If you’ve always struggled to get along with your parents, it’s time to find ways to improve your relationship with your parents. Throughout your teenage years, you’ll need your parents more than you think, not just for permission and money, but for advice and love. These ways to improve your relationship with your parents will make your adolescence infinitely smoother and more enjoyable!
All parents, even the ones who try to be their daughter’s BFF, desire respect. That’s why one of the most effective ways to improve your relationship with your parents is by respecting them. It isn’t always easy to respect your parents, especially when you’re young and think you know better than they do. But in all actuality, your parents are wiser and more experienced than you, and they deserve your respect.
The best way to form a solid relationship with anyone is to get to know and understand them. That’s a little bit easier with your friends than with your parents, which is why you need to look at things from their perspective even before you attempt to understand them. When you’re angry with your parents, step into their shoes for a moment, imagine how they feel. Because, I know it sounds crazy, but parents are people too! They have feelings, thoughts, and ideas you can’t understand unless you look at things from their perspective.
At the core of every relationship is some line of communication. This isn’t one-way communication, with you complaining to your parents and them talking at you. Rather, you should talk to your parents openly and kindly, the way you would talk to a friend you respect. Once you get to know your parents, you’ll inevitably discover similarities between you and them. That will make improving your relationship a much simpler task!
Your parents aren’t untouchable demigods or anything of the sort; they’re human. That means they’re accessible, they’re loving and lovable, and they're prone to make mistakes. You can’t easily have a healthy relationship with your parents without first acknowledging that they’re human. Once you do though, you can move forward in your relationship and improve it exponentially!
Since parents are human just like you and me, they make mistakes. They make lots of them! But they don’t hold your every mistake against you, so you can’t hold theirs against them if you want a healthy relationship. When your parents say something mean, discouraging, or hurtful to you, forgive them without a second thought. Unless your parents' actions are physically or emotionally abusive, there’s no need to make a huge deal out of their mistakes or hold a grudge against them.
Sometimes, all a relationship needs is a break. And after spending 13+ years under your parents’ roof, your relationship probably needs a serious break! College sends your relationship on a much-deserved hiatus, but even before then it’s okay to spend time away from home. Hang out at a friend's house, or get more involved in school. Participate in whatever parent-approved activities will allow both you and your parents to breathe.
Your parents want to have a healthy relationship with you as much as you do, but they will be hesitant to loosen the reins unless you’ve earned their trust. Once you prove that you’re a responsible teen, your parents will be more willing to talk to you the way friends do, and to spend time with you. This will also give you more freedom outside of your relationship with them, so that’s always a plus! If you're wondering how on earth you can earn your parents' trust, check out our article, 7 Ways to Earn Your Parents' Trust.
Your teenage years are rough enough as it is without constantly quarreling with your parents. It’s always better to have a good relationship with your parents than a toxic one. How do you plan on improving your relationship with your parents?