Parents, I know it’s been a while since hormones dominated every never in your body and decisions were never quite great. So I’m going to re-explain being a kid in five easy truths. These truths will circulate all of your child’s school career. Elementary, Middle, and even High school. You would do well to memorize every single one of these.

Truth #5: Keep an open mind. Right now social media is conveying one thing to kids. Boyfriends and Girlfriends. But what it won’t say, is sexuality. Right now your child’s cells are an army, their hormones are the general, and their heart has taken the mantle of dictator, the brain often becoming a prisoner of war. This overwhelming force is telling your kid things they shouldn’t have to decide right now. Bisexual, Homosexual, Heterosexual, Transgender; these shouldn’t have to be words in your child’s self-dictionary until their ready. Listen to them. Hear the pleading voices they themselves have buried underneath their confusion and keep an open mind. It is absolutely the best thing for your kid.

Truth #4: Keep them on track. Procrastination is a trait everyone is born with. We all just have different levels of control on it. Kids will have their minds all over the place: missing deadlines, putting something off, the works. It’s your duty to keep your child’s train on the right railroad, they’ll rush and stumble. Not only crushing, but bringing the whole house down with them. Some easy ways to help are having an area to hang important dates and a calendar in easy of things every once and a while, never hurt anyone because keeping your kid on the right track is one of your greatest responsibilities.

Truth #3: Never say “Because I said so!”  This is one of the many, ‘You may now begin rebelling’ phrases every parent mistakenly tells their child. Not many want to do something because their parent said so. They want a reason. Many other kids may even just want to understand an adult’s thinking because in their head all they can hear is why they want it and think it’s a good idea. Explaining yourself can only improve a relationship. This is because that one sentence can cause an explosion of frustration and frustrations is your child’s nemesis because it’s one of the most painful things they’ll go through.

Truth #2: Trust Them. Kids don’t want to feel that they’re going to be in prison for 18 years. Especially with their parents as warden and their siblings as inmates. That trapped suffocation of parents not trusting their children can breed some very bad behavior. Teens won’t make good decisions 24/7, and that can be for the best because mistakes now can help ready them for mistakes in the future. These decisions, whether bad or good, need their consequences. But always remember to give your kids a chance, whether explaining themselves or explaining their intentions, otherwise the handcuffs can feel tighter and tighter.

Truth #1: Never Compare. Comparison is the devil! Never say, “You should act more like your older/younger sibling,” this is a stab to the heart. The minds filters this sentence into, “You’re not good enough. He/She is much better!” would you ever say that to your child!? I don’t think so. The teenage and child mind are very much alike in this way. The things anyone says or does can carry over into adulthood. Harming or strengthening a person in indescribable ways.

These 5 truths are gained by experience-and T.V- but they’re very important truths that many forget to address. Nature vs nurture is one debate, but parenting vs teaching ties all together in one thing: ‘How you treat your teenagers- filtered through the teenage brain.’