Here are three things that your teenager wishes you knew.
- They can’t always clearly describe what it is they’re feeling or thinking, even though it’s coming out of them and maybe driving you crazy. Validate them, don’t make them wrong for it. They really are doing their best and it drives them crazy too!
- Stop trying to be perfect. They want to know you’re real so that they feel safe telling you stuff. So having a selective memory about your past or trying to protect them by not telling them all the crappy things you did, that is not building trust with them. And they won’t tell you anything.
- Make sure it’s okay for daughters to speak up and speak their truth to their fathers. Then they grow up knowing that they can say no and stand up to men instead of having to conform to them
I have a ton of teens on my speed dial and I decided to survey them. These were the answers.
In June, 2020, my girlfriend challenged me to post a video about what parents most needed to know about their teens. So, I went to the source and asked the teens in my life what their ‘one thing’ would be. I thought parents would be watching this video, yet just days later it became clear it was teens who felt seen and heard. Thousands of them. Click below to watch the video that went viral with over 1.6M views, 8000 comments and STILL has tweens and teens reaching out to me every day.
The comments and cries for help from teens are a driving force to help parents reconnect and improve their relationships with them. Teenagers might put on a defensive front and try to bait you into a fight. Let’s be very clear, they’re doing it because they WANT to connect with you, they just aren’t super skilled at asking for it. Is your teen is acting out? Are you feeling disconnected or you’re at a loss of what to do? CLICK BELOW to join my FREE masterclass and learn how to transform your moody, hormonal teen into a compliant, respectful human without the daily nagging or punishments.