Teenagers are young, full of energy. In this phase of life many feel that they are invincible, totally carefree and becoming free and more independent. This is also the phase, where most of the changes including physical, mental, social, and most of all, emotional occur in one's life. From experiences, it is established that during this transition from childhood to adulthood, the changes that they meet make their character stand above all. What they do now will lay the foundation for their state in the future.

When asked "how is it like being a teen?", such replies are common from teenagers; "Being a teenager is hard, harder than some can imagine, harder than some can remember. Being a teenager is falling in love too fast, and too hard, talking for hours on the phone to your best friends, being talked about and talking about others. It’s being guilty when you’re innocent, it’s standing out and fitting in. It’s when you have a million questions that will never be answered. Being a teenager isn’t something you can really describe, unless you’re living it at the time. It’s dealing with life when it crashes on you, and trying your hardest to live through it. Everyone has their tough times. Everyone goes through something, but being a teenager, that’s when you feel everything at once. When you’re in love, you’re really in love, when you hate someone, you despise them, when you’re lonely, you’re miserable. Being a teenager is something you always have to go through, and it’s the best and worst years of your life. Being a teenager isn’t anything-it’s everything. It isn’t a big deal-it’s a HUGE deal."

While is phase can be smooth for some but most probably troublesome and confusing time of changes for many. While these years can be difficult even for parents alike, there's plenty the parents  can do to nurture the teen and encourage responsible behavior.

This is  actually the time when  the guidance and support of the parents play a crucial role. 

Show your love

One of the most important parenting skills needed for raising healthy teens involves positive attention. Spend time with your teen to remind him or her that you care. Giving care, time and affection to

ones child is also one of the most important aspects of raising a child in Krishna

consciousness. Listen to your teen when he or she talks, and respect your teen's feelings. Also, keep in mind that only reprimanding your teen and never giving him or her any justified praise can prove demoralizing. For every time you discipline or correct your teen, try to compliment him or her twice.

Minimize pressure

Don't pressure your teen to be like you were or wish you had been at his or her age. Give your teen some leeway when it comes to clothing and hairstyles. It's natural for teens to rebel and express themselves in ways that differ from their parents. As you allow your teen some degree of self-expression, remember that you can still maintain high expectations for your teen and the kind of person he or she will become.

Encourage cyber safety

It is a very important factor in raising a healthy teen. There are enough social networking sites, gadgets and morden technologies to demoralize and divert the teen to wrong way. Get to know the technology your teen is using and the websites he or she visits. If possible, keep the computer in a common area in your home. Remind your teen to practice these basic safety rules:

·     Don't share personal information online.

·     Don't share passwords.

·     Don't get together with someone you meet online.

·     Don't send anything in a message you wouldn't say face to face.

·     Don't text or chat on the phone while driving.

·     Don't plagiarize.

·     Talk to a parent or trusted adult if an interaction or message makes you uncomfortable.

Check the friend circle

We are social creatures and the need for companionship is most pronounced

among teenagers. From personal experience I can say friends sometime means everything to them. The company tht teens keep will have a great effect in their life. If somehow or the other the teens become attracted to friends who are devotees, that would be a great benefit to them. One should orient them in this direction and place them in a proper environment by which they become pure

devotees of the Lord. This is the foremost responsibility of the parents.

Look at your teens' situation from a different perspective. An approach often used by therapists is to view a situation or teen behavior differently from what you have been doing, a technique known as reframing. In this shift of perspective answers are often revealed and insight into what is triggering your teens' behavior comes into focus. Sometimes parents and teens can get unstuck simply by looking at a situation with new eyes; which is usually followed by acting or thinking about things differently. And here's the really good news- when a parent responds in different ways there is no choice for the teen but to act differently too.

Recognize when your teen is in trouble. Knowing when your teen is in trouble is an essential key to unlocking the factors contributing to the disturbing changes in your teen. Professionals who work with teens describe troubling teen behavior as acting out, meaning this behavior is the outward expression of underlying issues that need attention. Troubled behavior in teens takes many forms to include teens with underlying mental health issues such as depression, defiant teens constantly challenging your authority, and teens turning to drugs or alcohol in an attempt to numb their pain. What these teens all have in common is that their troubles exceed the growing pains associated with normal adolescent development. Accepting you have a teen who needs extra attention and care is an important step in getting the situation under control.

 Know What Action to Take if There is a Crisis With Your Teen. For many parents struggling to raise a troubled teen fear often lingers in the back of their mind, wondering if they will know what to do if the situation spirals out of control, putting the teen, or others in danger. Crisis situations are not uncommon in dealing with a teen who is emotionally unstable or not able to cope well with stressful situation. Taking steps to know in advance how to deal with these potentially dangerous makes it easier to respond effectively if you ever need to do so.