• It’s not that uncommon to feel like you
can’t relate to your parents.
How to Relate to Your
Parents
How well do you get along
with your parents? Do you
ever wish you could relate to
them better? Write down
> 10 tips <
you would give a teen if they
were fighting a lot with their
parents.
1. Encourage your parents through
good behavior.
• Show them how much you are growing up
in the way you behave:
–
–
–
–
What you do at school /grades
How truthful you are
How polite you are to others
How well you do your chores (without being
asked!)
– How you handle money
– How you show appreciation (Please, Thank
You, I Love You)
– The way you take care of your possessions
2. Be considerate of Mom and Dad!
• Don’t just expect things to be given to
you. Remember, they are the ones
“bringing home the bacon” for you. Ask
nicely and be prepared if they say “no.”
• If they do say “No,” do not resort to
child-like communication! It will only
cause them to react in a parent-like way.
• Don’t be demanding!
– Let them listen to what they want on the
radio or watch on TV once in awhile.
3. Tell them “Thank You” at least
once a day.
• Thanks for what?
– Providing for me (food, shelter, school
supplies, entertainment, spending money,
support, protection, cell phone, etc.)
• When you tell your parents “thanks”,
and really mean it, your life will become
easier. Everyone likes to be thanked.
• Don’t take your parents for granted.
Circumstances in life can change
overnight.
4. Do something special/slefless for
your parents.
• The key is to do something for your
parents BEFORE they ask.
– Suggestions: clean your room, help clean
the house, wash the dishes, fix dinner,
offer the baby-sit younger siblings, etc.
• When you do something unexpected, you
are telling them by your actions that
you respect and love them. They will
then show you more respect and be
willing to give you more privileges.
5. Apologize when you’ve done
something wrong.
• Everyone makes mistakes. It is part of
being human.
• Don’t be afraid to tell your parents that
you’re sorry when you have done
something wrong.
• It is a sure sign of a responsible adult
to admit when you are wrong.
• If you are sincere when you apologize,
they will be more apt to treat you like
an adult. They will also have more
respect for you.
6. Don’t do anything that could
betray the trust of your parents or
cause them to question your honesty.
• This is the most important thing you can
do if you really want to positively
influence your parents!
• The more trust your parents have in
you, the more freedom you will have!
• It is VERY difficult to repair that trust
once it is broken because of poor
choices or behavior.
7. Don’t judge your parents.
• Remember, everyone makes mistakes,
even parents!
• Whenever you see some of your parents’
faults, remember that no one is perfect.
• It is difficult being a parent! Try to
imagine yourself in their shoes. Would
you really want all of the responsibility
that a parent has to deal with?
8. Ask your parents for advice.
• Ask your parents for advice about
things that are important to you.
Believe it or not, they WANT you to
turn to them for help.
• Remember, your parents were teenagers
once too! They have been where you are
and they have a lot of good, solid advice
that they can share with you.
• This is also a great way to develop a
deeper and more sensitive relationship
with your parents.
9. Talk to your parents!
• As hard as you think it might be to do,
it is a great way to strengthen your
relationship.
• Try talking to your parents like you talk
to your friends.
• Your parents WANT you to share
experiences, talk about your problems
and ask for advice.
10. Spend time with your parents.
• Spending time with your parents also
strengthens your relationship.
• Try to plan one night a week where you
“hang-out” with your family. (Play games
or watch movies together, etc.)
• Individual time with your parents is also
very important to develop a greater
relationship with them.
• Remember, quality time is more
important than quantity time.
Experiment
• Your homework this week is to try at
least 2 of these tips to see if you can
better relate to your parents.
• Pick and circle 2 of the tips listed.
• Over the next week you are to try and
do these 2 tips.
• Tell your parents what you did after
you’ve done the experiment and have
them sign.
Resolving Conflict with Integrity
• Family members should be able to have
differences of opinions and ideas without
conflict.
• Let’s play Family Feud! I need:
– Two “families” of 4-6 students each
– Scorekeeper
– The remainder will be the audience
Rules
• A question will be asked. First group to
write their answer on the sticky and get the
bell is the first group to answer.
• Group has to wait to answer until all
audience members write one answer on a
piece of paper.
• No one can say their answer of give clues.
Reflection
Questions to consider with this activity:
• What would have happened if the family all had
the same idea and answered the same?
• Is it good to have different ideas within families?
When does this become a problem?
• Was it frustrating when you were depending on
a family member to answer with an original
idea?
• In what ways are families considered team
members?