While you will always be the parent and your child will always be the child, that doesn’t mean that you can’t cultivate an environment of mutual respect between you. Youth thrive off having a sense of independence and freedom. While there are boundaries, empowering your children to be confident in their feelings while trusting them with certain responsibilities can help you relate to one another like never before. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”

How do you do this? Validate their feelings. Even if you need to correct any potential actions their feelings may lead them to, let them know that you both hear and understand why they feel the way they do. Come up with strategies together on how to handle and process those feelings. Let your children be part of the process and trust them with that responsibility.