Is your troubled teenager normally off in one corner of the house alone? If you can hardly connect with your teen, you ought to consider rehashing the communication line between parent and child. Don’t waste any more time.

A hectic day at the office, along with your child’s extracurricular activities, may leave the two of you with hardly any time to touch base. And when you happen to touch base, this may end up in petty fights. Also, you could be trying to communicate with your child but they may not be responding.

These helpful hints may clear up the communication line between you and your teen:

• Have respect for one another. As a little girl/boy, your teen may have replied with a “Yes, mommy!” to everything you once said. But a big part of being an adolescent is forming one’s own values, and along with it, a unique way of thinking. Along with uniqueness, comes disagreement. But it’s important not to restrain or hinder an adolescent’s individuality so as not to give them the wrong idea about holding their own opinions. Try to appeal to an atmosphere where self-expression can be fostered while still instilling structure with proper discipline. Listen to one another’s ideas. Even as differences may arise, compare what is similar.

• Be aware. Make it a point to look directly at your teenager when he’s speaking with you. It shows that you are genuinely concerned when you look at him as he speaks to you, and focus on what he’s saying by temporarily putting down whatever it is you’re doing. By following this with pertinent questions, you assure your child that you are listening. On the other hand, if you want to speak with your child, keep yourself aware of the signs he’s giving off. If all of his body language is screaming “I need time alone!” then take this into consideration and leave him be. Choose a better time to approach him when he seems more open to talking with you.

• Use humor when you can. When discussing sensitive topics with your teenager, such as sex or drug abuse, one can always look towards humor as a great tool in softening things up. If you crack a joke as an icebreaker to begin a topic about sex education, then once you are both laughing it’ll be easier to ease into the topic’s nitty gritty details. Humor can also make you both feel instantly more comfortable with one another. It’s a great way to alleviate any stress!

• Ask your teen how his day went. You may choose to check-up on your teen at dinnertime or maybe before he gets some shut-eye. Just make sure that you get to spend time with your teen everyday. Establishing a solid bond with an adolescent makes things easier on the both of you as you each can depend on one another’s commitment to the relationship.

• Try writing a letter. If it truly is difficult to talk with your teenager, why not try writing to him? He could also try this method if he’s experiencing difficulty opening up to you. Sometimes writing things down makes it easier to air things out.

• Assure your child. Don’t just criticize your teen’s actions but focus on his good points or skills as well. Encouragement nurtures a positive self-concept.