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Keeping Your Child Healthy

Girl Power: Help Your Teen Daughter Thrivesmiling girl with braces

Loud music blaring, marathon telephone conversations, clothes and makeup tossed everywhere—welcome to the life of your teenage daughter. The teen years may seem like a prison sentence to some parents, but if you resist the urge to take everything personally, you'll find this stage easier to handle.

Stuck between being a girl and a woman, your teen daughter wants to test the rules in order to find her own identity apart from her family. However, she needs consistent discipline from loving parents.

  • Make firm rules for issues that really matter to you, and negotiate those that don't.
  • Be flexible in deciding how old your daughter needs to be for her to have a say about issues that affect her, such as clothes or hairstyles.
  • You will probably hear at some time, "But everyone else is doing it." Don't hesitate to say no if the request doesn't seem right to you.

As your daughtder moves through the teen years, increase the degree of her responsibility, says Richard Kreipe, M.D., chairman of Adolescent Medicine.

  • By age 13, she may be allowed to choose her own clothes if she pays with her allowance.
  • By age 16, she may be able to drive without you, given that she comes home by a pre-agreed curfew.

Teenage girls are more prone to low self-esteem than boys. Giving your daughter a strong sense of self will help her make the right choices during this confusing time.

  • Expose her to a variety of activities.
  • Encourage her to take risks, such as learning new skills.
  • Applaud your daughter for her skills and intelligence, not just her appearance. Stress that she has other qualities.

Your daughter sees you as a role model—talk with her about the values that you wish for her. It's up to you to counter any negative images and information she may see.