Busy. Our teens are busy kids! Which usually means parents are busy with our teens activities too. For instance, both my daughters are in choir and both enjoy doing theater when their schedules allow it. Both girls are involved in clubs, fundraisers, attending school related events (football games, etc.),  so free time during the week to just sit and chat is hard to come by. Today, I’m sharing three easy ways I’ve found I can still feel connected with my teens during the busy times.



Books and CD's help you connect with your teens



1. Read their books:

Young Adult, or YA books, are written with your 15+ teen in mind, but don’t let that stop you from reading them! Some of THE best books I’ve read this year came directly from my teen daughter. When you see your teen engrossed in a book, take notice. Better yet, ask if you can read it when they are done,  and then talk with them about the plot and characters as you read.  

Not sure where to start? Popular picks are: The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, The Selection series by Kiera Cass- (start my daughter’s reviews here). The much anticipated Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and two by J.K. Rowling and our personal pick and hands-down favorite , The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.




teens and earbuds, this is what they do!



2. Listen to their music:

Most parents know this time all too well: You’re in the car with your teen, taking them to their after-school activity again.  They make small talk with you for five minutes, and then in go the ear buds and you’ve been tuned out. The same thing can happen when you take them out to eat. 

Keep the conversation and the fun going by inviting them to keep some of their Cd's in the car, then pop one in while you are driving them to their destination. Once you get to your destination, if you see those ear buds come out again, ask them who they are listening too. 

The point is to engage and connect in their world often!  Some of the best and funniest conversations I’ve had with my girls is talking about the lyrics to some of their favorite songs. Our top pick right now is “25” by Adele, followed closely by "Blurry face" by 21 Pilots. 




my teen helping me with work photos for a brand



3. Include them in your work:

I have the privilege of working from home. Both my businesses- blogging and Avon are businesses I work mainly from home, so my teens have gotten used to seeing me work on a daily basis. I’m inviting them in and keeping this part of my day open to connecting possibilities. They respect what I do and actually look for ways to help me.

Teens are plugged in to what’s in, what’s trendy and relevant to them which is invaluable to anyone in a marketing field. Which is why my oldest daughter didn’t mind helping me with a recent photo shoot at Toys “R” Us for a brand I was working with.

Asking your teen for their opinion on a related topic to your industry can be a great way to connect with them as well.  My teens know it's not all fun and lip gloss in my businesses because they see me doing the back office work too. We bounce ideas off each other often and they have opened up my eyes to a newer, fresher way of seeing the world. Why not show your teens what you so all day as well? Bring home an assignment to work on after dinner and ask them to check it out. 


There you have it! Three easy ways to stay connected with your teens. Try one or all three over the next week and you may see your teens in a whole new way, you may even score some cool parents points!


Please share in comments: How do you connect with your teen?  Do you use one or more of my strategies? 

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