It's normal teenagers get stroppy and will give you a hard time. Instead of getting upset and letting it get to you, try and just ignore that part of their behaviour and focus on all the positive stuff. Give yourself a break! Ab important part of teenage boys development is working out relationships and how to interact with others - this is why they might be pushing their luck with you - the important bit is to remember that its normal, healthy, and actually shows they are developing (believe it for not!). Keep giving them that love and do something incredible like buying your favourite teenager their first shaving kit from us or one of our outlets - you'll be setting them up to succeed!

There's a lot happening in those little brains as they grow through the teenage years ~ there's just so much going on that teenagers often feel they don't know what's what anymore. It can be a bit like a very early mid-life crises (if that helps at all!). They will be asking big questions of themselves, those in their life and their family around them. It's your job to help them steady that ship and see it through all the hormonal changes! The best way of doing that is showing them that they are loved, accepted and you approve of them. Of course, not everything they do will make you smile with glee, but it's the way you show your approval that will really stick with them. If they know that they are loved and accepted no matter what, not only are they going to trust you with more aspects of their life (being open) but they'll be able to work out who they are and have a less turbulent time in the process. With friend/partner relationships changing around them all the time and their bodies going 100 miles an hour, the consistent message of approval shows them that they are OK and that they are loved and accepted. This is really key for building a long term, positive relationship with them. In adolescent development, young people are craving for approval - deep in their very inner most being they are craving to be accepted, loved and understood. If you can help lay foundations, or let them really believe that there is always a life line available (no matter what!) then you have achieved something really rather wonderful - you have built a very solid relationship with them. This not only helps make your life actually easier to live with them, but what your doing is holding a safe mirror up to them, so that through every challenge, your giving them the confidence they need to make good decisions and be the best version of themselves. Give it a go - try showing a little love and approval today!

Welcome to today's DRUCETIP! Ever struggle to start the conversation with your teenager and actually get the ball rolling in the direction you'd like? Your not alone! Getting teenagers to start talking can be really hard sometimes, and there's often lots of good reasons why they simply don't want to talk to you ~ just don't take it personally! Today's tip is: get outside for the chat! It helps to create a natural space where you both can share your views, feel like your on neutral turf and don't feel constrained or distracted by anything at home. So often there's things to keep us busy (DIY, tidying etc for us, or gaming for our teens!) that it's super easy to procrastinate and find something else to displace a conversation. What's more, where your at home, it's easy to feel like one party has the upper hand (particularly if you've had rows at home before!) so by being outside, it's a bit like a nice blank canvas. The other upside is that although it's a relatively new fact (medical research from the 1960's) that we now know being outside has a calming, positive and mood-boosting effect on us. This means that when we get outside, we're much more likely to have a favourable conversation that won't end poorly. Being outside in a large open space really helps us shift our (and our teenagers!) thinking as well. Imagine being trapped in a cage all the time: that is your world and your ability to think or experience anything outside of that is really hard. You might know the other, better, world exists but it's hard to live in it. When your stuck at home often, your brain pretty much falls into the cage mentality. So by getting outside somewhere 1) Large 2) Open 3) Green - you'll be calming your brains, helping each other thinking more creatively to problems and be willing to see possibilities from a different perspective. ....Now we can't guarantee this will always work every time, but it's not about controlling someone, it's all about stacking the deck in your favour - if you can do as much as you can in the background to increase your chances of it going well, your on the right track!

It's crucial to be the consistent thing in your teenagers life - don't underestimate the impact of all the change that is happening in their life, because even if you consider it to be a pretty stable and secure place, you can guarantee that in the back of their mind (somewhere) they'll be experiencing self-doubt and change like many of us do. If you think of all the changes that are going on in their physical body as we'll as biological hormones in their brains, it's easy to understand why so much of their world can seem like it's an ever-changing landscape. It's easy to give-in sometimes, and sometimes that's OK (birthdays/special occasions perhaps) but be careful not to set a president without even knowing it! Make sure you give the same answers every time and make sure your fair, because you'll be hearing about it again for sure if your not consistent! Be consistent, air on the side of caution and be the predictable, stable figure in your young guys life. He'll thank you for it in the years to come!

Setting the goal high is great, but it can set you and your teenager up to fail and lead to disappointment. - Setting Realistic expectations lays the foundations to build greater things - Making things too hard or challenging just makes achieving harder - Keep your own goals realistic, to keep the pressure off ...give yourself a break because Rome wasn't built in a day. It will take time but by being kind to yourself and your teenager, you'll find things start to move more in the direction you'd like them to! Teenagers need all the help they can get during adolescence so by doing things like being clear and communicating in simple ways you'll be on the right tracks to success!

Today's tip is all about remembering to show your darling teenager that you approve of them. Yes, it's not always easy with some of things they may do - but showing them that you ultimately accept and love them for WHO they are and not what they DO is crucial. Research shows that by instilling in adolescences a sense of family approval, your teenager will most likely grow into a more resilient adult.

Staying positive when dealing with teenagers can sometimes be really challenging, can't it!? But here's today quick tip... Think TWICE. Think of 2 positive things in those moments of despair that will help encourage, inspire and offer you a different perspective on the situation. Some areas to get your started: - How do they make you smile? - What are they really good at? - When was the last positive surprise you remember? - Can you remember the last moment they were vulnerable around you? - What are you proud of about them? - Can you remember when they last inspired you? ...the aim of all this is to refresh your positive parenting principles in the tough moments, offer a fresh perspective and remember that your teenagers isn't that bad after all! There may be some tough days, but there will be a lot more positive moments when we start looking for them.