When it comes to mentoring teenagers and helping to mold and remold their minds so that they may become the best they could ever be, parents and teachers have crucial roles to play. There is therefore the need for them to come to this realization and live up to the expectation. Also it is important for parents and teachers to know how best to mentor teenagers because inasmuch as mentoring young people might be a natural thing, there are still techniques and certain [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][special] skills required to do so. It is therefore in this light to I write below some useful and realistic tips parents and teachers could use to ensure that the teenagers in their lives are effectively mentored and prepared to face the challenges of life.
- The foremost thing to do is to try as much as possible to develop rapport with the teens.
- Mentors must set up realistic goals which should focus on the teenagers and their expected overall development.
- Do not make it a formal kind of association. In other words, every mentoring session must not be strictly about giving advice. Make out time to just hang out and chill with the teens as well as that is one good way to understand them better.
- Let the teens feel free and comfortable to talk to you. Nothing makes mentoring sections as worthless as when the mentor do all the talking while the mentee only talks when required to.
- Be nice, full of encouragements while making friendly corrections.
- Allow teens to have significant control over everything discussed during a mentorship session. Mentors should not be pushy and overly assertive. Instead, be sensitive to the individual personalities of the teens and the fact that they may not all respond to you the same way.
- A good mentor is usually one who knows how to listen to the mentee. Therefore learn how to listen; hear the facts. And if at all you must be critical and judgmental, be subtle about it.
- You must respect the fact that teenagers trust you enough to tell you their secrets. Do not betray the trust.
- You may be the teen’s parent or even teacher. But that is different from being their mentor. That said, you must be their friend and not an authority figure for that is the only way the mentoring process can flow.
- Be responsible for building the relationship by following up, being friendly and not being too pushy. And ensure that every feedback you receive is not used against the teens, but towards making them better than they already are.
- Inasmuch as you should be friendly, do not cross the line of friendship.
- Respect the teens’ wishes and basic humanities.
- Let your aim be to make them better than they already are.
- Be the perfect role model.
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