Teenage is not easy. A person who enters it has to deal with a rollercoaster of challenges and
emotions. As a parent, it’s not easy to see your teen struggle and get frustrated due to those
changes. Your first instinct might be to solve the problem for your teen, but you must avoid doing
that, or there might be unwanted consequences.
Instead, it would help if you focused on providing your teen with some useful tips that actually work
and help teens solve their problems. By doing so, you will play a part in ensuring that your teens
become strong and responsible individuals.
If you follow your first intention of handling your teen’s problems for them, you should know that
your teen might never learn to overcome their problems on their own throughout their lives and
might become overly dependent on you. Another situation might be that your teen might find out
that you are trying to solve their problems and get angry about it. It might make you feel bad or
helpless.
So, a smart way would be to teach your teens problem-solving skills and offer them advice that they
choose to follow or not, depending on their preference. Your teen can learn to be calm and focus on
developing a viable solution. It will make them experts in handling difficult situations not just during
the teenage years but also later in life.
Useful Tips on How Parents Can Help Teens Solve Their Problems
Here are a few useful steps that can help teens solve their problems.
1. Identifying the Problem
The first step in teaching your teen is to identify the problem. Many teens don’t realize they are
facing a problem until they are asked to ponder it. You can initially identify the problem and then
teach them by example. Ask your teen about the situation and let them figure out what the problem
is and how they want to fix it.
2. Focusing on the Issue
The next step is to teach your teen how to focus on the issue. Teenagers habitually blame the
situation on a person or an emotion. Don’t let them do that. Instead, tell them how to face the
problem bravely and not focus too much on frustration and anxiety due to the situation.
3. Listening Attentively
Teaching your teen how to listen attentively would also be a good idea. Often, listening to the
problem attentively without interrupting or arguing can help find a solution to the problem. It also
helps teens express their feelings and highlight what they need, want, or feel.
4. Thinking of Solutions
When the problem is clear, the next step should be to think of all possible solutions that might help.
Your teen can take help from others or history to know what worked in the past. Even if some of the
solutions are not possible or practical, make sure that you encourage them and appreciate the effort
instead of discouraging them or calling the possible solutions rubbish.
5. Evaluating the Solutions
After the teen has proposed multiple solutions to a problem, you should encourage them to sit
down and think about what would happen if they tried the solution. This will help your teen to move
forward with only the practical solutions and discard the unrealistic ones.
6. Implementing the Solutions
Once your teen has decided to try one or more solutions, please encourage them to give it their best
shot and see the result. Tell them to stay positive throughout the process and not be disappointed
quickly. Sometimes, it takes time for a solution to actually work properly.
7. Evaluating the Outcomes
The final step to follow is to evaluate the outcome of the solution. Sometimes, a solution must be
implemented over a long period to see the results. Sometimes, it might even fail or not give the
desired results. If the latter happens, encourage your teen to not give up and keep trying other
solutions until one finally works.
Benefits of Developing Problem-Solving Skills in Teens
Problem-solving skills are vital skills to learn in life. If a person learns them in the teenage years, it
will be better for them in the future. These skills teach a teen not to be discouraged due to a
problem and to face it head-on with a positive approach. It will also make them more empathetic
and boost their ability to find constructive solutions to any problem.
Problem-solving skills will also teach your teen how to listen patiently and let others speak instead of
speaking over others. They will also learn to respect the opinions of other people. When your teen
develops their problem-solving skills, it will make them more mature, responsible, independent, and
confident.
If you think your teen is unable to solve a problem, do not try to interfere. Let them fail and learn
from their failure. Only offer them help if you think things are getting out of control or your teen
asks for help. Even when you step in, make sure you tell your teen what solutions you are
implementing and how they can help. Keep them with you every step of the way so that they are
able to solve the problem the next time without any help or guidance from you or any other
individual.
Get Expert Help
If you need more guidance on how to help your teen develop problem-solving skills, you might want
to talk to an expert. You can trust me, Michelle Mehta, a certified professional co-active coach, an
Associate Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation, and a Neuro-Linguistic
Programming (NLP) practitioner.
I am passionate about helping teenagers feel authentic, empowered, worthy, loved and helping
them create a sense of belonging and believe that the world needs their talents. So, if you feel
you’re called to have your teenager work with me, let’s set up a time to talk and connect. I look
forward to Empowering Your Teenager to Shine with Confidence. To know more, click here
Reference
https://www.momjunction.com/articles/help-your-teen-solve-her-problems_00326769/
