Tips for Teens: Talking to Your Parents

During the 2009 Access FCCLA Conference, one of the national programs that attendees in the Chapters in Action session learned about is Families First. Families First is an FCCLA national peer education program through which youth gain a better understanding of how families work and learn skills to become strong family members. Its goals are to: help youth become strong family members and leaders for today and tomorrow and strengthen the family as the basic unit of society.

During the training, I asked our guest speaker to discuss communiciation between teens and their families. During the teen years, it's really easy for both teens and their parents to fall into some bad communication traps. Shana Stephenson, from Prevention Consultants, recommends this article for teens from the TeensHealth.org website.

In this article, you'll learn why it's important to talk about everyday stuff (and do it every day), how to discuss difficult topics with your parents (even if you don't want to), how to talk so your parents will listen (you have a role in that), and what to do if you've tried talking to your parents but it's just not working.

It's easy as a teen to complain about your parents - how they don't listen to or understand you (even though I'm not a teen I can remember those feelings) - but you don't have to be a part of the communication problem with your parents and adults in your life. Be part of the solution. These tips might not work for you all of the time, but give them a try.

If this is a topic that is of interest to you, consider using it as part of a Power of One project, making it into a chapter Families First project, or developing an Interpersonal Communications STAR Event.