Mentor’s Have Been Proven To Help Teens Succeed In Their Lives!

Creating Positive Teen Influence

As parents, we are the primary influences in our children’s lives, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t equally important for teens to have other adults they can bounce things off of. Even teens who have a great relationship with their parents won’t necessarily come to them with every little problem, and knowing your child has another trusted adult to turn to may help relax you a bit.


Father mentoring his teen daughter



1. Having a Mentor Helps With Self-Esteem

When teens see that teachers, pastors or other members of the community are taking an active interest in their future, it reminds them of their worth. This is important, because teens are bombarded with many negative messages from the media and their peers on a daily basis. Being confident can help your teen make better decisions about how to be happy in life. A mentor will also talk to them about the practicalities of how to develop self-esteem and become empowered. It is also important for your teen to be able to express all of her feelings without worrying about upsetting you. We don’t want our teens stuffing their feelings and have it come out in a harmful way.  If they have a place where they can express themselves honestly, they learn to have better communication skills as well.


2. Having a Mentor Gives Your Teen an Edge

There is a belief out in the world that as we mature we will organically develop self-esteem. This isn’t correct or there wouldn’t be so many adults making poor decisions. True we can learn from hard knocks, but wouldn’t you want to give your teen a great head start? Why wouldn’t you want them to go into college with a better sense of self, instead of learning through bad decisions while they aren’t under your wing.  An added bonus is that your teen will be able to use mentoring on his or her resume as something they have done to better themselves.


3. Having a Mentor Creates a Trusted Place to Turn

You want your teen to come to you with every problem, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s good to know that she will have someone with their best interest at heart to talk to. Friends are great but it’s kind-of like the blind leading the blind. A good mentor will be able to guide your teen on subjects she may be uncomfortable talking to you about. Talking with your teen’s mentor will give you a new perspective on your child’s life and the mentor can keep you better informed about how your teen is really doing. A good mentor also encourages the teen to go to the parent with tough situations.


4. Having a Mentor Can Help Your Teen Through a Tough Spot

Every person on Earth has lived through their own set of experiences and has unique advice to share. You can offer your teen many words of wisdom, but a mentor may be able to help her in a way you can’t. You are emotionally involved and because of this, fears come up with certain situations regarding your teen. A mentor is detached and therefore doesn’t react.  If you can accept this and be thankful for the mentor, you will be able to support your teen with greater ease.


The truth is, people of all ages can benefit from having a mentor, but teens are at an especially critical stage in their development. It’s important that as parents, we give them everything we can, but it’s also crucial that we surround them with a variety of adults who may prove to be a positive influence.


Keep Loving Yourself, Debra



The post Mentor’s Have Been Proven To Help Teens Succeed In Their Lives! appeared first on Empowered Teens and Parents.

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Published on February 01, 2014 09:00
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