5 Realities Your Teen Needs to Know

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I have successfully raised 3 teenagers and I am about to start raising another one. While raising my first set of teenagers I learned a lot, which you can read here. As a parent, I made plenty of mistakes and also learned how to bond with your teen which you can also read here. When I raise my kids, my end goal is to not only instill in them the love that their father and I have for them but to also teach them life lessons and prepare them for the real world. While I am a big believer in letting kids be kids, I am also a big believer in teaching kids realities of the real world and how to be independent and to logically think on their own.

5 Realities Your Teen Needs to Know

1. Not everyone thinks like you and it’s okay! When someone does not think like you, it’s important to listen to them, not judge and in the end, you may learn something from them. If we all thought the same, life would be boring.
2. It is really not “all about that bass”. Society has made women, especially young women, think that extra weight is perfectly fine and normal. While ones beauty is not based on their outside appearance but who they are on the inside, extra weight is not healthy. It’s important to teach our teens that being healthy and being aware of what they eat and don’t eat can make a difference in their overall health.
3. There is a great big world out there. Life is not and should not be focused on social media and electronic gadgets. Put your gadgets down, get your nose out of your phone and look around at the beautiful world that we live in. Don’t let your world pass by you, enjoy its beauty.
4. Clothes do not wash themselves and food does not cook itself. Teens need to be capable of doing things on their own. From cooking to cleaning to everyday life skills. Read this post that has 50 Things to Teach Your Kids Before They Become Adults.
5. It is important to understand that when you are hired to work for someone and are promised to be paid a certain amount of money, do not expect to receive the full amount. Teens need to understand about all of the deductions that are taken out of their paycheck, the process of paying taxes and how to manage their money.

As parents, it’s our job to instill values, wisdom, and common sense into our kids. It’s our job to make sure that our kids are able to survive as adults in the real world and communicate with all types of people. It’s also our job to raise independent kids that can actually problem solve and do things on their own. With effort, encouragement, guidance, structure, and honesty, this can be done.

Can you add to my list of realities that our teens need to know?

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