18-Year-Old Parenting Tools

Teens and adults alike feel stress. Stress is usually caused by an external trigger like an angry brother or sister yelling, “You can’t wear my new sweatshirt!” or a parent or those in a parenting role insisting a teen come home from a friend’s house to work on a science project they have been avoiding. Feelings of stress are built-in mechanisms for human survival and safety. These feelings are the body’s way of warning you when there is a threat and calling your focus to problems that need attention. A stressor can be one-time or ongoing.  On the other hand, anxiety is the body’s reaction to stress and can occur even if there is no current threat. While all humans experience some anxiety, when worries and fears become persistent, they can begin to interfere with everyday life and impact your teen’s health.  As a parent or those in a parenting role, you can guide your teen to learn to identify and manage their stress -- a valuable skill they will use throughout life. 

As a parent or someone in a parenting role, you play an important role in your teen’s success and growth. There are intentional ways to nurture a healthy parent-teen relationship, and daily routines provide a great opportunity. 

As a parent or those in a parenting role, you play a critical role in your teen’s success. There are intentional ways to grow a healthy parent-teen relationship, and growing your teen’s skills to manage conflict provides an ideal opportunity.

Teens will not only be observing and contemplating differences in the world, they may be intentionally seeking more diversity as they journey into life after high school, whether that involves college or the work world. Parents or those in a parenting role can support teens as they make sense of differences among people by openly talking to them about what they see and creating a safe, trusting space to call attention to issues.

Now is the right time to become more fully aware of your teen's challenges regarding alcohol and how you can equip them for success.

As a parent or those in a parenting role, you play an essential role in your teen's success. There are intentional ways to cultivate a healthy parent-teen relationship, and creating rules about alcohol helps promote the supportive conditions that are essential for your teen to deal with risk.

Eighteen-year-olds understand what it means to act responsibly. They are: 

● working to understand and apply the rules in numerous settings. 

● working to gain their independence. 

● increasingly invested in caring for their bodies (eating right, exercising). 

● caring for and growing their relationships (managing their feelings and impulses, empathizing and working through conflict, keeping promises, and being dependable). 

● focusing on homework and extracurricular activities. 

● contributing to their household (completing chores and cooperating with family rules and expectations).

Now is the right time to become more aware of the challenges regarding cannabis that may face your teen and how you can support their healthy decision-making and success.