Parenting: How to Connect With Your Teenage Daughter

by Robin Greene on March 18th, 2012 | No Comments »

Some mornings your teenage daughter wakes up on top of the world; other mornings your teen totally wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. You may drop her off for school in a great mood and by afternoon she is mad at the world and slams her door the minute she gets home. These mood swings, no matter how normal, can hinder your relationship. I have a teenage daughter and live it everyday. We have to look past the bad moods, grumpiness and occasional disrespect and remember what we were like at our daughter's age.

How to Connect with Your Teen Daughter

Top 10 Ways to Make Connections:

Give her you undivided attention. Let her know you care about what is going on in her life.
Accept her for the young lady she is becoming.
Trust her to make good decisions; she is not five years old anymore.
Keep the door of communication open. Do not blow up or tell her she is doing something wrong every time she confides in you.
Use positive words to boost her self esteem. There are plenty of people out there to put her down.
Give her freedom. As long as she follows your rules, allow her to do more than when she was twelve.
Expect her to be responsible.
Be open about body matters and questions related to sexual issues. Trust me, you would rather her hear the truth from you.
Show her respect.
Do not nag her when she messes up. Ask her if she needs help and encourage her.

Connecting with your daughter when she is a teen will lead to a great relationship when she is an adult. Allow her to be herself, to make choices and even fail. Lead by example and remember what it was like being a teenager.

What are some ways you strengthen your relationship with your teens?

Robin Greene is a mom of a teenage daughter and a teenage son. She is a kindergarten teacher and enjoys writing for mybabyclothes.com during her spare time. Make sure your little one is the most fashionable this spring with the adorable baby clothes, tutus and baby headbands available.

Photo courtesy of Flickr. Featured image courtesy of Flickr.