; know that you have a very precious gift of life that was entrusted to you.

You can’t let other parents or society influence your decisions. What might seem unreasonable to others, can work perfectly well for your child and your family. My one son has no interest in texting and therefore need no guidelines in this area, but my other son would text all night if he could and his phone goes off at a set time. In today’s society internet use and video games seem to be a major issue. We have specific guidelines and we keep it simple.

As a parent of three boys, I can give you specifics examples of what we do but I don’t know your situation, your preference. It’s important to know what influence and impact our children thought processes and decision making. Look at those things and see how you can best assist, direct, guide and nurture your child through adolescence and into adulthood by setting appropriate teenage boundaries.

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