Today – Preparing your daughter for their teen years
When it comes to preparing your daughter for their teen years there are a host of things to contend with and confront. Here are some areas you would do well to give some thought to:
Preparing your daughter for their teen years
Self esteem
Self-esteem can be built through achievement, through praise, through opportunity and through positive self-affirmations. I think it is so important to shore up a pre-teens self- esteem so they are ready for the big surge of hormones that is going to come their way.
Uniqueness
Recognising they have their own personal strengths and that they are fabulous in their uniqueness is SO important to pre-teens. They need to value what makes them special not what makes them just like everyone else. It is important to celebrate their strengths and help them find a community away from school where they can explore these.
Preparing your daughter for their teen years- Peer Pressure
Peer pressure can begin much earlier than the teen years but oh this is where it intensifies and can become most problematic. You need to be sure your child can say no, be assertive when it matters and think for themselves.
Periods
Oh, periods! Young girls can get so excited/scared/overwhelmed about starting their period. Personally, I believe the best approach is to be open and upfront about it and make sure they are prepared. Preparing a discreet bag with Lil-lets teen range sanitary ware and instructions on how to use it will stop some of the panic and it can be a really good idea for your daughter to take this into school so she’s never caught short.
Preparing your daughter for their teen years – Sex
Before girls (and boys) hit their teen years they will most probably have studied sex-ed in school. I think as a parent is important to check out their understanding and also talk about consent and boundaries and vulnerability.
Whilst these may make for uncomfortable conversations at first if your child know you are open to talking about them this stuff they will feel they can talk to you about such issues as they face them.,
Education
There are so many other pressures on teens that the pressures from school can seem a step too far. However the way your child tackles their education in their teen years in many ways impacts and determines their future. Preparing your daughter for their teen years involves addressing the long term future. Without terrifying them on this point attending careers fairs, discussing different routes to jobs will start to enlighten them to how important their school work is.
Supporting your child with the school may mean setting up a workspace for them. It may mean revising with them until 2 am! It may mean liaising with their teachers. Support (not pressure) can take many forms but the important thing is your teen wants to know you are by their side and happy to help.
Further reading
I hope this article has helped you reflect on preparing your daughter for their teen years
We do also want to have up our sleeve the knowledge How to teach a child to be unselfish as well as these 10 simple ways to make a child feel loved and how to make your teen feel more confident
you might also like my post on life hacks for busy parents
If you found Preparing your daughter for their teen years useful I think you will also like these books:
My book Be Happy Be You is written specifically for teens and contains 50 happiness boosting activities designed to guide teens through these turbulent years
If you are struggling to understand your teen take a look at this great book form Tanith Carey ‘What’s my teenager thinking?’ I am sure it will enlighten you.
It is a practical parenting book for raising teenagers which e science at work during this period of development, translates teenage behaviour, and shows you how you can best respond as a parent – now how useful is that!
