What if parenting wasn’t so isolating and lonely?
How many times have you held back the truth of your parenting struggles because of fear of judgement or criticism? Do you have a selective few who know ‘the truth’ and the rest just get lip service so they don’t ask more questions? I was afraid too. I was the only one of my girlfriends […]
5 Steps to calm your explosive teen
It doesn’t matter what you do, they’re flying off the handle – yelling, physically violent, and once that happens, there’s no calming them down. You’ve tried supporting them, you’ve tried shutting them down, you’ve even tried punishing, yet nothing is working. Now you’re afraid to go out because the public or familial consequences of having […]
My teen is avoiding filling out college applications no matter what I do!
Asking, hinting, nagging, miming, none it’s working to get your teen to fill out their college applications. You’ve offered to help, you’ve left the applications with your fav pen on the table and lectured your teen about the importance of meeting these deadlines but nothing is working to motivate them to complete this critical step. […]
My Teen is Hurting and I Don’t Know How to Help
“You better not do that or your mother is going to be very upset!” “If your dad comes home and finds out what you did, he’s going to give you a spanking!” “If you were more repsectful, your grandparents wouldn’t have had to send you back home.” If these sound familiar, you were likely raised […]
3 Ways To Build Influence With Your Teen
Why won’t your teen listen to you? They’re walking down a scary path and as a parent you have the perspective to see it’s not going to end well. You’ve tried talked to them and sending them the research to back up your points but it’s all falling on deaf ears. Not only that, but […]
Setting Boundaries with Family Around the Holidays
Let’s not forget the family circus trying to create the perfect photo wearing matching pajamas while drinking eggnog in front of the fireplace where moments before, there were impatient commands and crying kids. Then, just as you got everyone posed and the camera timer went off, the dog jumped up and knocked the tripod over […]
Having ‘The Talk” With Your Teen
God and sex. We went to church on Sundays, we just didn’t talk about God any other day. Based on results, there was sex at least twice (Exhibit A and B – my sister and I) but we didn’t talk about the birds and the bees either. To my parent’s credit, studies show these are […]
I caught my boyfriend cheating on me
Laughter and was our thing. We laughed until we couldn’t breathe about silly things and I was intoxicated; feeling accepted, loved and free to talk about anything and everything. Sure, we partied and did stupid things too, but not more or less than I would’ve without him. Two years later we’d gotten serious and were […]
This is all YOUR fault!
“I hate you!” “If you loved me this wouldn’t happen!” When your teenager lashes out because all their problems and pain are your fault and now you’ve ruined their life, it’s heartbreaking. Ouch. It’s like stabbing a knife in your heart, twisting it around, ripping it out, and then driving over it a few times. […]
I’m Worried My Teen is Anti-Social
Even though your child was reserved when they were young, at least you had small conversations. Now you feel shut out and you’re worried about the long-term effects of their lack of social interaction. What if they’re struggling with their mental health? Your teen’s changing brain already has them in ‘dark mode’, needing more alone […]