Your high school kids are in the peak of adulthood. They will face many changes in their body, internal and external, physical, mental, and hormonal. These changes should be faced with a lot of guidance from you, their parents, or else, they might seek the help of their fellow teenager, which might turn into a disaster.
They may have slowly changed their appearance because puberty begins during this time, but at the back of your head, they are still your child, your baby, and you will do everything to keep them safe and protected.
There are life lessons that are best taught during this time — things that will significantly impact their future as adults. Tell them without making it awkward, and make sure that they are comfortable talking about these things.
Here are some lessons you can teach your kids in high school:
1. Explain the Changes in Their Bodies
For your teenage girls, they will start having their menstrual period, so it is best to explain what happens inside their body, the do’s and don’ts, and the proper hygiene that they need to follow. For your teenage boys, tell them what happens in their body, the sudden changes in their voice, the hair growing everywhere, and enlighten their curious minds about their libido.
2. Teach Them About Love and Relationships
Your high school kids might start having crushes on their classmates, schoolmates, or friends so tell them what they feel is normal. It is okay to have a crush — they can be their inspiration in school. They also have to know their limits when they choose to be in a relationship. Puppy love and infatuation are two things that teens confuse with love. They have to understand what they feel.
3. Teach Them to Be Responsible
Responsibility is a virtue that should be taught during this age. Owning up your mistake as a teenager will greatly reflect your adult life. They have to know that committing a mistake happens, and it is normal to make mistakes but owning it makes them a better person than hiding the truth. This is the age where they would encounter vices from their classmates, schoolmates, or friends. Explain to them the dangers of these vices that can affect the body in negative ways. Drinking and smoking are dangerous no matter what age you are in.
4. Teach Them to Be Cautious
Your kids might be invited to several parties as they meet many people during their high school days. Tell them to be wary of people they just met who suddenly become too friendly during a party, too touchy, or too clingy, that these are red flags and might be trouble. Your kids are vulnerable during this time because they want to explore new things, so they have to be cautious whenever they are. Tell them how they can avoid being drugged at a party, how they can politely say no to alcoholic drinks, smoking, and drug use.
5. Teach Them to Treasure Their Friends
High school can be the best time of your kids’ life or the worst. You have to teach them to be kind to other teenagers, treasure their friends, and be respectful to elders and their classmates as well. Having friends inside and outside the school can teach your son or daughter how to interact with other people. They will learn how to show respect, be kind, and be friendly — these things will help them gain friends they can keep until they grow old.
6. Teach Them How to Hold Their Ground
They have to learn what is right from wrong and to be able to stand firm on their principle. Your high school kids can try to be more independent during this age, and as parents, you have to instill good manners into their lives while they are still young. Teach them how they can resolve any argument calmly and with respect for other people’s opinions.
When someone tells them, they are wrong, they have to respect it because people have different ideas and perspectives. They also have to know how to defend their principles and make other people respect their opinions.
7. Teach Them How to Be Independent
At this age, they can start becoming more independent. Assign them chores at home like cleaning their room, fixing their bed, washing and folding their clothes, cooking, and fixing minor issues at home. Allow them to explore and learn new things, have a hobby, and even craft. Independence also means that you allow them to decide freely, and you will respect their decision.
8. Teach Them How to Be an Adult
This is something that is not directly taught inside classrooms — adulting can sometimes be challenging, but it can also be fun. You can allow your kids to apply for a part-time job to know how they can value their time and money. They have to know that life can be challenging, cruel, satisfying, and happy simultaneously, and it is natural and normal. They should not be afraid to face life.
9. Help Them When They Have Questions About School
High school can be overwhelming in terms of having a lot of subjects that they need to juggle daily. They have to learn how they can prioritize their work. This is the time in their lives that they have to prepare for college. Guide them in their subjects that they are having a hard time understanding. Let them blossom in subjects that they are very comfortable in. This way, choosing a college degree would be easy for them.
The life lessons you taught them when they were younger are still the same things they should continue to learn. Consistency with life lessons like respect, kindness, empathy, contentment, and happiness are values they need until they have grown into adults. These things will make them better individuals, with better judgment on people’s characters and intentions. When they were younger, the good things that you taught them should be carried when they turn into teens.
High school is a phase where many things change, and these changes must be addressed in a way that is easy to understand. You are preparing your kids to be good individuals in the future. They have to start young so that these values are rooted deep in their hearts and minds. Your high school kids will be respected by their fellow teens and even other adults with these values.
