Raising teenagers is surely not a cakewalk for the parents. The teenage years are very crucial years for children as they start discovering the new aspects of life, deal with their hormonal changes/mood swings and the stress caused by social and parental forces. This time is difficult for parents too as they experience a sort of emotional separation from their teens. This is the time when parents should give them more independence but with genuine attention so that, they can establish their own place in the world. Parents need to adapt effective measures during this time to raise the teens in a proper way.

Here are some effective tips that will help parents in managing their child’s new stage of development:

1. Stop Nagging: It is very frustrating for every teenager to constantly update parents (like in every two hours) for every activity. This behaviour of parents often turns the situations into worst. This behaviour has a potential to generate a situation when your child will ignore your calls and stop sharing the important moments of life. Instead of wasting your time investigating the truth, trust your child. Don’t interrogate but act as if you are interested in their activities.
2. Accept Experimentation: If teens are going to high-school, expect them to come home late or allow them to spend time with friends or party. When they come, ask them what happened inthe party or who attended the party, in a friendly manner. You can also narrate your share of party incidents to make your child feel comfortable in sharing his/her incidents.
3. Assign them daily household responsibilities: The common issue parents face with teenagers is the irresponsible attitude. Challenge them to do small household tasks like personal laundry or buying grocery for home. They may not like it initially, but after some time, they will start accepting their responsibilities.It will establish long-term independence, inject a sense of responsibility and make a great difference to them.Never try to force a responsibility but make them understand the purpose of the task and how it will be beneficial for them in the future.
4. Encourage their dreams: This should be at the top of your list. Let your children dream. Encourage and help them in making an effective plan to fulfil the same. Do not force your limitations or perceptions on them. Show the leap of faith in a direction you have never explored and let them fly high with their dreams.
5. Provide a friend like comfort zone: Some people think that it is andifficult to nurture teenagers as it takes away all the authority, but this is not true. Try to become your child’s best friend to bridge the gap and encourage him/her to share all the secrets with you. A few minutes of conversation with your teen will keep you tuned in and establish open communication. Set a regular weekly routine for doing something special with your teen like going out for an evening drive or for ice-cream after dinner.
6. Eat meals together: Meals are a great opportunity to talk about the day’s event, to unwind, reinforce and bond. Try to establish a healthy communication over dinner or lunch with your child. It is the best time to keep in touch with your teen’s life and detect growing problems/daily challenges.
7. Share your experiences of the day: Share a few incidents/experiences of your own day; ask about theirs. How was the party? How was the day? If you think your teen is not willing to share the details, then say: "It is completely okay if you don’t feel like sharing your problems/incidents. Take your time and personal space. If you feel like talking about it later, come to me.”
8. Don’t overreact: It is unnecessary to jump to self-made conclusions before even giving a chance to your kid for the explanation. No matter how worse the situation is, don’t yell at your kid. If you start over reacting in every situation, your child will start keeping things covered from you and this is not what you want.

These are some helpful tips for the parents that will help them establish a healthy and mutual understanding with their teens. Teenagers, at this time, tend to experience highs and lows in life but with proper care, they will become independent and responsible eventually.