More on youth development and the 40 Developmental Assets needed by 12 to 18 year olds, as described by the Search Institute.

1) Personal Power: when teens feel they have control over "things that happen to me."
The most important piece of the self-esteem puzzle is personal power—the sense your youngster gets from knowing they can have an effect on their world. Its important to find ways for your teen to set a goal and then successfully achieve it.

Help your teen learn to brainstorm and choose solutions to problems so that they learns to be empowered.