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Publication #FAR1242

 

The Importance of Parent-teen Relationships1

Donna Davis2

Figure 1. 
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Most of us who are parents of teens have experienced moments when you find that your beautiful, loving child suddenly thinks everything you do is wrong, stupid, or embarrassing. I have often said that as my children were reaching adolescence, they were never going to want me less, but need me more. Recent research agrees!

Findings from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and international data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development reveal that our teens, in fact, do continue to value their parents, and that parental involvement during their adolescent years is important for their development.

Child Trends researchers found that when teens were asked about the parents they lived with, more than four in five adolescents agreed or strongly agreed that they think highly of their mother and father. More than half agreed or strongly agreed that they wanted to be like their mother and father, and more than three-quarters reported that they really enjoyed spending time with their residential parents (Moore, Guzman, Hair, Lippman, & Garret, 2004).

The studies also reveal that teens with positive parent-child relationships tend to have better grades, are less likely to exhibit problem behaviors, and have greater social and emotional well-being that lasts into adulthood (Moore et al., 2004).

With this in mind, the next time you have one of "those" moments with your teen, don't give up! Chances are pretty good that you are important to your teen, and she or he still wants you involved in their life.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/290.mp3

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/290.wav

Reference

Moore, K., Guzman, L., Hair, E., Lippman, L., & Garret, S. (2004). Parent-teen relationships and interactions: Far more positive than not. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www.childtrends.org/files/parent_teenRB.pdf.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR1242, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 290 in January 2007. Published on EDIS September 2012. In the interest of time or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Donna Davis, senior producer, Family Album Radio, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.