Parental Support
The role that you take on as a parent should be a little less “intrusive” — at least from your teen's point of view — than when she was younger. Consider letting your teen take on more responsibility for her asthma care in a way that fits in appropriately with her often hectic life — but protects her from serious asthma complications.
In other words, don't let asthma become a battleground between you and your teen. Support the point that your teen needs to take her asthma medications so she remains healthy. But state this in a matter-of-fact way rather than as a threat or an ultimatum.
Chances are if you focus on this as a make-or-break deal, you're likely to meet strong resistance because she might feel you're challenging her independence.
Essential
While asthma can pose potential dangers to teenagers — particularly those with severe asthma — avoid overreacting in most cases to what they can't do (with the exception of smoking). Instead, focus on — and encourage — what they can do as they grow older and get ready for life outside your home.
Daily Monitoring
Depending on the age of your teen, gradually shift over to him the responsibility of taking his medications on a timely basis. For instance, agree on the time when he'll take his medication each day, and when he needs to ask for refills (well in advance of running out).
This doesn't mean totally ignoring what your teen is doing. If you notice, for instance, that his asthma medication container has not moved for several days from a spot on his bedroom dresser, it's time to step in to find out what is happening. Sometimes your teen — despite what he says to you — may not be ready just yet for additional responsibilities involved with managing his asthma.
This is where an asthma diary can be useful.
It may take a step-by-step process to help a teen move ahead with taking his medication on schedule. But during this time, remember to treat this relationship with your teen as a partnership — with the goal of stopping asthma symptoms.
Solo Medical Visits
When your teen was much younger, you most likely sat in the examining room with the physician during the visit. But as your child becomes older, you might be encountering more resistance from her to your presence in the exam room: She probably would like time by herself to speak with her physician.
While you might be used to asking the physician questions — sometimes even dominating the visit, it might be helpful for the teen to begin talking one-on-one with the physician about various concerns on her mind, including asthma.
Letting a teen visit her physician alone might give her more of a feeling of power over dealing with asthma — and could make her more responsible for herself in the long run.
