Teenage years are the perfect time to start gaining more freedom and independence, as soon enough your kids will be whisked off into the world of expert study or full time employment which makes it vital that you can help your teenager understand the world around them before they dive in at the deep end. Learning how to become as independent as possible doesn’t actually have to be as difficult as they might expect, as you can easily support them in their quests to gain more freedom from their day to day life. Watching your teenagers grow and flourish into their own individual person can be so inspiring to say the least, so there’s no time like the present to learn how to promote ultimate independence for your teen. If you’re interested in finding out more, then read on to uncover a variety of expert recommendations that you can make the most of today.
Encourage Occupied Alone Time
One of the best ways to help your teens become more independent is by encouraging occupied alone time at least once or twice a week. The key feature of this commitment is the word ‘occupied’, as you must ensure that you are not sending them away to sit in silence without anything to do! Unoccupied alone time is sure to make your teen feel low and anxious, and this could lead them to develop a negative relationship with alone time that causes them to fear independence as they age. If you take the time to find out their hobbies and passions then you’ll already know what they enjoy doing, so you can provide them with some materials or ideas and send them on their way. Having a few hours alone reading a good book, crafting artwork, playing some sport or exercising, cooking a delicious meal or even pampering with skin care and hair care can help to keep your teen occupied for the whole afternoon, and they’ll no doubt enjoy themselves throughout. When they can understand that alone time can be fun and exciting, they’ll stop waiting for you to suggest it and begin to get up and go on their own. This is such a great way to ease them into independence gently, as they can come straight back to you if ever they feel a little too alone. It may be a good idea to check in on your teen as they begin experimenting with alone time, as you should aim to make sure that they’re not getting up to anything risky or dangerous while also ensuring they aren’t just sitting in the same position blankly staring at the wall.
Book An Independent Trip
When your son or daughter reaches their late teens, a great way to show them real freedom is by booking an independent trip that they can go on alone away from their family and friends. There are so many different trios available for your teenager to look into, many of which will also help to improve their moral compass and encourage them to care more deeply about people and the planet. For example, they can choose to volunteer at an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo, or help protect the coral reef by visiting the Philippines for preservation work! Taking the plunge and visiting a faraway country as a teenager can be an enormously formative experience, as it can aid you in understanding the privilege of living in a first world environment – this is great to help establish a positive frame of mind in which your teen feels as lucky and content as ever. If heading to the other side of the world isn’t really your teens thing then don’t fret, as you can easily source mission trips for teens that travel nationwide rather than overseas! Any kind of independent trip will allow them to learn how to look after themselves, as they won’t be able to rely on you for cooking, cleaning or any other everyday tasks. As a result they’ll not only gain independence but also confidence too – what’s not to love? Make sure that you ease them in by booking no longer than a month away, especially if this is their first solo trip, as they may find it all too stressful and simply want to come home after a certain amount of time.
Helping your teen to gain independence and experience freedom has never been such a simple task when you can take the time to utilize some of the excellent tips, tricks and ideas that have been carefully described above.
