Parenting Teenagers 

-- Look at the big picture.

Parenting teenagers means helping them find their niche in the world. Career assessments are an important part of that process. Most high schools have career programs in place for teens to use. Check to see if your school has these tools and encourage your teenager to use them. Often!

I started using career assessments in our teens' first year of high school. I continued using them throughout their four years until our teens were comfortable with the personal assessment process.

Sometimes that meant our teen had an idea about what major he wanted to choose in college. Sometimes not. That didn't matter. It was the process of self-discovery that held the most value.

Something else to keep in mind in this day and age is that the career your teenager starts with is probably NOT going to be the only one he has in his life. Current job projections are that most workers in the western world will hold a variety of positions over their careers. Retraining will become the norm.

Knowing this can take the pressure off your teen. And you.

-- Get ready emotionally.

When I went to college, I was not ready. I was ready academically, I was ready financially, however I was not ready emotionally. Because of this, I struggled tremendously my first semester and missed out on a lot my college had to offer.

You can see this same phenomenon today on college campuses as emotionally-unprepared freshmen isolate themselves, indulge in irresponsible and inappropriate behavior or worse.

I took this lesson to heart and have been intentional with each of my children prepping them for the emotional challenges they will face once they leave home.

While there are several parts to this goal, at some point this has involved empowering them with the ability to be away from home comfortably. I've accomplished this by using summer jobs in other places (Boy Scout camps, family businesses), and long visits to relatives in other states.

This has often involved tears. That's okay. As long as the child is safe and secure, discovering they can overcome homesickness on their own is a powerful tool for their future and one that they need *before* they leave for college.

While these are only a few pieces of the parenting teenagers' puzzle, they are important pieces. Let your teen know you want to help her get ready for her future. Show her how to instill confidence in her ability to make decisions about her life, as well as make changes when necessary.

As a parent of a teen, keeping your focus on these areas will help you intentionally guide your teen forward towards their bright and promising future.