Keeping communication open with teens

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Keeping communication open with teens

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As tweens become teens, sometimes communication can get hard, especially when teenagers become quiet and don't want to open up to you about issues. So there are three questions that I call conversation starters that you can ask your teenager when you're driving with them or when you're sitting at dinner to try to sort of get to know them and get them to open up. The first is, what is the hardest thing about your life? What do you worry about most? A lot of the times parents don't realize what their teenager is actually worrying about. And this is a great way to get them to open up to you. Second, ask them, what is the one thing you wish I knew about you? You never know what teens are going to say and a lot of the times they've been holding something. They just haven't had the opportunity to tell you yet. And that's a great way to get them to open up. The last question that is important to ask is, what's the best quality someone can have? This question is great because you can learn what kind of person your teenager is and it gets you talking about friendships, relationships, and the best qualities in people.

Watch Vanessa Van Petten's video on Keeping communication open with teens...

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Vanessa Van Petten

Youtholgist

Vanessa Van Petten is one of the nation's youngest experts, or 'youthologists' on parenting and adolescents.  She wrote her first parenting book, You're Grounded, from the teen's perspective when she was just 17. After winning the Mom’s Choice Award in 2009, she launched her popular parenting website, RadicalParenting.com, which she now writes with 120 other teenagers to answer questions from parents on everything from communication issues to cyberbullying. Vanessa's unique approach has been featured by CNN, CBS Miami, Fox New York, Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue, and many more.  She was also on the Real Housewives of Orange County helping the housewives with troubled teens. Her latest book, Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I'm Grounded?  won the Moms Choice Award in 2012. 

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