How to Parent Teenage Girls

Parenting is hard. Parenting a teenager is even harder. They are at a time in their life when everything is changing and when everything seems strange and new. Being a parent through all of that takes patience, courage, and understanding. Let’s look at some ideas for how to parent teenage girls.

As girls grow up, there are many changes they go through. As they start to enter their teenage years, girls go through puberty. There are many changes they go through physically as well as emotionally. When giving your daughter the sex talk, make sure you include everything. If you are doing it at an early age and want to leave some things out, make sure you follow up with your daughter and give the rest of the sex talk later. Leaving parts out will only lead to confusion for her and not understanding parts of what goes on. You might think you are protecting her but you really aren’t. Don’t do it in a hurry sort of thing, but really talk to her. It might be awkward, but it will be saving your daughter tons of confusion and misunderstanding later.

Probably the most important thing you can do for your teenage daughter is to be there for her. You don’t have to give her tons of presents, money, or a car for her 16th birthday, just spend tons of time with her. She probably won’t want to hang out or always be there with you, but make sure she knows that if she is having problems that she can come to you. Parents and teens have always fought but you don’t have to all the time. Be a friend to your daughter, but make sure she understands that you are a friend but that you are in charge and have to be respected.

Respect is another extremely important thing when raising a teenage daughter. Girls have so much pressure on them at school. They have to look perfect all the time, get good grades, and impress their friends and boys. They think that they have to do all this or they aren’t good enough. Teach your daughter that she doesn’t have to be perfect just to be good enough. Respect her for what she does. Realize that she’s probably making some stupid mistakes, but she is growing up. She’s learning to be a real woman and learning to do everything on her own. Respect the fact that she is growing up. You still have to help her make the right decisions, but when she is asking about going to a party isn’t the time to bring up things like the sex talk. Make sure she knows how you feel before going out or asking about something and just remind her before she leaves for the party. It will save a lot of pain and arguing about things that should’ve been taken care of before.

When you are the parent of a teenage daughter, just relax. That might be really hard to do, but try. You usually aren’t rational or don’t think straight when you are stressed out. Realize that you can’t control everything and that the most you can do is teach, set an example, and talk with your daughter. Try having a family dinner every night with the whole family and talk about what has gone on that day. If you notice your daughter isn’t happy or seems upset, talk to her. She might not want to open up, but be there for her. Let her know that you are always there to talk if she needs it.