Positive Parenting
A new approach towards relating to your adolescent children, guided by Islamic principles and modern parenting wisdom.
After a certain point in a child's life, various factors begin to influence and pull them in different directions. When a young person is feeling frustrated usually they tend to bottle up what's inside and the parents are the last to be informed.
Remember you're a parent, AND a friend
Your teenage children crave the security of knowing their parents understand them, appreciate them, and love them no matter what–so they do want the relationship to be a form of friendship. But they also need to feel like they have some independence, so sometimes you may feel a bit shut out.
Establish dependable together time
Be sure to check in every single day. A few minutes of conversation while you're cleaning up after dinner or right before bedtime can keep you tuned in and establish open communication.
Parent actively and appropriately
Don't invite rebellion by refusing to acknowledge that your son or daughter is growing up and needs more freedom. But don't be afraid to ask where your kids are going, who they'll be with and what they'll be doing.
Keep your standards high
Your teen wants to be his or her best self. Our job as parents is to support our teens in doing that. But don't expect your child to achieve goals you decide for him or her.
The Prophet's Guidance
"The child...is an adviser for [the next] seven years."
At the age of fourteen, fifteen and up, a Muslim child is expected to have become a responsible teenager. Therefore, the Prophet says that the parents should now treat him or her more like a 'friend'. At this stage, the parents should guide and help their teenage child in making correct decisions for themselves.