Listen to them closely when they’re sharing their life with you Avoid being judgmental or punitive Be empathetic and think about how you might feel if you were in their shoes Avoid wanting to tell them to “get over it” or minimizing their experience in any way Validate your teen’s feelings (i.e. “It looks like you’ve been feeling sad lately. Is that true?) Try to understand your teen Connect with your teen emotionally Make a date with your teen to do something together that they enjoy Communicate to your teen that you’re available to talk about anything ... View more