Recently my good friend (and award winning author!) Lela Davidson and I sat down for a conversation about my work with teens, and I wanted to share an excerpt from this interview with you. So, here are 4 tips to help teens connect better with adults!
1. Break the rules!
Okay -don't break the rules parents or adults have laid out for you, but the unspoken rules which so many teens make for themselves and let guide their behaviour:
“My parents/adults don’t care how I feel so there is no point in telling them.”
“I have to be perfect.”
“I cannot disappoint adults.”
“Nothing I say/think/do will make a difference.”
“I’m the only one who has to deal with …”
Letting such beliefs restrain you, keep you from being authentic and truthful with adults.
2. Offer grace when dealing with adults. I often remind teens of the difficulty adults have in relating to teenagers. It is not easy to be the parent of a teen, just as it isn’t easy to be a teen. Parents have fears and often times they are not sure how to connect to their young people. These fears can cause them to seem irrational and overbearing. Offer grace.
3. Don’t fuel stereotypical thinking.
If adults or parents think you are xxxx -don’t give them a reason to believe this. You have more power than you realize to change the minds of others. I encourage you to utilize your abilities to connect with others in a positive way.
4. Treat adults like you want them to treat you (even if they don’t treat you as you want to be treated.)
To see the rest of the interview, please visit Lela's site.