Helping a Teen Break Bad Habits

Teenagers, without question, have a tendency to develop bad habits. It has to be a 'Right of Passage' because it is a rarity that you come across a teenager without any bad habits. Bad habits do not necessarily make bad kids, but some of the bad habits they develop are either not healthy or somewhat dangerous. Before lambasting your teenager for doing things you deplore, take a 'flashback' moment to your youth and recall some of your own bad habits. Once you have them rolling around in your head, consider your actions and activities today and see if any of them have perpetuated into parenthood. If you have shocked yourself by realizing some of those not-so-great habits are still prevalent, you may want to take a closer look at your teenager to see if his habits mirror your own.

This should be the first step in attempting to correct any bad habits you discover your children have developed. Children learn through imitation and observation, so if they repeatedly see you conducting some poor habits they are more likely to justify them as acceptable and follow suit. This can range anywhere from watching TV excessively to smoking or driving recklessly. Start off parenting on the right foot and set good examples.

Generally speaking, bad habits are those that can negatively impact various areas of your child's life, such as their health, safety, or individual success. While most bad habits can be easily corrected with a little guidance and patience, others will take a heavier hand by you to lead your teenager back to the right path. The following are examples of common bad habits that teenagers develop, and suggestions as to how you, the parent, may help eliminate their presence from your home:

• Sedentary Lifestyle. This would be your couch or computer potatoes. They may typically spend hours at a time languishing on the sofa, or secluded in front of the computer screen chatting away to friends. In all likelihood, they were probably very active doing a variety of things until they hit their teen years. Then, as if overnight, they changed their routines and could be found either constantly lazing about doing nothing or glued to the internet the way a moth is drawn to a flame. You can help get them motivated by restricting their television watching hours during the school week, and on weekends. Set them to work doing chores either inside or outdoors to help them stretch those unused muscles, or maybe consider starting a family exercise program. Their hearts and whittling waistlines will thank you, even if they do not.
• Too Many Caramels Equal Bad Karma. Being observant of your teenager's junk food intake has become increasingly important. In the history of the United States, never have our children reached such extremes in obesity statistics. There are two a few key reasons for this detrimental increase: hectic lives leave less time to cook quality meals, teenagers consume more unhealthy foods outside of the home, and families in poverty-stricken areas cannot afford to obtain healthy foods in the quantities they need. Parents can help by supplying only healthful foods in the home, and limiting the availability of unhealthy items including, potato crisps, candy, soda, pastries, and other processed foods. It is also beneficial to at least reduce or eliminate fast food meals. Teenagers are still developing physically, mentally, and emotionally, and healthy bodies only function well when fed, so be sure your children do not skip meals.
• Keep it to the Limit. Parents of teenagers today can now understand the worries of their own parents when they began driving. It is a fast, fast world outside your front door, and it could be life-altering if your teenager does not learn how to properly navigate its busy streets. Young drivers, up through age 25, lack a sense of mortality; in a sense, they believe they are immortal and nothing truly bad will happen to them. Unfortunately, this skewed sense of reality is what gets many of them killed on our highways. Raise the red flag early with your new drivers warning them of the dangers of speeding and reckless driving, and advise them that it is not only their lives they place in danger with their bad driving habits, but every other driver and any pedestrian along the neighborhood streets. Without question, this is the most critical area that you must take a look at in regards to your own habits because setting a good example for driving could be a life-saver.

Teenagers are growing and learning, and like us, they will make plenty of mistakes along the way. Obviously, correct bad habits wherever you see them developing with appropriate discipline and punishment. However, praise and reward your teenagers when they do great, especially if it means not following the pack. Positive reinforcement can go a long way and leave a lasting impression with your child.