The key to getting through your child's "teen years" is open discussion and teach teens how to handle emotions through a complete understanding of emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is a way to break free from making emotional decisions and living on the edge. There are several test on the web that will show you what your EIQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient) is and how to interpret the results.

Here's a great article on EQ from Time Magazine, http://www.time.com/time/classroom/p..._article1.html

In addition, try reading a book called "From now on with passion :
a guide to emotional intelligence" by Christine Mockler Casper.

We have also stressed to our teen daughter how important understanding emotional tendancies are in making decisions on a daily basis.