Many troubled teenagers require a certain amount of attention from their parents. It is important for parents to take an active role in helping a teen facing sensitive issues or problems. What exactly does active parenting mean?

To give you some examples:

• An active parent would not just let a teen’s counselor take care of all the therapy. The parent would speak to the teen’s counselor and keep an open line of communication between them.

• An active parent would not wait for a teenager to ask for help, but offer it.

• An active parent would not just wait for a teenager to ask questions, but the parent may ask a teen about anything he/she may want to know or talk about.

• An active parent says to a teenager—I am here.

• An active parent is not too busy with work to ask a teen how his/her day went after school.

• An active parent asks a question and takes the time to really listen to the answer.

• An active parent puts time apart to have fun with a teenager.

• An active parent gets to know a teenager.

• An active parent takes the time to know who a teenager hangs out with.
 
• An active parent monitors the medication of a teenager, noting his/her feelings after the dose, as well as possible side-effects observed.

A reminder, parenting isn’t just about providing for your child by keeping a roof on his/her head, food on the table, and clothes on his/her back. It’s about guiding your teen mentally and emotionally as well. So an active parent doesn’t just leave the assisting and guiding to a counselor or therapist.

For example if your child studies how to play the saxophone, an active parent would not just sit there and observe as he/she notices how the teen is getting quite frustrated at practice. Especially when notes don’t come out right and his/her fingers feel like they’re twisted in a knot, it may be difficult for a teenager to draw from his/her inner source of strength to keep on playing despite whatever disharmonious sounds come out of his/her instrument.

But this is always where an outside source of strength comes in handy. And as an active parent you can be his/her outer source of strength. You can help keep your teen motivated. Finding someone to look up to and guide his/her journey through adolescence can be of dire importance in fostering the inner strength that every teenager needs in order to keep going when the going gets tough.