JANUARY:  Make over your teen’s bedroom. One of the fundamental benefits of this little project is that it requires starting with a CLEAN room.  Get your teen interested in a new color scheme for her walls or  new comforter for the bed.  Your assistance might be needed in the painting phase, but the project can’t even start until she cleans the dust bunnies out from under her bed.  The final result doesn’t have to be a costly remodel.  Since most teens highly value their personal spaces, a bit of freshening up can go a long way.

FEBRUARY:  Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your teen.  Get festive by making and decorating heart-shaped sugar cookies.  Add a neighborly twist by preparing a double or triple batch of dough, refrigerating several small batches in parchment paper.  The smaller batches can then be shared with neighbors—providing them with an easy cookie day without all the hassle of mixing up the dough themselves.  They can then focus on the fun part:  frosting and decorating!

 

MARCH:  “Date” your teen. Obviously, we’re not talking about romantic dating, so here’s what we're getting at.  Research shows that teens are highly influenced by their opposite gender parent.   Make some quality one-on-one time with your son or daughter this month.  Mom, train to run a 5K with your son this spring.  Dad, now is your chance to take your daughter out to a nice restaurant and set an example of proper male manners.   This outing could also be as simple as a trip to the local coffee shop for an hour of caffeine and conversation.  The possibilities are endless.