As parents, we want the best for our teens. We want them to succeed in school, make close friendships, and develop into well-rounded individuals. But it’s not always easy to know how best to support them along the way. One of the most important things you can do is to help them celebrate their successes — big or small!

Celebrating your teen’s successes helps reinforce positive behaviors, and encourages more of that behavior in the future. It also boosts their self-esteem and confidence in their emerging skills when you take time to recognize and appreciate their hard work and accomplishments. Celebrations don’t have to be over-the-top; even something as simple as a high five or a hug can go a long way towards making your teen feel seen and valued.

By celebrating successes with your teen early on in life, you will help instill a more resilient attitude, which will certainly serve them well throughout adulthood. When teens experience success, they become more confident about taking risks, which leads to a willingness to take on more challenging opportunities, such as college applications or job interviews. Additionally, when teens are praised for making progress or achieving goals, it provides motivation for continuing the work and setting higher goals the next time around.

This helps create an environment where failure isn’t feared, but rather embraced because it’s seen simply part of learning process.

At times when things don’t seem so great – as they sometimes inevitably will – having those memories of past celebrations gives hope that better days are ahead if effort is put forth. This helps create an environment where failure isn’t feared, but rather embraced because it’s seen simply part of learning process. So take some time out every now and then, and help celebrate your teen’s progress and successes, whether its about academics, sports, volunteering, or interests. You won’t be sorry that you did!