Help Turn Your Teenager's Defeat Into a Victory

Your teen has just brought home a bad report card. Or, she’s failed a test. Your job is to teach her that what she sees as a failure is an opportunity to practice solving problems.

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Here are ways to help your teen turn defeat into victory:

Change your teen’s language. Try not to let her use the word “failure.” Instead, help her use words that illustrate her current situation as temporary. Point out that recognizing a problem is the first step in solving it.
Teach your teen to ask for help. It’s hard for anyone to ask for help. Let your teen know that asking for help is a sign of strength, not of weakness.
Look for resources that may be available. Schools offer many opportunities to support students who need extra help. In many schools, for example, National Honor Society students are available for after-school tutoring. Or, perhaps your teen’s teacher will spend extra time working with her.