Parenting is promoting social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of a child from birth to adulthood. The way you instill discipline and respect in a child will determine their behavior during their teenage years. Many teenagers become rebellious because they now think they know better and want to explore new adventures that might be healthy or otherwise. There are a number of skills that can help a parent bring out the best of their teenage child.

Parenting skills
a) Be a role model
  Many teenagers learn from the parents and this may impact them positively or otherwise. If you want your child to be patient, honest, friendly, kind, tolerant and even have self control you have to show it first. Discourage selfishness and other rebellious behavior that will make the child difficult to handle. This can be done by rewarding good behavior.

b)Know his /her friends
  Bond with your teen's friends;  invite them for dinner or lunch and converse with them.  That way you will keep track of what your teen is up to, Affirm him and encourage the worth of keeping good friendships.

c)Have laid down rules
  It is easy to work with rules because the teens will know when they go wrong or right. Decide the punishment if the rules are broken. Correct them in private and reward them in public, this way they will feel good when they follow rules.

d)Communicate
  Often converse with your teen. Listen to them and have a real discussion on real life matters like sex, drug use and others. Know their views on these subjects and make them understand the consequences. Listen to know their fears and experiences. Lower your tone when dealing with issues and ensure they are part of the conversation unless you are giving an order.

e)Understand your child
  Every teen is unique and special; a parent should never compare one child with the other because this may have an effect on their self esteem. Concentrate on what a child is good at and ensure you do not make them feel less of a person because he chose a different path and as long as it it morally upright, support him.

  Dealing with teenagers needs patience and communication because the teen is undergoing a lot of physical and emotional changes . A good parent or guardian should be observant but at the same time allow the teen to make their own choices and to learn responsibility. This may be hard because of the attachment between the parent and the child but it is essential. Affirm your teen to give them self confidence and also to enable them to trust you as a parent for advice when they face day to day challenges.