You Missed a Spot
Are you good at gratitude? I don’t mean the #gratitude posts on your social streams, memes and gifs on your stories or quick thank you’s in passing while doing a million other things. I mean the deep breath in stillness, heartfelt, eyes closed or eye contact gratitude you feel in your body. When your life […]
4 Tips for Coping with Conflict Without Losing Your Sh$t
The last thing you want to do is upset the apple cart so you become ‘easy breezy mom/dad’ with covert enthusiasm. You know, the generally agreeable, cheery mom who slaps on a smile because forced and fake kindness is better than most alternatives? She doesn’t need to yell or nag because she can wrap almost […]
2 Tools to Get OFF the Teenage Emotional Rollercoaster
My whole day was dictated by my teenager’s mood. On his bad days, we referred to him as ‘the eyebrow’, a furrowed shelf shading his green/grey eyes that made it clear he was angry, upset, struggling and not available for conversation (AKA steer clear!). I felt horribly out of control as a recovering rescuer which […]
My son didn’t make the team, and I was DEVASTATED!
Last week I shared about our son, Thomas, deciding to quit so close to finishing his Junior Black Belt and how much my husband and I struggled with that. This week’s story is also about Thomas, but this time, a Coach tried to end his sporting career 😤. If you want to come face to face […]
You can’t quit! It will ruin your life!
Not to mention the money you’ve already paid and there’s no refunds. If they quit before they reach (fill in the blank) it will look terrible on their resume and ruin their chances at a great career. Is that story actually true? What college or career are they aiming for (or maybe you’re aiming for […]
The day I went on strike (and how you can to)
I love my kids…until I didn’t because I felt so disrespected, taken for granted, and unappreciated. I felt resentful with a touch of rage. I didn’t want to be around them anymore and that broke my heart. I did more of what I knew because I didn’t know how to turn things around. I tried […]
How to protect your teen from ‘bad influences’
Where does one buy enough bubble wrap for a 5’10” teen? Teenage brains are wired for risk taking. They lack emotional regulation, impulse control, and therefore some of the critical thinking to understand impact and consequences. That’s a normal part of adolescent brain development that DOES NOT mean they lack intelligence! In fact, the teen […]
Secrets You AND Your Teen Need Before Heading to University
Honestly, that feels hard to write as the days count down and the reality sinks in. I can feel the tears in my throat. My emotional mom brain is wondering how my 5lb ginger baby who loved to snuggle got to be 6ft tall and heading to university? The rational part is like, “Um, we’ve […]
12 Tips for Back to School Success
What if you had simple tips you AND your teen could use to lower stress and frustration and build trust, respect and confidence? Watch the full video below ⬇️ https://youtu.be/d2FKLTvgNOI?list=PLWfKd3Y5TEXZChIBaRsTMyGmI2LwbhyoP Back to school also means more time with peer groups and access or exposure to substance use including vaping and marijuana. This isn’t just for ‘bad parents’ […]
Navigating Teenage Substance Use
This is new territory for our generation of parents. You might have had access to some things as a teen and even tried a few, but it was on the down low and away from your parents. Do you remember seeing this ad on every channel all day? I’m guessing your teenager hasn’t seen that. […]