Are you tired of yelling to your teen to get off the phone? Are you annoyed that any form of conversation includes the bright light of your teen’s phone screen hovering in the backdrop? Do you feel your teen’s friends are constantly over -via the telephone? If so, you are not alone. Millions of families struggle with the issues of less family communication and an overwhelming amount of time staring at cell phones. Each family member in their cellular world. It may seem as if being swept into cellular fanaticism is inevitable for most regardless of age. Leaving many parents to let it be. Don’t lose hope. You can still gain some family time with your teen; maybe not a perfect kumbaya scenario, but nonetheless, significant and ongoing.
Share a meal as a family: Decades ago, family dinner was a wonderful tradition that provided families a predictable hour in which they shared the events of their day while nurturing their bodies and creating a sense of value for family and unity.
Work on chores as a family: Chores can be fun and rewarding with the right attitude. Sure, it’s not glamorous, but getting the family to share in household chores can increase a sense of family unity, like dinner, can provide time for spontaneous conversation, laughter, and a sense of accomplishment without feeling as if it all lies on your shoulders.
Play a game together: Competition, anyone? Imagine your teen maintaining eye contact with the family versus whatever video usually has their attention. Imagine your teen and family using their minds to discover the answer to Clue’s “Who done it,’ or becoming a real estate tycoon as they pass Go. Games are a wonderful way to inspire your teen that family can be fun and supportive even in imagination and play.
4. Watch a show together: Sure, it’s slightly similar to being on the celly. But with a twist. TV shows can nudge the development of sharing insights and predictions to what and why characters are or will become, provide content to the philosophy of human behavior and allow families to bond with each other in the comfort of their pjs.
Encourage your teen to invite a friend(s) over, Not every day, but enough so that you may learn who their friends are and how they may view themselves when spending time with friends in the home environment. It also provides space for your teen to trust you in their peer relationships, increasing the emotional bond between you and them.
Go for walks: Attending the gym may seem far-fetched after you have checked off half the tasks on your to-do list, so scheduling a walk may be a gentle and grounding activity that you and your teen/family can share. This goal accomplishes several things: a healthy lifestyle, proactive decision-making, increased self-esteem, enthusiasm towards maintaining an exercise regime, and an overall good mood.
Cell phones may seem to have taken over as the head of the household. Yet, it does not mean it has replaced the capacity you have as a parent to guide, encourage, and inspire your teen to connect with a more significant part of who they are and what family can mean to them.