Helping Teens Boot Bad Habits

<h3><strong>Habits: The good, the bad and the ugly</strong></h3><p>It might be tough to admit, but we probably all have a few unbecoming habits we developed in our teenage years. The same applies to today’s tweens and young adults. They often fail to see their behavior as being an issue even though we know how they are acting will hurt them over time. If some of these not so great habits aren’t addressed early enough, they can lead to significant problems later in life.&nbsp;</p><p>Helping your child overcome bad habits begins by closely observing them to try and understand why they do the things they do. If they’re not cleaning their room, is it because they appear lazy or rebellious? Do they lack empathy for family or friends? Understanding what they’re going through can offer insight into their actions and habits. Remember, breaking a bad habit doesn’t happen overnight. It may take several weeks or months to change the way they do things.</p><p>Changing habits requires dedication. They need to understand how what they are doing hurts them. While some habits won’t cause serious problems right away, they can impact the overall quality of life as your child grows into an adult. Some of the more common bad habits seen among teens include:</p><h3><strong>Poor Hygiene</strong></h3><p>This is one of the top undesirable tween habits. Most pre-teens and teens fail to consider the consequences of not being clean. Teaching your child during puberty to practice good hygiene is critical to maintain good health and well-being. Make sure you educate your child about the importance of good hygiene. Help them develop a personal care schedule of daily tasks. Provide them with effective personal care products like deodorant, soap, shampoo, conditioner, dental products and other items that help them stay fresh and clean.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Poor Eating Habits</strong></h3><p>When given a choice between a bag of potato chips and a bowl full of fresh fruit, your tween will likely go for the chips. It's important to remind your teens about the importance of maintaining good health starting with what they put in their mouths. As they grow, eating more nutritious food is important for their overall health. Make sure they understand the benefits of healthy foods and the ill effects junk food can have on their bodies and minds.&nbsp;</p><p>Encourage your child to follow good eating habits and provide plenty of healthy snacks. Some families forbid all unhealthy or “junk” food. Some allow it only in small portions. Find what works best for your family.</p><h3><strong>The Blame Game</strong></h3><p>Insist that your child take responsibility for their actions and behaviors. Constantly blaming others for everything that goes wrong with their life is easy but it shows immaturity. When they blame others as adults, it severely affects relationships and careers. Teach your kids to assume responsibility and thoughtfully take action. Avoid letting them blame others because they aren’t willing to accept what they did.&nbsp;</p><p>Spend time with your child every day and discuss the challenges they encounter. Give them the knowledge and tools to find solutions without resorting to blaming.</p><p>Explain to them the benefits of learning from their mistakes. Acknowledge what they did wrong, apologize for it and do their best to learn from it. Taking that approach helps them mature emotionally.</p><h3><strong>Oversleeping or Sleeping Late</strong></h3><p>These two sleeping patterns go hand-in-hand as your tween tries to make more fun time. However, this habit leads to developmental problems. Variable sleep patterns will cause kids problems with their behaviors and emotions. Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to feelings of anxiety, irritability and reduced concentration.&nbsp;</p><p>For example, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests children 6-12 years old sleep 9-12 hours for every 24. Teens should get 8-10 hours of sleep. Talk to your doctor when your child seems to constantly be tired. They may need more sleep or a change in their diet.</p><p>As your teenager grows, they may need to wake up early to go to school. Going to bed late may make them late for school or other appointments. Understand how much sleep they need and create a schedule that balances needs and desires. You may need to slowly restrict electronics use during the evening to promote a restful night’s sleep.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Disrespectful Behavior</strong></h3><p>Yelling, arguing, name-calling, talking back and similar traits are all disrespectful behaviors. Your child is no longer the sweet little kid they once were. Tolerating this behavior isn’t doing them or you any good. Take time to explain why you are upset. Make them realize that the way they speak and behave impacts how others view them. Let them know that acting this way is not accepted in society. It will delay their personal and professional progress.&nbsp;</p><p>Demonstrate good listening skills and expect your child to do the same. Help them understand that they don’t need to agree with everything others say. However, there are polite and effective ways to show their disagreement.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Lying</strong></h3><p>Lying is one of the most common bad habits of&nbsp; teenagers. Fortunately, most childhood lies don’t cause irreparable harm. When they continue lying, it will cause significant problems later in life. It’s your responsibility to instill the importance of being honest.&nbsp;</p><p>Telling kids to be honest and then punishing them for admitting their mistakes will only encourage more lying. Instead, congratulate them for being truthful and then ask why they lied. Help them understand there are better ways of getting what they want than by lying.</p><p>Explain that being honest is essential to building trust with each other. Help them through whatever difficulties they felt the need to lie about. Enforce balanced and appropriate consequences for lying and misbehavior. Keep these consequences brief so that your tween has the chance to practice better behaviors.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Messy Bedrooms and Personal Spaces</strong></h3><p>As your child grows, they should be more responsible for keeping their bedroom and other personal spaces clean. Allowing messy bedrooms only teaches them to be more irresponsible. For example, messiness at home often leads to a chaotic work environment. Living in a sloppy space creates confusion, affects clarity and impacts concentration levels.&nbsp;</p><p>Encourage your teen to clean their bedroom by offering incentives. You can also provide bins, baskets, bookshelves and other storage materials that promote organization and tidiness. Work with them to create clean and functional personal spaces.</p><h3><strong>Final Thoughts</strong></h3><p>Helping your teenager or young adult eliminate bad habits and assume more personal responsibilities takes time and patience. It’s ok to start with the small things. Practice good habits regularly and lead by example. Teaching kids good habits is not rocket science, but the result of constant practice and demonstrating the long-term benefits.</p>

Teens and young adults often develop bad habits. While some are harmless, others, when left unaddressed, can have lasting negative effects. How can you help?

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Helping Teens Boot Bad Habits