How to Help Your Teen Learn the Skills Needed for Adulthood

The teen years are chock-full of many challenges. You have the general growing pains, both literal and metaphorical. Add in that this is the period where hormones and bodies are rapidly changing; well, it's no wonder the teenage years can be the most challenging for teens and parents alike.

Even though teens have a lot on their plates during these years, it's also a crucial time to build the foundation for skills they will need as adults. Learning, after all, comes from other places besides the classroom. If your child eventually chooses to go to trade school, college, or into the workforce, they must know how to handle other responsibilities. Here are some of the most important life skills you can teach them while they are a teenager.

Household Responsibilities

By now, they should already have some household chores they are asked to help with. Keeping up with the house and other duties comes with the territory of being an adult. Keep in mind that they will likely groan about having chores when all they want to do is go out with their friends or be lazy around the house.

You don't have to go crazy with chores, but here are some ideas of what you can ask them to help with:

• Unloading/loading the dishwasher nightly

• Cleaning the bathroom

• Vacuuming the house

• Keeping up with their laundry

It will help them see that you need to balance many different things, such as work/school, a social life, and extracurricular/hobby interests. During these years, there is also nothing wrong with giving them allowance money to motivate them to help out, as it will teach them that they must work towards earning their income.

Cooking and Groceries

Many teenagers don't realize how important meal planning and grocery shopping is. It's not uncommon for them to not give much thought to the effort their parents must go through in order to keep food in the pantry and fridge.

As you plan out the weekly meals, ask your teen to sit with you and help you develop meal ideas. Think of ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as you normally would together. Then, have them accompany you to the store to pick up the necessary items to make those meals a reality. This will help them to see the realities of what food costs. Show them the cost of what eating out will run them, as well. While this may be a more convenient option, they should see that eating out can cost as much, if not more, than cooking at home.

If they have time throughout the week, have them help out with supper throughout the week after they are done with school. At the very least, try to have them help with at least 2 or 3 meals throughout the week, including weekends.

Teach Them Time Management

Does your teen seem to forget things easily or procrastinate on their homework or household chores? If so, they may just be struggling to manage their time effectively. They are likely busy with other things, too, such as sports or clubs.

Time management is something that every adult needs, so why not teach them how to do that now? Encourage them to use a physical or digital planner to map out what they need to accomplish throughout the day and week. Over time, they will learn the importance of taking care of their responsibilities in a timely fashion, even if they don't feel like doing anything at all.

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If you are struggling to teach your teen responsibility, it might be due to them struggling internally with their mental health. Encourage them to participate in therapy, which can help them feel better and teach them healthy coping mechanisms. Reach out to us to learn more about teen counseling.