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Home to Hangout
6 Steps to a Teen-friendly Home
By Tamekia Reece
Remember what it was like to be a teen? Erika Karres, Ed.D., author of Mean Chicks, Cliques, and Dirty Tricks (Adams Media, 2004), says you should try to remember, especially the mood swings. Why? Because if you plan to have a nice, friendly place for teens to relax, you must be able to deal with those moods. Karres says parents should expect turbulence during adolescence and need to be flexible, have a sense of humor and honor teens.
Isaacs Kohl adds that parents should work at being detached yet supportive of what the teen is going through. If every time your child is in a bad mood, you in turn snap at her, maybe you should reconsider if you really want teens hanging around all the time.
"Having good food is a must, but all the food in the world doesn't matter if all you can do is watch TV," says Keith, 17, of Yonkers, N.Y. While watching the tube is a favorite pastime for teens, it's a good idea to have other options available. Board games, playing cards, dominoes, video games and basketball are all things that keep teens happily occupied. If you're looking for something more, follow Brown Conroy's suggestions: "If your teen enjoys rollerblading, invest in putting down a cement pad. Or if it's ice skating, ice over a rink in the backyard."
While they might sound expensive, they're really not, and both ideas can be done as fun projects between family and friends. Once you finish, chances are everyone will be gravitating to your home.
All families should spend time together, but when teens have company, they don't want little brothers or sisters butting in. Seventeen-year-old Courtney of California explains it like this: "Whenever I have friends over, I don't want to have to be on my best behavior because I'm worried my little brother will spill everything to Mom. I want to be comfortable."
