Kids are a blessing but let’s be honest, raising teenagers can be really hard! Nagivagating the summer holidays can be challenging when living with teens but here are some tips to help you survive!
How to survive the summer with teens!
Expectations
The most important piece of advice for surviving the summer with teens is setting your expectations and comparing them with the expectations of your teen. If you are heading into the summer holidays thinking that you want your teen to get up at 7 am every day and be asleep by 11 pm, do extra chores as they have more time and get a summer job but your teen is thinking no bedtimes, no chores, and no getting out of bed until at least lunchtime, you are going to clash.
Therefore, it is such a good idea to talk with your teen about what they are expecting and what you are expecting and see if you can find some common ground where you are both happy. Talk about things you would like to happen over the summer and the things that they were hoping for so that you can set some ground rules that they are happy with.
Allowances
Remember that it is a good idea to make some allowances for your teen. Kids have to work really hard in school compared to when we were at school so the summer holidays are supposed to be downtime for your kids. A chance for them to relax and have some fun while they are still kids.
When you are setting your expectations try to be more flexible and open to the ideas of your teen so you are not starting off a war, as it will be a very long six weeks if that is the case!
Budgeting
Summer activities can be expensive, so if money is tight it is a good idea to be open and honest about this with your teen. Tell your teen what your budget is for the summer and discuss what you can afford for them to do. If they need more money than you have, you could discuss ways that they may be able to earn the extra money. Help them with ideas and support so they know that you are doing your best to help them do what they were hoping for over their summer.
Inclusion
Teens can often give the impression that they do not want to spend time with the family or one on one time with their parents. However, do not let eye rolls and huffs put you off as secretly they want to be included in the family and spend time with you more than anything. Therefore, make sure that you plan some mandatory family time each week and enjoy time with your teen.
It’s only temporary!
