In the Middle of It with Amy Kelly, The Ish Girl
Building Trust or Breaking It? 9 Questions for You and Your Teen
Biggest Takeaways
Building trust is something our teens – and we – do with every choice we make. You’re either building trust or breaking it, there’s no in between.
How is your teen building trust when it comes to being responsible? Being honest? Having integrity and character?
Your actions, decisions, and expectations communicate your trustworthiness to your teens every day.
How are you building trust when it comes to following through? Listening before jumping to conclusions? Telling the truth even when it’s hard? Supporting them through a crisis? Sticking to your decision, once you’ve made one?
You break trust with your teen when you don’t give them clear answers. When you flip flop on your decisions. When you don’t lay out clear expectations. When you share things about them without their permission – especially on social media. Not apologizing when you are wrong.
Something that seems like a pebble to you can feel like a boulder to them.
Questions to Ask
Use these questions to do a gut check about how you’re building trust.
Ask yourself:
Do I consistently give my teen clear & decisive answers?
Is my yes, “yes” and my no, “no?”
Are my expectations clear?
Do I honor their privacy?
Do I apologize quickly and sincerely to reconcile our relationship?
Have your teen ask themselves:
Do I follow through on my responsibilities?
Am I being honest with the adults in my life?
Do I volunteer information before I’m “caught”?
Do my actions demonstrate integrity and character?
Referenced in this Episode
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FREE EBOOK: Be the Grownup They Need
YA BOOKS ABOUT . . . TRUST
Will they build or break trust? Read to find out!
Two Lies and A Spy by Kat Carlton
Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen