{"id":34045,"date":"2021-12-03T11:07:54","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T19:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.momservations.com\/?p=34045"},"modified":"2021-12-03T11:07:54","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T19:07:54","slug":"4-things-your-teens-want-for-christmas-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/03\/4-things-your-teens-want-for-christmas-2\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Things Your Teens Want for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Repost from Dec. 9, 2014. Still the best gifts for teens and young adults. For a gift idea everyone wants, make sure to subscribe to Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper<\/a> so you don’t miss my upcoming article, “What Do You Want Your Corner of the World to Look Like? 5 Ways to give the Gift Everyone Wants.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Momservation:<\/strong> \u201cThe first great gift we can bestow on others is a good example.\u201d\u00a0~Thomas Morell<\/em><\/h4>\n

☺\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ☺\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ☺<\/h4>\n

Tired of giving gift cards? Money feels too impersonal? Too hard to figure out latest trends, interests, or sizes? Then you\u2019ve come to the right place for Christmas shopping for that teenager in your life.<\/h4>\n

Choose from one (or all!) of the four gifts below and I guarantee your teen will be happier than a kid getting an iPhone6 for Christmas! (Okay, maybe I don\u2019t guarantee that, but I bet it will be right up there with their favorite gifts.)<\/h4>\n

\"me1. No judgment. <\/strong>Teens already feel like they\u2019re under a microscope with snap judgments from their peers on everything from what they wear, how they do their hair or makeup, what they post on social media, who they hang out with, what they drive, and what they do in class. They don\u2019t need nor want their parents\u2019 two cents on top of it.<\/h4>\n

My 13 year-old daughter\u2019s favorite words to me right now are \u201cStop\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d It is her way of warning me that she feels judged and for me to be back off.<\/h4>\n

Of course, I don\u2019t see it that way at all. I hear myself passing on insight, perspective, or wisdom from life experience. When I try to explain myself\u2014\u201cI just thought you\u2019d want to know\u2026\u201d or \u201cI was just making an observation\u2026\u201d she will swiftly point out that from her perspective it still feels like a judgment.\"447\"<\/h4>\n

So this Christmas I will be giving my daughter the gift of biting my tongue. It may bleed from trying not to lambast the need for incessant selfies, harping on never ending Snap Chats, clicking my tongue at friends\u2019 inappropriate Instagrams or Tweets, and refraining from commenting on all manners of teenage behavior.<\/h4>\n

These teen years are my children\u2019s road to travel not mine. Time to stop being a backseat driver.<\/h4>\n

2. Trust. <\/strong>Teens need learning experiences, both good and bad to grow. They need opportunities to confront difficult choices or situations; to learn from mistakes and capitalize on successes. Part of growing up is wanting to be trusted.<\/h4>\n

In this age of helicopter parenting, we as parents have become accustomed to shielding our children from any little hurt, disappointment, failure, or mis-step. What we\u2019ve come to see as protecting our kids, our teens see as depriving them of experiences and not trusting they will make good decisions.<\/h4>\n

When I find myself wavering over letting my teens do something that makes me uncomfortable or nervous my daughter will remind me, \u201cMom, you need to just trust that I\u2019ll make the right choices,\u201d or my 15 year-old son will sigh, \u201cMom, trust me, I\u2019ll be fine!\u201d<\/h4>\n