How you can help the young women in your life

The teen years are an exciting time, but these years can also be filled with worry and struggle. Parents really matter to teens, even if teens don't always act like it.

They need your love, guidance, and support each day to help them become secure, healthy, and happy young women. You can help your daughter through these years. Build a relationship with her that includes trust, honesty, open lines of communication, and setting limits.

With the busy lives we lead today - how can you do this?

• Spend time with your daughter.
• Be a good role model for your daughter. Eat right, exercise, deal with stress in healthy ways, and don't use drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes.
• Try to find a good balance between work and fun in your own life. This will show your daughter that she can have balance in her life.
• Teach her good values and a sense of responsibility. Then trust her to make good choices.
• Set rules and stick with them. Setting and enforcing fair rules can help girls avoid social settings where they may run into peer pressure they can't handle.

It's normal for a teen to want to try new things. When your daughter is angry with you, she may rebel by making poor choices. Turn her mistakes into lessons, show her you still love her, and point out the good things she does.

Teach her not to be ashamed of having a problem with stress, grades, weight, drugs, or alcohol. Learn about teen depression, suicide, alcohol, bullying, and drug abuse.

Even though you might feel upset and tired at times, everything you do will make a difference in your daughter's life…and at some point down the road, she will thank you!