2. Our home environment
• make your home a place that your children want to come back to, where:
• they are free to be individuals not in a straightjacket of conformity
• there are boundaries but not legalism
• there is discipline but not authoritarianism
• there is more encouragement than criticism
• there is plenty of fun and laughter
• there is more gratitude than complaining and blaming
• there are apologies and forgiveness and the opportunity for fresh starts
• faith is more easily caught than taught
o children initially form their picture of God from the way their parents treat them show unconditional love
3. Involving other people
• the wider family
• other role models
4. Passing on our values about money
• pressures on children and parents from advertising and the celebrity culture
• give them choices with money - choosing how much to save, spend, and give away
• teach generosity, good management, and honesty
• help them learn the value of experiencing delayed gratification
• model a healthy attitude towards possessions
Home is a place where teenagers learn how to build healthy relationships.
Teenagers learn to relate through observing adult relationships
If parenting together, invest in your relationship (take our marriage course!)
If parenting on your own, build the best relationship you can with the other parent, when possible
Nurture other adult friendships
Mealtimes together – teenagers learn to talk, listen, debate issues, and respect others’ views
Regular family time – having fun together ias a family helps build relationships between parents and children and between siblings (consider having a weekly “family night”)
How can you intentionally model healthy relationships with others in your life, for your teenager to learn from?