Positive Parenting Practices
Parenting a teen is not easy. Many outside influences distract our youth and add challenges to parenting efforts. Youth need adults who are there for them—people who connect with them, communicate with them, spend time with them, and show a genuine interest in them. A key parental role is helping teens understand that their health and well-being—now and in the future—are not simply a matter of chance, but a matter of choice.
By engaging in positive parenting, parents can help their adolescent make healthy choices.
| Parenting Practice Topic | Protective Factor Focus |
|---|---|
| Parental monitoring | Learn ways parents can use effective monitoring practices to help their teen make healthy decisions and avoid risky behaviors |
| Fathers’ influence | Learn ways fathers can help their teen avoid sexual risk behaviors |
| Parents’ influence on lesbian, gay, or bisexual teens | Learn ways parents can promote positive health outcomes for their lesbian, gay, or bisexual teen |
| Parent-teen communication about sex | Learn ways parents can have meaningful discussions with their teen about sex, relationships, and the prevention of HIV, STDs, and pregnancy |
| Supporting One on One Time with a Healthcare Provider | Learn ways parents can help teens build trusting relationships with healthcare providers to talk about sensitive issues such as sexual and mental health, substance use, and safety from bullying |
Positive Parenting Practices Fact Sheets
- Monitoring Your Teen’s Activities: What Parents and Families Should Know
- Ways to Influence Your Teen’s Sexual Risk Behavior: What Fathers Can Do
- Parents’ Influence on the Health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens: What Parents and Families Should Know
- Talking with Your Teens about Sex: Going Beyond “the Talk”
- Teen Health Services and One-On-One Time with A Healthcare Provider: An Infobrief for Parents
Page last reviewed: August 7, 2018