Top 5 Factors That Contribute to Raising Resilient Teens

Parents cannot shackle themselves to their teenager and oversee every decision he makes throughout his adolescence – and we wouldn’t want to. We want our teenagers to know when and how to protect themselves against negative peer pressure, teen drug use, bad grades in school, etc. We want them to learn how to grab their own boot straps and pick themselves up. This is called teaching resiliency.

The five top factors contributing to resilient teens are:

1. A strong relationship with a parent or caring adult who takes a parenting role in the teen’s life. Teens need a foundation. They need someone that is there for them with guidance and love.
   
   
2. Mastering a skill and feeling the complete success of that mastery. A sense of accomplishment will make your teen feel capable. Once he has experienced this feeling, he’ll want it again.
   
   
3. Good communication and social skills are fundamentals to resiliency. Teens need to ask for what they need and explain the whys without acting like they are going into battle. For this reason alone parents should learn not to buy into power struggles.
   
   
4. Problem solving skills contribute more than we think. Teaching your teen to make choices is a stepping stone to confidence in himself when problems arise. Therefore, he’ll be more able to think through the problem and find all of the choices he has to help solve it.
   
   
5. A supportive environment at school and in the community. It is always easier to work on a problem if you know there is help down the road should you need it. Communities and schools that provide that for a teen are showing him the way to solving problems for himself.

These factors contribute to helping your teenager become a resilient person. As with all things when it comes to children, it doesn’t happen overnight. Stay the course – it’s worth the wait.

Take this article one step further:

Find out how this advice prevents teen smoking.