‘I’m a mum of teen girls. Here are the 6 things we always share.’

My teenagers are at a point in their lives where they spend a lot more time with their friends and… less and less with me.

That’s okay, though.

It’s a parenting truth that can’t be denied or avoided – eventually, they just feel ready to start their own life. 

But that doesn’t mean they love their parents any less.

In my girls’ case, they still recognise the importance of connecting with each other, which is why all three of us are always on the lookout for new ways to share some feel-good moments.

Here's exactly how my teens and I are carving out some wholesome bonding time.

1. Respect the sacredness of the shared playlist

We have a shared playlist on a music streaming service that we all add to regularly. 

It’s always fun to go back and check what new songs have been added every couple of days too (and also it gives me a bit of an insight as to what artists they're particularly into at that moment in time). 

On longer car rides, we also love to take in turns queuing up a set of songs. We try to find songs that we know are different and that will get a bit of a funny reaction from each other.

2. Know the power of apps

Recently one of my teens discovered the WeAre8 social media app. It interested all of us for very different reasons and is a great way for all of us to connect.

Basically, WeAre8 is a brand new social media platform that is free-from-hate, good for the planet, and celebrates the good in life all while putting money in your wallet.

My teens are money motivated, so naturally that last part appealed to them most.

But they are also both socially responsible so WeAre8’s pledge to help charities around the world — just by users interacting with their platform — was pretty enticing for them too. 

How does it work? Well, each day, users watch eight minutes of curated content on their feed. The content is all about celebrating the good in life and giving you a mood-boost not typically associated with social media. 

Each user can elect to watch two minutes worth of ads each day, and by doing so, a percentage of the ad revenue goes towards helping charities around the world. Even better, the user also gets paid to watch. From there, they can choose to transfer their earned funds to their nominated PayPal or donate those funds to one of WeAre8’s supported charities.

It’s a platform that we have all recently fallen in love with. Not only does it help us do good for the community, but also gives us so many ‘awwww’ worthy moments we share together. We also love checking in with each other to see how many funds we’ve raised and what charities we plan to donate them to.

Image: Supplied.

3. TV is always the perfect conversation starter

One of my favourite things to do is pick a show and we watch all the episodes together. 

Recently the show we watched together was The Masked Singer. 

We love to snuggle up in my bed and watch the show and make guesses as to who might be under the mask, while rolling our eyes at the (mostly incorrect) guesses of the judges. 

We also pick other shows to watch together. While we each have different... well, tastes when it comes to TV, it's actually pretty good to get out of our comfort zones and try something new.

Plus, it's also nice to have those shows to talk about over dinner. 

4. Exercise and fresh air is the perfect study breather

My twins are in Year 11, so it is really easy for them to lose track of time while they study. 

I try to make sure that we get out and go for a walk together at least once a week. I ask them where they want to go, and it usually helps if there is a cafe along the way. 

Currently, we are working our way around the area on one ~very~ important mission: ranking the caramel milkshakes from the local businesses. (One of my daughters says that there is a perfect caramel flavouring to milk and ice-cream ratio and apparently not everyone gets it right. Who knew?)

When we are walking, it is a great time to have a chat about all sorts of things happening in their lives. 

5. Live experiences are the best kind of experiences

We live in a regional area so a trip to the city is a big deal, but it is something I try to do with the girls at least three or four times a year. 

We combine our trip to the city with dinner and sometimes even a night in a hotel. 

When we organise these little trips, we always make sure to book in a live experience. 

The last show we saw together was SIX The Musical. (We loved it so much so that we are going again in the next holidays as a treat for finishing their preliminary exams.)

Image: Supplied.

6. Enter holiday mode

Holidays aren’t always easy to coordinate, but are always full of wholesome family moments.

We had a short break a little while ago with the girls, and it was a lovely time to relax and enjoy each other away from home with no stress from work or school. 

We have another trip planned as a family as a celebration for when the girls finish their HSC. This feels like a long way away but is really only four more school terms! 

It is so hard to find ways to stay connected with your kids at a time in their lives when they are finding their own way in the world. 

I have been really lucky with all of my kids — they have been very open with me and we have had pretty good relationships throughout their teen years. 

Of course, it hasn’t been without its challenges so finding little ins into their lives, that keep us in touch with each other, that also give opportunity to chat about the important things that are happening is really essential. 

WeAre8 is the social media platform making a difference by celebrating the good in life. Download it for free from your app store.

Feature Image: Supplied.