Manging conflict and cultural differences

For parents the concern is sometimes that their child is disconnecting
from their culture and the family, and that can lead to anxiety and worry that they might be losing their young person.

So there's often like a drive to be more firmer. The young person often feels trapped.

[on-screen title] How can parents deal with cultural differences with their teen?

Parents need to be more kind of aware that difference between the cultures isn't necessarily a good or a bad thing.

Difference is just difference, and acknowledging that can actually lead to, I think, increased kind of connection between themselves and their children.

[on-screen title] How can parents manage communication issues with their teen?

Listening and agreeing are two very different things.

So you may not be able to agree, but it's really important to be able to have your say and to be heard.

I think the kinds of things that would be helpful in those situations is for parents to be able to take the initiative to connect with the young person sometimes.

When there's differences in what language is used within the home, sometimes communication becomes a little bit more complex.

If one or both parties are willing to kind of work on language a little
that sometimes helps, but also being able to connect on activities that don't really require sitting and chatting are often quite helpful.

So be it games, or music, or dance, or whatever it is that brings you together as a family. 

I know in, you know a few families that I've worked with, cooking's turned out to be something similar, where you sort of learn about the traditional food of, you know, your cultural background.

It's active, it's involved, and you're in the same space together, but it doesn't necessarily have to have long chats.

[on-screen title] What if nothing has worked to bridge the gap?

Sometimes you need a bit of support.

Start with, by having a chat with your GP and seeing whether you need a referral with a mental health care plan.

But being able to see a psychologist, I think is quite helpful to be able to work on repairing those relationships and the gaps in between.

Nothing happens to you, you're part of a process. So you can speak up and talk about what feels comfortable and what doesn't.

There's so many challenges that come your way as parents, so being able to reach out, get the help and support that you need is going to be important.

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