I DON'T DO TEENAGERS â—½ HOME
A friend and I were chatting recently about the tweens and teens in our family and she asked, “Do you text your grandkids?” I do, because a couple of the older kids have phones. So we talked about the kids and how we communicate with them. Maybe you have teens in your home, or you’re an aunt to teens, or a grandparent, or just know some teenagers in your circle of friends. These teens need encouragement, and you can bet they’re not going to get much throughout the days and weeks of being at school and on the fields or dance floors, etc. They’re going to get a lot of instruction and criticism and correction, but encouragement? Maybe, if they get good grades…
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What if we, the adults in their lives, could find ways to encourage all the teens we know, or at least a few in our circle of family and friends? That conversation with my friend started me thinking of a list for all of us, one to print and keep, as a reminder to encourage these big kids that will be adults before we know it. They need affirmation in a big way, and it can be our joy to offer it:​​
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Text the teens that have phones with a word of encouragement weekly. It can be a verse or a poem or just a thought to make them smile.
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Hand a bit of cash into their hands when you see them, if you have extra. That will certainly get a big smile.
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Pray for these teens, and then tell them you prayed for them. Remember that they said a big test was coming up, and ask how it went, and tell them you prayed.
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Attend a game or event where they are participating, and hug and pat them on the back for a job well done.
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If you see teens at church, compliment their outfit or something you see them doing. They will love that!
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Give your teens chances to succeed, even at the little things. If they set the table well, say so. If they take out the trash, thank them. Teach them a skill, then watch them shine.
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Take a teen in your life out for ice cream. One is never too old to enjoy a cold treat.
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Grab a gift card from a sporting goods store, from Amazon, or a clothing store and mail it to a teen. Imagine their surprise!
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Did a teen experience a great loss or disappointment? An old-fashioned card in the mail would be so nice.
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Invite a family with teens over to your yard for backyard fun and food. Why not?
That’s just 10 ways to affirm and encourage teens, the ones who need it so much. They’re growing, some faster than others, and it’s hard. They’re experiencing hormone imbalances and feelings they’ve never had, and they get confused. They are a child one day and want to be an adult the next. And if we think back, we can remember the teen angst that was ours, as well.
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We can at the least be kind and thoughtful. And when a kind thought pops into our heads, we can act it out to the teens we love.