The best way to foster good habits in a teen is to start as early as possible. Below is a breakdown of the five most important lessons to teach your teen, all of which will follow them into adulthood and impact their lives for the better.
How to Budget
So much to buy, and yet so little cash. The temptation to splurge on material items and meaningless experiences starts long before the teenage years, and it can extend throughout a person’s lifetime if not properly managed. Along with teaching teens how to budget and effectively manage their money, it is also a must to teach them the value of money when they are still very young.
Make them work for their allowance by completing chores — the more they do and the harder they work, the more money they will get. The knowledge that nothing comes for free will quickly curb the desire to spend money at every possible opportunity, fostering good financial habits that will keep them responsible and debt-free as they mature.
How to Cope with Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is unavoidable. Therefore, what’s more important is teaching your teen how to handle it. If a teenager is not equipped to sidestep peer pressure, things like alcohol and drug abuse can become a problem. Educate your child on how to choose ‘good’ friends and how to value the power of making their own decisions. Finally, be sure to remind them of the fact that it is utterly impossible to please or be liked by everyone.
How to Love Themselves
A lack of love for oneself often accompanies low self-esteem and low confidence levels, which can leave a teen vulnerable to peer pressure. Do your best to empower your child to recognize their own value and strengths and to find beauty in themselves every single day. A great way to do this is to lead by example. Don’t put yourself down or try to cover up what you deem to be your imperfections in front of your child.
How to Seek Help When They Need It
Admitting that you need help is often one of the hardest things to do — no matter how old you get! Hence the reason why it is imperative to teach teens that it is a strength rather than a weakness starting very early in life. Admitting when they need help, and actively seeking it out, is sure to transform their lives, and save them an infinite amount of time, money, stress, and worry in the long run too!
How to Say ‘No’
This goes hand in hand with coping with peer pressure and learning how to love oneself. If a teen is confident and has plenty of self-love, they will know that their feelings matter and that they are fully in charge of what they do and don’t do. Learning how to say ‘no’ will also help your teen lead a more balanced lifestyle both now and into their adult lives, never taking on more than they can handle.
Here’s to happy, healthy teenagers who go on to be happy, healthy (and thrifty) adults!
Leave a Reply