Involve your teen in big decisions that affect their lives. Examples may include: the subjects they take at school, getting a part-time job, curfews, and rules for using devices etc. If they are involved in making these decisions they are more likely to honour them, and it will give them a sense of control over their lives.

Curfews should grow with your teenager. By adapting and giving them more freedom as they age shows you trust them more. Talk about the reasons for this rule, and decide together what should happen if they know they will be late.

Give them opportunities to develop experience. Reducing restrictions over time gives your child room to demonstrate they can be trusted and make good decisions. Reward them with increased freedom. Knowing your child will be able to look after themselves is a great reward for both of you.

Let them know they can always rely on your support. You won’t always like or agree with the choices your child makes. Being there for them means letting them know that you may not always agree with them but that you will always support them.

Warning Signs of Abuse
Because relationships exist on a spectrum, it can be hard to tell when a behavior crosses the line from healthy to unhealthy or even abusive. In the early stages of an abusive relationship, your teen may not think the unhealthy behaviors are a big deal. The following are warning signs of a relationship going in the wrong direction:
• Constantly putting someone down
• Extreme jealousy or insecurity
• Explosive temper
• Isolating someone from their family or friends, dictating who they can see or hang out with
• Mood swings (nice one minute and angry the next)
• Checking someone‘s cell phone, social media or email without permission
• Physically hurting someone in any way
• Possessiveness
• Telling someone what to do or what to wear

Here are some other basics of healthy communication that you can work on with your teen when discussing relationships.

Avoid yelling and insults. Getting angry or defensive during an argument is totally normal. But encourage your preteen to take a break and cool off if they‘re getting upset.

Use "I statements.” Encourage your teen to take ownership of their feelings rather than blame or accuse the person they‘re upset with. "I feel ___ when ___" works better than "You're making me ___."

Own your feelings. Encourage your teen to talk about their feelings early and often instead of holding onto things. Pushing your feelings aside for a long time can lead to lower self-esteem or big fights that could‘ve been avoided. If your preteen is having a problem with a friend, you can help them figure out how to bring it up.