Values & Standards: Help Teens Set & Standby Them

Something that many parents mention to us as their teenage sons graduate from our boarding school for troubled teens is that the parents wish they had emphasized the right values and standards more with their struggling teens. In most cases, these teens had known their families values when they were younger, but without reinforcement and continued support, children can lose their way as they develop into teens. If you have become concerned about your teenager and their behavior, then it may be time to help your teen reset their standards and hold to better values.

Why Teens Need Clear Values & Standards Set

Teens are at a tenuous point in their lives where much is changing around them. With so much changing, it is critical that teens have clear values and standards to hold onto as they figure out who they want to be. However, these values won’t necessarily come from their parents if a concentrated effort is not made. Since teenagers spend more of their waking hours with their peers, this constant interaction often means that teens can often pick up ideas and values of their peers, leading your teen to discard family standards in favor of aligning their values to their friends. While this issue can be alleviated if your son attends an all-boys school for troubled teens, where high standards of behavior are expected, most public school settings can leave your child exposed to a variety of undesirable beliefs. To prevent your teenager from falling in with whatever is the latest passing value, it is essential that you provide your child with the values and standards that they should be embracing.

How Parents Can Define Important Family Values

Teaching your teen about what values and standards they should be embracing can be difficult. For one thing, you’ve probably noticed that your teen tends to tune you out as you talk to them about pretty much anything. To overcome this and help you define your important family values for your teen, here are some things you can try:

• Even if you feel like your teenager isn’t listening, it is important for you to clearly state family values. Take time for teaching moments, whether you talk about a particular family standard over dinner or one-on-one with your teen.
• Your example is one of the most significant ways you can convey family values to your teens. If you are living the values and standards that you want your teen to embrace, your teen will likely remember that far longer than any lecture they are given.
• Incorporate programs and activities which support the family values you have, such as like-minded extracurricular programs and spiritual groups.

What Standards And Values Are Key For Teens To Learn

When it comes down to it, every parent raises their children differently and carry different values at the core of their families. So, while we don’t want to tell you how you should be raising your teens, there are some key life skills, values, and standards that all teens can benefit from embracing early in life. Some values you may want to emphasize with your teenager are:

• Leadership skills
• Value of always being honest
• Healthy self-esteem
• Importance of hard work

Provide Your Teen With Help In Standing By The Right Standards

For some teens who have strayed far from the standards and values that your family hold dear, there is still hope that these teens can still change. But, without concentrated help, making permanent and lifelong changes can be difficult. To help your troubled teen overcome their struggles and re-center themselves on the right path, you can count on Liahona Treatment Center. We work with struggling teenage boys and help them build up their personal values and standards so that when they leave our program, our graduates are better prepared to make the right choices in life. If you believe that your troubled teenage son can benefit from our program, contact us. One of our program advisors can talk to you about your concerns and discover if your teen is a good candidate for our program.