Do You Love Me? Do You Care?

Many parents ask me what their teenagers are looking for from them. Teenagers want to know that they are loved, you hear them and see them for who they really are as a person. This is the most important thing to most teenagers.

When they feel unloved or unwanted, often they will act out trying to get your attention. they are wanting to say that you love them. However, at times they make it difficult if they were arrested for stealing or because of the things they say to you. It’s important to remember that a teenager’s brain is not fully developed until they are 25 years old. Therefore, they act out as a cry for help, but it can be easy to misinterpret their cries for help and love.

These statements below can help your teenagers. Try it and sees what happens.

Words kids ages 1-25 always need to hear
1 am here for you unconditionally
You make you me proud when you rise
and when you get up after falls
It's okay to talk about feelings
I am here to listen anytime
I am so proud of you
It's okay to feel stressed - just know
where to call and ask for help
Getting enough sleep is critical
Don't skip meals
Be gentle with yourself
It's okay to take a mental health hour
It's even okay to take a mental health day
You Matter
You will always matter
You are loved

From Alessandra Kellermann
Crisis Intervention Counselor

Seriously try these statements and show your teenagers that you love and care no matter how hard they make it for you to express it and see how your teenager reacts.

Dr. Michael Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 24 years experience treating children and teenagers and trauma victims. For more information about his work visit his website at www.RubinoCounseling.com or his Facebook page at Facebook.com/Drrubino3