With the mid-point of summer break approaching, parents may become anxious for the school routine to begin again. Though summer break requires more intentionality and planning throughout the day, this season is a great time to reconnect with your kids, building strong, positive, and healthy relationships with them. Because quality time is ample, you have the opportunity to model behaviors you wish your children to learn.
Parents have an immense impact on their children, both for the good and the bad. Research shows parents who smoke are more likely to have adolescents who smoke, alcoholic parents are more likely to have adolescents who abuse alcohol, and parents who abuse drugs are more likely to have adolescents who do the same.
On the contrary, parents who have positive relationships with their children are more likely to have children who have high self-esteem and are less likely to suffer from depression. Thus, the time spent with your children this summer is crucial to their development as strong, confident, and healthy individuals.
Here are some practical ways to be purposeful in the way you parent. First, have open and regular communication with your children. Know what they are doing, how they are feeling, and who their friends are in order to be involved in their life. The more you demonstrate an interest in their life, the more they will open up to you. Next, help your adolescents develop goals and teach them how to meet them by providing structure, consistency, accountability, and unconditional love and support. Finally, remember everyone makes mistakes and there is always room for growth. Give yourself and your children grace to learn as you go.
If you or your child is struggling with addiction, call us today at (888) 507-1355 to speak with a trained treatment specialist. Let us walk with you and your loved one on the path to health and wholeness. Learn more about our Teen Drug and Alcohol Rehab today.
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” – Robert Fulghum
