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5 Tips to Help Your Teen Manage Conflict
5 Tips to Help Your Teen Manage ConflictThe middle school and high school years can be challenging for kids --and parents too. Kids are dealing withchanging bodies, the need to fit in-- plus conflicts at school, bullying, and social media drama. When your childexperiences conflict, here are 5 tips that might help.One: Recognize their feelings. Let your child know it’s okay to be angry or feel hurt. You can support them byasking about their feelings without trying to take away their pain.Two: Work on staying calm. It’s hard to solve a problem when you’re upset. Show ways to calm down, likedoing breathing exercises.The 4-7-8 method is something you can try. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7, and exhale for 8.Three: Help them practice speaking up. Conflicts are hard to resolve without talking about them. Encourageyour teen to write a practice letter to decide what’s most important to say and how best to say it. Then, you canpractice the conversation with your teen.Four: Teach fairness. Ask your teen to try to imagine their friend’s side of things-- even if they don’t agree withthem.Five: Prepare them for conflict. For example, you can tell your teen a story about how you handled conflict as akid and what worked--and what didn’t.You can ask your teen to reflect on past conflicts that they handled well-- or wished they’d handled better. Ortalk about ways they’ve seen others stay calm, walk away, or problem-solve.So, 5 tips. Recognize their feelings. Stay calm. Help them practice speaking up. Teach fairness. And preparethem for conflict.If you put these tips into practice, you’ll increase trust and open the door to future conversations. And guesswhat? Your child will probably appreciate it--even if they don’t always admit it.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.© The Wellness Network
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