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At times, it can be especially difficult to communicate with your teenager when he/she seems to be speaking in a whole different language. Oftentimes the gap between teens and their parents can manifest in the language that each uses. Face it, when you were a teen you must have spoken in a language foreign to your own parents as well. It’s a tradition which has been passed down for many generations of parents and teens. But you can break into that language barrier. Not only will it take patience, but an open-mind as well.
An open mind and guidelines made of clay
If you have your guidelines set in stone then don’t expect to break the barrier. It will really take an open mind, and guidelines made of clay. You could start by talking to your teen about what’s important to him/her. From generation to generation, a teenager’s priorities may differ.
By finding out what’s important to your teen, you have a key into the language he/she uses with other teens. Another simple, yet significant tip would be to ask questions. Yes, that simple. Ask questions. If there is something you don’t understand about your teen then ask him/her about it. You might actually get an answer that’ll help you gain insight into the way your teen’s mind ticks.
Show your teen how important understanding him/her really is!
Now if it feels like your teen has his/her own secret code, don’t feel discouraged. If you persist, your teenager will know that understanding him/her is really important to you. Your perseverance may show your teen how much you genuinely care. And that may be enough to break the code.
Make it known to your teen that you want to break the language barrier between the two of you, simply because you care. You want to understand more of him/her in order to support him/her a hundred percent. Once he/she sees the positive communication you are trying to introduce, there’s a big chance that your teenager will let you in.
If something is positive and good, why wouldn’t you let it in? If reassurance is needed, provide it. Reassuring your teenager that your main goal is to be of help may open his or her eyes. Remind him/her that whatever apprehensions that he/she may have about opening up to you, should be put down the drain.
You should let him/her feel that you won’t hold whatever he/she opens up to you against them. Once your teen loses his/her fear about how you may judge him/her, then you can expect that your teen will let you understand a lot more of what he/she has to say.
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