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Today's Tip for Parents

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Help Your Teenager Learn Impulse Control

Research shows that the part of the brain that controls impulses is the part that develops last.
That means that during the teen years, parents play a critical role. You have to help your teen plan ahead. You have to be the one who thinks about and brings up the risks he might meet.

Here are some tips:

~Think about the risks. Your teen wants to go to a party. He’s told you where it is and who will be there. But there are a few things he hasn’t yet talked about. So ask: Will parents be there? Who will drive? As he thinks through these things, he’s learning how to plan for risks.

~Expect the truth, but be ready not to get it. Ask the next question … and the next.

~Be consistent, predictable and stable. If you always set curfew at midnight, don’t relax it just because he whines. He really wasn’t expecting you to give in. Teens’ lives are filled with lots of drama. They need parents to be dependable.

Source: Jenifer Marshall Lippincott and Robin M. Deutsch, 7 Things Your Teenager Won’t Tell You, (Ballantine Books).

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Hopkinton Middle School