This article provides a different perspective on parenting teens with the analogy between two major car categories: racy, sports models and safe, reliable economy cars.
As a parent, you may sometimes feel overwhelmed at the thought of guiding your child through their teen years. Teenage dating advice can seem daunting as a teen’s physiological and psychological changes lead to behavior that can manifest as self confident, bordering on vain, and at other times insecure and self-deprecating. Their brains are still being pruned and developed; heading toward adulthood but not quite there. With this confusing behavior, Teenage Dating Advice can often be very confronting and leave you feeling useless as a parent, but this don’t have to be the case. Let’s take an automotive example: your teenage son can one moment see himself as a muscle car, able to take on the world, while your teenage daughter might feel like a hot Ferrari. How will you keep your teen from heading full-throttle into relationships without the gearbox to downshift? On the other hand, teenage dating advice can be difficult to follow when, after a discouraging dating encounter or non-responsive post on Facebook; you find your teen comparing themselves to a “boring” economy car. Your teen’s attitude towards their peers and potential dates can impact how they view themselves and your teenage dating advice should address their behavior as a result. Every teen is unique and should not feel categorized as “just a beige minivan.”This is where teenage dating advice becomes more complicated; you want your teen to be self confident, but also grounded and mature enough to take disappointment well and treat all relationships with respect. It is important when giving teenage dating advice to encourage your child to view themselves, as well as their potential dates, as a combination of that attractive car they admire and the more reliable, cost-effective economy car; there are clearly benefits to both.
Ask your teen the question, “If you were a car based on who you are today, what car would you say that you are?” Then, “What car would you like to be?” You can give teenage dating advice by asking them to compare the two types of cars and how they would view potential dates. By comparing themselves and others to a particular model, your teen can get a more objective view of themselves and how they fit in to their social environment. Understanding how your teen views him or herself can also help you as a parent to give better teenage dating advice. If your teen identifies more with the flashy high-performance sports car, it might be helpful to point out that cars like this tend to be high maintenance and lose their value if not taken care of properly. Furthermore, ‘road rules’ and respect for those around you are equally as important in showing good character and gaining respect. Similarly, you can point out that economy cars are just as valuable as the flashy sports models, because they are approachable, reliable, low-maintenance and safe. If treated with respect and care, these kinds of cars hold much value.
What is ideal when giving teenage dating advice is not to try and encourage your teen to identify with one type of car or the other, but rather to achieve a healthy balance between the two types. Teenage Dating advice like this can show your teen that by viewing themselves and others as a blend of the pros of both luxury and economy cars, they can see that there is a much deeper measure of value to be found beneath the surface of a slick paint job and roaring engine. If they treat themselves and their potential dates with care and respect, they will discover that they are both reliable and easy to maintain, as well as racy and exciting all within healthy limits.