1. Give teenagers some room to explore. Teens need to learnto stand on their own two feet and that means allowing them an increasing degree of independance as time goes on. this does not mean that you should not keep an eye on them and steer them in the right direction, but do not be too quick to jump in.
2. Choose your battles wisely. teenagers will always want to do things that you do not agree with but you do more harm thean good if life becomes a constant battleground. If your son wants to grow his hair long then it’s not the end of the world and it can always be cut short again later. However, if your daughter wants to get a tattoo, which she is going to have to live with for the rest of her life, then this is probably a battle worth fighting.
3. Invite your children’s friends to the house. most parents will have experienced their teenagers spending time with friends that you don’t approve of, but almost as many parents make this judgement without ever having actually met these friends. There is also more than a little truth in the old saying that you should keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.