What youth wish for most

What youth wish for most (it’s not what you think!)

Here are tips for parents that former youth center assistants Tracey Stage and Terri McQuirter gleaned from conversations among JBLM youth at CYS facilities.

• If they feel they belong somewhere, your children will gravitate to that place. When you’re involved in their lives, they gravitate toward home rather than somewhere you aren’t sure about.

• Take an interest in what your children are doing. They want to know they are important to you.

• Take time to include your kiddos in whatever you typically do at home. Include them in cooking, eating, cleaning or watching TV, even if for a short time each day.

• Volunteer to accompany your kids wherever they’re involved, whether at school or at CYS programs. You can better see what your children are involved in. For instance, you can enjoy a game or doing homework with them.

• The youth programs staff members are part of your support system and want to work together with you and your children as part of a team.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America offer tips for staying involved with your teens:

• Sometimes we become so caught up in our own lives, we don’t hear the things our teenagers are saying. Take time to talk with them. Show them you’re interested in hearing what they have to say. They will appreciate you for it.

• Teenagers may take an interest in various hobbies or activities that you’re unfamiliar with. Ask them about those interests. You may be able to incorporate their hobbies into a family activity.

• Encourage your teens to make suggestions on what the family can do together and include them in making the final decisions. Mark your calendars for planned family time together, the same as you plan other events.

Source: bgca.org