Ai FM: How teens get along with elders during CNY visits

Dear parents and friends, it is a pleasure to have you listening to our consulting psychologist, Ms. Lee Li Li's public sharing on the topic "How Teens Get Along with Elders during CNY Visits", on 21st January 2020, Tuesday, 10:00am, on Ai FM 89.3/106.7 Ai Ceria session.

During the Chinese New Year, the teens often have to go through the undue stress of addressing the elders. Consequently, both words of “uncle” and “auntie” are commonly used by the teens to avoid awkward greeting situations. Besides, “phubbing” also becomes a norm whereby the teens has shown less interest to socialize with the elders.

How can teens get along with the elders?

From the teens’ perspective, visitation becomes meaningless as now we can keep in touch with the relatives easily as technology continues to advance. Hence, relationship building is essential for the teens to discover the heritage value of Chinese New Year visitation. Firstly, parents may promote understanding by sharing the elders’ life stories to the teens. Parents may also boost relationship of the elders and teens by guiding the teens to ask questions to the elders personally for more details of the stories. Therefore, parents should help to create opportunity and space for the teens to speak with the elders, as well as learn some valuable lessons from the elders’ sharing.

Moreover, the sharing of living habits or preferences of the elders is essential to lessen possible misunderstandings. For instance, some elders may provide flat response or avoid to answer teens' questions. In each of these cases, parents may help to explain and guide the teens to learn and handle these “awkward” social situations. Other than that, the drawing of a ‘family tree’ also help the teens to understand the role and background of other family members.

Creating Special Moments of Chinese New Year with the Teens

The planning of family activities for the Chinese New Year preparation also helps to promote a sense of involvement and expectations for the teens. For example, parents may bake cookies or wrap gift basket together with the teens and prepare it as a gift for the relatives. Meanwhile, parents may guide the teens to learn and improve from the possible poor feedback of others. More importantly, the teens are capable to understand the true meaning of “wholeness” and “warmth” of a family reunion. Parent-child relationship is an investment of time, and it grows stronger with the effort of parents who set good examples to their children.

Please click this link to find out more, and to watch or listen to the full sharing

Note: The above content is adopted from Ai FM 89.3/106.7 (Ai Ceria) program - “How Teens Get Along with Elders during CNY Visits” on 21st January 2020. For more information, please kindly contact our office. It is our pleasure to request our consulting psychologist to assist you. Thank you.