NCJ Number
199095
Date Published
December 2000
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This guide provides useful tools intended to improve parents' communication and interaction with their teenagers, so as to help them navigate successfully through adolescence without engaging in violent and other delinquent behavior.
Abstract
A section on communication provides tips for opening up the dialog between parent and adolescent, even after it has been shut down. Parental listening is noted to be an important part of maintaining constructive communication. A section on increasing responsibility and freedom for a teen contains ideas for how to set the limits that protect teens while still allowing them opportunities to increase their independence. A section on the management of anger, both for parents and teens, focuses on anger-management skills that parents can use and share with their adolescents. Another section of this guide provides examples of difficult situations between a parent and child, the identification of warning signs of trouble, and advice on how to handle specific problems. Recognizing that parents can only help their teens when they are managing their own lives effectively, one section of this guide instructs parents in how to deal with issues in their own lives that may affect their ability to be an effective parent. Finally, the guide offers suggestions for how outside help can be obtained for a teen and the family.