As a parent, you want to ensure that your teen is set up to succeed in adulthood. Today, many young people struggle with this transition. The fast pace of adult life, combined with the rising cost of living, means that many young people have difficulty establishing their independence, choosing stable career paths, and building healthy relationships.
While you can’t personally teach your teen every skill they’ll need to handle adult life, you can play a pivotal role in preparing them for the new responsibilities they’ll have to take on. By emphasizing the following skills for your teen, you can help them enter adulthood with confidence.
1. Smart Budgeting
Every young adult should understand how to create a reasonable budget that allows them to reach their savings goals. Even if your teen does not have a part-time job yet, they may occasionally get income from gifts, odd jobs like babysitting, or an allowance.
Sit down with your teen to set up a budget. Explore how they can spend and save their income. You can register your teen for a checking and savings account. Additionally, you can aid them in picking an app to automatically track their spending. As your teen sees progress towards their savings goals, they’ll feel motivated to keep up with these habits in adulthood.
2. Time Management
People of all ages have trouble with procrastination. Work with your teen to come up with a time management system that suits them. They may want to experiment with a digital calendar app or a paper planner to keep track of their obligations and make weekly schedules.
If your teen is taking on too much, you can also help them determine which extracurriculars they want to continue with, and which ones they can let go of. What if your teen is struggling greatly with time management despite your efforts? You can connect them with a therapist early on for further support.
3. Professional Etiquette
Manners still matter! Teaching your teen about professional etiquette, staying calm under stress, and asking questions when they need help can serve them well in the workplace. Your teen can put these skills into practice at part-time jobs, at school, and even in volunteer or extracurricular activities.
4. Decision-Making
Adults and teens alike can have trouble making decisions. But getting comfortable with accepting your own agency when it comes to decision-making can help you make hard choices in adulthood while staying true to your own values. When your teen is faced with tough decisions, act as a sounding board for their ideas, but resist the urge to choose for them.
5. Clear Communication
It’s not always easy to say what’s really on your mind. Teaching your teen the art of honest, compassionate conversation can go a long way. In order to help your teen feel at ease while speaking their mind, be ready to receive their authentic thoughts without criticizing or discouraging them. Should you disagree, state your own point of view calmly, and stay open to compromise. If you respond to your teen’s honesty with hostility, they’ll struggle to express themselves in the future because they’ll be nervous about dealing with heated conflicts.
6. Household Organization
Finally, it’s always a good idea to delegate some household chores to your teen. Many young adults neglect basic household chores when they first move out on their own. Sometimes, they feel uncertain about how to carry them out correctly. Getting your teen involved with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and basic maintenance is critical for helping them enter adulthood.
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If your teen needs support for navigating adulthood, contact us to learn how our youth therapists can guide them through this transitional stage.
