In this issue:

• Info You Can Use: Setting These 3 Boundaries Improved Everything with My Teens​
• Resources: 50 Simple and Useful Life Skills for Teens You Can Teach Quickly​
• From a fellow parent: Three Simple Tasks You Should Transition to Your Teens Today​
• Great Idea to Connect: Inspirational Sticky Notes​

Hey friends:

It can be frustrating to get your teen to help out around the house without constant nagging or fighting. It's a balance because you want to teach them life skills, but sometimes you just want to get along, too.

Or, you and your teen may be so busy that you just need to get stuff done!

Getting teens to do chores can be a challenge—or really anything--around the house can be a challenge. Here are a few tips that may help:

• Be clear and super specific. Instead of saying "clean the kitchen" try "Put the dishes in the dishwasher and empty the garbage.
• Agree on responsibilities together. Let your teen pick one chore they don't mind doing, and assign another one. If needed, write it down for reference.
• Make a routine. Scheduled events are often easier to do, so something like, "empty all the garbage on Wednesday night."
• Show them, even if you think they know. Do it with them once or twice so they understand the expectation
• Notice the effort. Say thank you when it gets done, and be gentle and kind when giving feedback on when it doesn't get done to your standards. Sometimes it's an honest mistake.
• Use natural consequences. Try not to rescue your teen. If they didn't do their laundry, let them figure it out once or twice (obviously knowing if there is extenuating circumstances or not.)

Remember the 3 Cs: consistency, clarity, and conversations are usually more effective than nagging or arguments.-Whitney and the PTT Team
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P.S. If you haven't already, check out these advent calendars:

​Grab These 2026 Teen Advent Calendars That Will Definitely Sell Out​

​Awesome Advent Calendars for Middle Schoolers​

​Ultimate List of Advent Calendars for College Students​

Setting These Boundaries Improved the Relationship with My Teens I started by recognizing that a lot of the problem was me. My kids were behaving in the ways they were supposed to be at their age, but I was the grown-up and needed to start acting like one. Read article

50 Life Skills to Teach Your Teens Read article

​ ​Let Your Teen Do These 3 Tasks to Learn How to Take Care of Themselves There is always a big divide over how much parents should help teens, especially during the busy high school years. Many teenagers are overloaded with academics, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, service hours, and much more, which means we want to offer guidance and support. Also, many parents are also under a great deal of stress, so it can be frustrating and time-consuming to constantly beg and negotiate with your teen to do a simple task or finish their chores. As a result, we do things tweens and teens can do for themselves simply because it is easier and less stressful. Read article

Inspirational Post Its When I was going through a hard time with my teens, I started leaving them little post it notes with messages like, "Thanks for doing X" or "I'm so proud of how hard you worked in your game!" The notes didn't solve everything, but they were small ways we could connect. These notes make it even easier. Find it here

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