The Importance of the Parent-Teen Relationship

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Recommended: Mother and daughter relations topic

Parent-teen relationships are among the most important in a youth's life. Whether a parent is providing love, criticism, or old-fashioned rulemaking, the structure and stability of a healthy parental relationship with teens can make a huge impact on their stressful adolescent lives. In Speak, a healthy parent-teen relationship could have meant the difference between swift justice and months of harassment. Mothers, fathers, and family communication in general are all important in unique ways. The mother-teen relationship is one of the most important relationships a child can have. Research has shown that a mother has great influence over their child's decisions about sex, drugs, alcohol, body image, and both friendly and romantic relationships. Both boys and girls in grades eight through eleven whose mothers "strongly disapproved" of teen sexual activity are much more likely to delay sexual activity (Blum 1). Research also shows that mothers that communicate well and have an active relationship with their teen (especially daughters) significantly reduce the risk that that child will use drugs or alcohol (Mayeda and Sanders 2). Teen daughters also receive most of their cues about body image not from their friends and the media but from their mothers (Baugh 2). Both teen sons and daughters look to their mothers for guidance about important relationship decisions especially about the opposite sex. Teen sons look to their mothers for advice on how to navigate turbulent dating situations and frequently ask, "Mom, you are a girl. Why do girls do this?" (Riera "Mothers and Sons" 2). Teen daughters look to their older, wiser mother for strength and guidance about dating issues such as trust, infidelity, dependency, and peer pressure (... ... middle of paper ... ...er, Deserter or Enemy: Mother-Daughter Relationships and Substance Abuse." Editorial. Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals Dec. 2008: 44-47. CounserlorMagazine.com. Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, 20 Dec. 2008. Web. 17 May 2011. Moore, Kristin, Lina Guzman, Elizabeth Hair, Laura Lippman, and Sarah Garrett. "Parent-Teen Relationships and Interactions: Far More Positive Than Not." Child Trends. N.p., Dec 2004 Web. 13 May 2011. "Parenting Statistics." DadsWorld. 2007. Web. 13 May 2011. Riera, Michael. "Mothers and Daughters: Fire Meets Fire." Staying Connected to Your Teenager. Perseus Group. FamilyEducation.com. Pearson Education, Inc. Web. 18 May 2011. Riera, Michael. "Mothers and Sons: Fire Meets Rock." Staying Connected to Your Teenager. Perseus Group. FamilyEducation.com. Pearson Education, Inc. Web. 18 May 2011.

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