Whatever you do, do it well. It is not worth it to minimize your impact when you have awesome tips to maximize it. Debunk the myths that come with mentoring teens, so that you can give them an experience they will treasure. You are their mentor, be the best mentor you can for them.
- You have to be perfect.
No one necessarily desires a Perfect Patty or Perfect Patrick as a mentor. Having flaws is nothing to be ashamed of. What you do with them is what matters. Interestingly, this is something you may tell your mentor, but you may not embrace it yourself. You may not have all the answers and that is fine. You may have had a similar struggle to that of your mentee that you successfully overcame, don’t be fearful of sharing it because they may find it unbelievable that you had that experience. It helps you to be more relatable. The beauty of mentorship is that it is one person who has made mistakes, helping another not to make mistakes. That should be your focus, not being perfect.
2. Believing you can mentor everyone.
Know that some young people just won’t trust you or you won’t always have the best rapport with them. That is quite fine. Don’t feel defeated or useless, because you can’t get through to one or a few teenagers. Remember, mentorship is a two-way stream and you can’t dictate what others do or how they respond to you. Don’t forget, that’s not your fault and that’s just fine.
3. You have to be “successful”.
While it may seem as if young people only look up to those who are in the spotlight, that is not quite true. Be confident in who you are and know that success is different for everyone. That is who young people want to be mentored by, that is what they look for, confidence in the person they want to be mentored by. That is the key – confidence! Your success may look like having overcome something or having done something that no one sees but impacted one or many. It looks different from those in the spotlight, but it is a success nevertheless. Be confident in that and see how teenagers respond to you.
4. Thinking you have to be rich or having money.
While it’s nice to treat them when you can, you aren’t their parents so taking care of them financially is not your responsibility. It may sound a little sad, but it’s true. Plus, they will benefit more from your presence, than from your presents. Read that again, believe it. The most fruitful thing in life is to be able to overcome than to be showered with gifts. Gift and no guide? Not worth their while. Again, you give more to them with your presence and guide, than with presents and gifts.
5. Acting like their parents or guardians
You are not their parent or guardian, because you don’t have that role, you can’t fulfill the responsibilities that come with it. That’s okay because you are their mentor and the responsibilities that come with that role are important and should not be undermined. You are valued by your mentee as a mentor, you do much for them by acting the part, then trying to act another.
If you want to learn more about mentoring youths, I am inviting you to join my upcoming webinar called Teen & Youth Mentorship: How To Effectively & Eternally Impact Young People on Tuesday June 30, 2020. Register at bit.ly/dayelightsummerclass to secure your space. Replay will also be available.