T eenage years can be tough for parents and children alike. The struggles of growing responsibility, coupled with new experiences and temptations can make it hard for teens to follow the path that their parents have laid out for them. Help your child avoid making major mistakes during this critical time in their life by working on building a good relationship with him or her.

You can foster healthy and positive relationships with your teenager by just following a few simple steps. People need to have loving relationships with other people in order to feel fulfilled. As a parent, your job is to lead and teach your teenager with love and support. The more that you foster love, the more they will adopt the same habits into their life and build strong relationships in the future.

One of the best ways to foster love is to avoid criticism. Criticism does nothing but tear your teenager down and make them feel useless. If you have something negative that you need to discuss with your teen, see if you can balance it with something positive. Keep your negative comments limited to just a few seconds. Don't lecture on for several minutes unless it's absolutely necessary.

Avoiding anger is another way to foster love. If you are feeling angry at your teen, avoid discussing the matter with them in the heat of the moment. Most grown children say that they responded better to their parent calmly telling them about their disappointing behavior, rather than yelling. If you need to wait a day to calmly discuss and convey your disappointment in their choices, then do so.

Offer praise when it's called for and praise what you want to foster. If you want your child to be intelligent and independent, then make sure to emphasize these things as he or she is growing up. The more attention you give to praising the positive aspects of what they are doing, the more they will want to do them.

Build love in your family by listening to your teen. During the teenage years, children often feel isolated and unheard. Sometimes you can do a lot of good for your child by reserving your judgment and criticism and merely listening to what they have to say. If you have to bite your tongue, do it and allow your child to speak his or her mind. They will feel more respect for you if you hear them out.

Nothing helps a family grow in love more than having fun together. Sometimes parents get so caught up in their work and the struggles of day-to-day life that they forget to have fun with their children. Fun activities don't have to be expensive. They just have to be enjoyable for the family members. Anything that allows you all to laugh with one another and spend time together is a good idea. Try to reserve time each week to spend together in a group activity. This will build the love in your family and help you connect with your teen.