[Music]
Nathan: The habits that your teenager forms
during adolescence
will be the habits that they have for the rest of their life.
So as parents, we can set up good habits
and good foundations for their adult life
by making sure there's routine and balance.
Now a teenager might not follow that
routine and balance of their own accord,
so they're going to need your help.
But self-control means that
you can't just stand over them
and get them to do it.
We need them to engage
their own problem-solving mind.
If I say 'You will be in bed at 11'
he doesn't have to problem-solve.
If I say 'Mate, what time do you think
is a reasonable time for you
to be going to bed on a school night?'
And he comes back with 'Oh, 1am'
and I say 'That's ridiculous - 9 o'clock'
and he says '11'.
That process of negotiation
is actually teaching your teenager self-control.
He might end up going to bed quarter of an hour;
half an hour later than you originally wanted
but it's worth it for this process of negotiation.
A teenager that can negotiate
and make good decisions,
will be a successful adult.
Narrator: You can discover more
on the Spark Their Future website.