Raising a teenager isn’t always simple. While they may have a lot more autonomy than in years gone by, their health, education, and welfare can still be your responsibility. Therefore, you might want to take steps to provide these things. One important aspect for your growing boy can be physical activity. This may not only help with weight and fitness but also give him a healthy way to get rid of any pent up emotions.
Support his passions
Physical activity can be really important for your teenage son to remain healthy. Therefore, it can be a good idea to show your support if he has acknowledged interest in a sport or exercise. While some young men may prefer to go to the gym, others may like to play team sports. The versatility here can come from him being able to play them in a number of locations, rather than needing to visit his local gym or have home equipment. If your son has spoken out that he enjoys playing volleyball, as an example, you may want to seek volleyball men shoes that can allow him to improve his game. Being a teenager, he might not necessarily have the funds to purchase these himself, so this can be a great way to meet his needs and work on your parent-child bond.
Be a good role model
While you may want your son to engage in more physical activity, your words might fall flat if you don’t practice what you preach. In fact, he may even use this as a point within an argument. By becoming a good role model and exercising yourself, he might be more likely to follow suit. You may even be able to find ways to stay active together, such as going to classes, or even on a family hike at the weekends.
Consider clever tactics
There may be a number of reasons why your teenager shies away from physical activity. It might be that they lack confidence in their own abilities, feel ashamed of weight gain, or even that they are more of an introverted individual. Therefore, it can be useful to consider their strengths. Some teenage boys may much rather prefer to play video games than to go outside and get sweaty. While this may be frustrating for you, it could be something that you can use to your advantage. A number of fitness video games exist for consoles, computers, and even VR, that your son may enjoy. Some of these may also have a multiplayer mode, so you could also benefit from spending additional time getting fit together.
You may find that, as your son gets older, you do not have the same level of authority as you once did. While it can be good that he’s becoming more independent, you may still want to ensure that bad habits do not become permanently ingrained. Therefore, finding ways to help him be more active, and turn it into a normal and fun part of his daily routine, could be rather important.