Molly Shannon shared advice for parenting teens on “Today with Hoda and Jenna.” The actor and comedian’s two children are currently in college. Raising teenagers can be difficult, but with the right approach, you can set yourself up for a strong relationship.
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Molly Shannon has tips for parents dreading the day their children become teenagers.
In an interview on “Today with Hoda and Jenna” on Tuesday, the actor said parents should see their teens as “normal people.”
“Don’t believe people are like, ‘Oh, teens,’ and then they’re like, they can make it happen,” Shannon said. Daughter Stella (20) and son Nolan (19) are university students. .
“You shouldn’t act like something bad is going to happen,” she said. “That’s wonderful!”
And if parents find themselves constantly fighting with their teens, Shannon, 60, says it’s time to reevaluate your parenting style.
“I was thinking, how can I get better, how can I reflect on defense and things like that? I want to work on myself,” she said. “I read psychology self-help books all the time. I read them almost like a class. I find them interesting and I love learning.”
When asked how she’s raising her adult children, the “Saturday Night Live” alum said it’s important to start with empathy.
“Most of the time, kids just want to be heard, and I try to think about that. And then you can ask them to tell a similar story, I don’t know. I’m no expert, but I love being a mother, so I lost my mother,” said Shannon, who lost her mother in a car accident when she was young.
Representatives for Mr. Shannon did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment outside of normal business hours.
Raising teenagers isn’t always easy
Parenting teenagers can be difficult. However, with the right approach, you can lay the foundation for a strong parent-child relationship.
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A 2022 Penn State study published in Developmental Psychology found that teens who experienced more parental warmth in their early teens grew closer to their parents in their 20s. Researchers surveyed 1,631 participants in Pennsylvania and Iowa. Participants completed the survey when they were teenagers and again when they were 22 years old.
Alison Tenney, who has daughters ages 12 and 13, said she has built healthy relationships with her daughters by maintaining an identity outside of motherhood and prioritizing apologies when she makes mistakes. Ta.
She added that when kids show attitude, she brings them treats. “There are a lot of little things that can be affecting their attitude, but usually they’re just hungry.”
Similarly, Trisha Darb, a parent of five, previously wrote for BI, encouraging parents of teenagers to connect through music, food, and show interest in the things they love. I wrote that I was giving advice.
“Some days I felt like I didn’t have anything in common with my kids. Or we were having a great day with each other, only to get annoyed with each other,” she wrote.
“You’ll have those days, and that’s okay. Always tell them you love them, even when they’re completely pissed off.”
