Hi – Sue Blaney here with your Parenting Tip from Parenting Teens Info.com

My tip this week is Develop and nurture a support network for yourself. >>Listen

This is the 8th tip from my free downloadable e-book titled “Secrets to Success in Parenting Your Teen.”

It is remarkable how many parents of teenagers are not really connected to one another.  In our crazy-busy culture it has become too easy for parents to be isolated …and this is to your detriment, as well as your family’s.

There are many benefits to being connected with other parents: When you have other parents to talk with about the issues you face and the feelings you experience as the parent of a teenager, you learn you are not alone. You learn that your experiences are not unique….that all parents can go through challenges as your teenagers become more independent, as they pull away from you, as they challenge your authority and sometimes make mistakes. It is empowering to have your experiences and feelings validated by your peers.  When you nurture and develop a supportive network of parents, you can compare notes, help one another strategize and come up with new approaches, you can vent and you can all benefit as you find your sense of humor.

One thing that keeps parents from connecting more, is fear of being judged. The most effective thing you can do to ease your fear of being judged, is to cease judging others. Be active and vocal in your support of other parents and understand that it takes a village to raise a child. Parents who unite to support one another help to keep kids  - and communities-  safe.

How can you go about developing and nurturing a support network? Book groups are a popular forum for parent connection and can help you focus your discussion. You can create such a group among friends, through your teen’s school, or with colleagues at work. Many people have found that it’s worthwhile to go out of your way to expand your contacts and develop new friends.  Remember to have an open mind as you discuss issues together; you don’t have to agree, and you are likely to learn the most from people who are least like you. This can be enlightening and helpful in your parenting.

Another way to do this is to use my guide created just for this purpose; it’s titled Please Stop the Rollercoaster! How Parents of Teenagers Can Smooth Out the Ride. It is a parent discussion group program in a book. It offers recommendations for organizing your group, and provides everything you’ll need for your discussions. Over the course of the 8 meetings you will discuss the range of issues that typical families face. This program has been used across the country since it was originally published in 2003. You can learn more, see a short video and download a free excerpt at www.PleaseStoptheRollercoaster.com

We’ll continue with another tip next week. Thanks for subscribing to my Two-Minute Tips for Parenting Teens……. ‘Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney