January's Relief Society Meeting - Marriage and Family Report

Parenting the Teenager - by Sister Ralina Kellis
Below are a few of the highlights from Ralina's lesson at Thursday's Relief Society meeting.

1. Parents should have individual time with children.
2. Be Flexible and have individual interviews.
3. When interviewing:
Seek Divine Guidance - pray together
Show Love - Show by hug or an arm around shoulder. Praise often.
Encourage Discussion - Ask questions that can't be answered with "yes" and "no"
Listen - Listening requires patience and concentration, keep things confidential
4. Elder Wells counsels us to "seek the Lord's help in understanding each other, resolving challenges, and reaching appropriate decisions - all without becoming defensive. Even more important, we must seek his help in changing our behavior and our hearts... As we draw near to the Lord, he can help us grow closer to one another"

10 Parenting tips:
1. Give kids some leeway.
2. Choose your battles wisely.
3. Invite their friends for dinner.
4. Decide rules and discipline in advance.
5. Discuss 'checking in.'
6. Talk to teens about risks.
7. Give teens a game plan
8. Keep the door open
9. Let kids feel guilty when they do something wrong.
10. Be a role model (Your actions -even more then your words- are critical in helping teens adopt good moral and ethical standards)



We welcome your comments on effective ways that you have found to strengthen your children. What has worked best for you in creating those opportunities for either formal or informal interviews?