You might remember a time when road trips and out-of-town vacations were the epitome of leisure. Today, however, there are many ways to get entertainment and interact with others in the comfort of your own home.
Teenagers, in particular, are so into social media and video games that getting them to engage in outside activities can become a monumental task. If you’re a parent who’s concerned about being involved in your teenager’s life, you may think about ways on how to bond the family together in a more traditional kind of way.
One of these is organizing a road trip for the whole family. But how can you encourage your teenagers to join you? These suggestions may help you.
1. Always be in touch.
One of the reasons why teenagers tend to be distant is because they’re treated as kids instead of the budding adults that they are. As parents, you’re still in charge until they reach the age of responsibility, but you don’t have to keep it one-sided.
Open all your lines of communication so that they’ll be free to talk to you. If they have something in mind that they want to tell you, lend an ear and don’t judge right away. Value their opinions and provide constructive and clear comments.
Even your phone should be taken to a repair center in West Valley City if it’s broken and would limit your communication with them. Your child may not thank you now, but they will later in life.
2. Visit the great outdoors.
One would either love being outside or hate the idea altogether. If your teenager is in the latter category, then it might take a lot of persuading before they even take the first step out. However, you shouldn’t rush them in doing so because by doing that, it will make them hate the idea more instead of being encouraged to do so.
You could ease them into it by getting them used to outdoor activities, such as camping in the backyard or having a barbecue, before the trip. If you’re not the type to go outside either, then you’d want to start doing so too. Even if you don’t think they’re observant, they still see you as an example of behavior.
3. Get them involved.
You might disregard what your teens are trying to do something simply because they’re older and should know better. But as mentioned earlier, that’s just a recipe for a distant attitude. Get them involved in the planning stage for your trip by asking them questions about the places they’d like to visit or activities that they would like to do during (and after) the trip.
This will make it more appealing for them and will get them to become more invested in it. You can also take breaks along the way while spending some alone time talking about things they can’t open up about at home.
Getting your teenager to participate in a road trip and communicate with you will require some effort from both of you. The best that you can do is to open all the avenues that you can and give encouragement for them to go to you on their own. Being supportive is what it’s all about, and you may be surprised if they’ll ask you when the next trip is going to be.
