6 Tips to Survive Family Vacation with Your Teen

Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same enthusiasm as you do. Your teen is grumpy because they’d rather do nothing, hang out with friends and be on their phones/gaming all night and this family vacation is cramping their summer style. You literally just want to smack them upside the head because of their selfish, negative attitude […]

Boundaries – They are not what you think

The truth is that style of parenting creates insecurity, anxiety, codependence, and even trauma without higher and higher levels of control. Perhaps the same ones you’re trying on your teen that are fueling conflict and disconnection right now. “I turned out just fine!” You haven’t worked this hard to get this far and you’re not […]

This is not a hotel

Your home seemed oddly quiet and their quirky, sometimes annoying habits now felt endearing. You missed their voice and weird sayings, seeing their face as they dashed from the door to their room, and worried if they’d be ok on their own. Would they remember what to do in the little situations with the life […]

Is coparenting giving your teen whiplash?

You didn’t begin your marriage planning for it to end, or believing you’d be co-parenting with a person you once called spouse. This isn’t about blame, shame, or judgement in any way. I believe you made the best choice for you and your kids. That doesn’t make it easy. Unfortunately, your co-parent may have entirely […]

Prom, parties and an emergency plan

That’s all good and well for the day-to-day comings and goings of your teen’s active social life. Then junior and senior years come along and the stakes get higher. The bigger the event, the more you feel gripped by fear and launch into a million questions from your mental, multi-page check list to see if […]

7 Tips to Help Your Teen Clean Their Room

You’ve offered to help, you’ve threatened, set consequences, all the things, and none of that’s working so you keep cycling from resentment, to angry, to blowing your top and still, nothing changes. The state of your teen’s room has become such a sore spot you’re not speaking, and if you do, it’s short and infused […]

Everything Changed When My Teen Met ‘Them’

Now your teen is checking off risky behaviours and bad habits like it’s a speed race, using vapes, weed, drinking, swearing, etc. Even their face is different. They don’t value school or their activities anymore, have isolated from their friends and are being sucked into a vortex like in a trace you can’t seem to […]

You don’t LEARN to parent, you just know

You weren’t taught, you learned. From the time you were born, you’ve been absorbing what’s ‘normal’ in parent/child relationships, even when you didn’t agree. You were a blank slate with nothing to compare to so it ALL registered as ‘normal’. Everything your parents did, how they treated you and each other, which they learned from […]

Are you done yet? How about now?

You’re sitting at the table as you family finishes eating dinner. You set down your cutlery, make eye contact with your teen and say, “(NAME), you’re on dishes tonight, ok?” Maybe you’re asking or it was already their turn and you’re just reminding them.  Your teen looks away and mumbles, “Mm-hmm.” Every fibre of your […]

The proven secret to keeping your teen away from risky behaviour

Your fear of losing your teen to substance use is valid and real. The need to keep your teen safe takes over and drives you to one solution you likely know well. ‘We’ve made it clear those things aren’t allowed in our home and we’ve raised our teen to know better. We need to draw […]