FIFO LIFE AND TEENS: “YEP, YEP, DUNNO, GOOD”
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Click here to watch a short, humorous video on teenagers.
“Yep, yep, nothin, sort of, dunno, good, nah, maybe….” are responses you may be used to from your teenager. When looking at parenting resources for FIFO families most information seems to be for babies or young children. We looked at some of these with the Ngala Blog. Of course support around these ages is really important, however some tips for FIFO lifestyle and teenagers are good to look at as well.
Although your teenager may appear to no longer need you at all, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Dealing with youth issues is super important and every week we hear more statistics about the need to address mental health issues for our young people.
Adding to this the challenges of FIFO parenting, it is well worth having a look at what support and ideas are out there.
A great tip from Julie Holschier, at Ngala, for FIFO parents was to take an active interest in what your teenager is currently into. For example, if it’s Harry Potter, Twilight, or Hunger Games books…. you can read them as well. It can be a great thing to share even while away. Follow the sports team they are passionate about. Find common ground. You never know, they may even introduce you to some new music you love!
Don’t forget if they are at high school there are school psychologists and chaplains that can offer support and ideas. They are there to chat with both students and parents.
Relationships Australia run parenting courses as well as individual counselling for parents and teenagers. They have some great resources as well, including these fantastic 10 general tips here.
Headspace is an agency that provides services covering mental health, physical health, study support and counselling to 12-25 year olds. The centres are youth friendly and work as either a place for teenagers to drop in, or appointments can be made to see a social worker, GP and many other health professionals. “I felt really comfortable there and it was great to chat with the social worker face to face,” Louise, 15 years.
Of course we can’t forget social media and technology. Most teenagers are more than comfortable using these! When we talked with FIFO wife Amy, her teenage boy, Nick, explained that he found keeping in touch with his FIFO Dad on his own ipad was really important. Another great tip Nick had was to have an ongoing project he worked on with his Dad. For example, they are both fixing up a bike together and they wait till Paul is home to continue on the project.
There are some further contacts listed at the end if you feel you or your teenager needs someone to talk to. Raising teens can be challenging at times, however in the end it’s most important they feel loved and supported.
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are”, e. e. cummings
For more information related to teenage mental health go to these websites: