Talking to teens and familycommunication is very important while raising your family. What's interestingis that your teen wants to communicate with you as much as you want to communicatewith them. Make as much time as possible to do this so you know what ishappening in your teens life.

You want to be able to trust yourteenagers while they're not with you. You also want your teen to talk with youabout things they're going through and for them to come to you when they havequestions. Trusting your teen could open the lines of communication with them.

What exactly is trust and how can itbe a door for family communication? As parents we are working toward teachingour child to no longer need us. In an effort to help them grow and mature, weexpect that we will be able to count on them to be honest with us, that theywill do what they say they will, and that they will treat us with respect. Theinteresting thing is that these are the same things teens want to know aboutus.

We have to be able to trust ourchild, their judgment, and their decision-making process before we feel we cantruly let them go and believe they will be successful. Unfortunately, beinglied to, let down, or allowing fear of the unknown to take hold makes us wonderif our trust was misplaced.

Have we proven ourselves trustworthyas our children have grown up? How many times did we tell them we'd be at aplay or basketball game only to be detained, without fault of our own? Thaterodes their trust in us just as sneaking out of the house to go to a partyerodes our faith in them.

Realize that both parents and teenswill make mistakes when it comes to being completely trustworthy. That doesn'tmean you give up on the relationship and never trust again. You start out andslowly rebuild the trusting relationship you both want and need.

Even if trust has been broken youneed to keep the lines of family communication open. Don't yell and belittleone another to try to make them see your point. Sit down and calmly talk aboutwhat happened, how things could have been handled differently, and what mustoccur to rebuild that trust.

Just as you expect your teen to behonest with you about what they're doing, where they've been, and who they'vebeen with, they need you to be honest with them as well. Don't make promisesyou may not be able to keep. Talking to teens and listening to what they haveto say more than you telling them what you think you know will help you withfamily communication.

Your teen needs to know that youtrust them to make good decisions. Give them more responsibilities or freedom,a little at a time, to help them learn some of what will be expected of them asan adult. Let them know that you're honestly not trying to make their lifedifficult, you're trying to teach them the value of being trustworthy which willbe of the utmost importance for their future.

While trusting your teen can openthe lines of family communication, so can love. Be sure to show your child thatno matter how they slip up or what they do that you'll always love them. Letthem know that they can come to you regardless of the situation. They need toknow that you'll listen to them, and not judge. You are their parent and youlove them.

Talking to teens may be difficult attimes but remember that you were a teenager once. Try and remember the thingsthat you went through when you were a teenager and how difficult the transitionwas from childhood to adulthood. Keep these memories in mind while talking toyour teen. Family communication of any kind is worth the effort!