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 […]
Is your teen looking for love in all the wrong places
This one hit close to home. My intention in sharing my vulnerable experience as a promiscuous teen is to help you to better understand your own teen, take the steps your teen needs to create change, and shake off more of my own shame story and deep sadness around this chapter in my life. Park […]
Top tips for supporting your teen through anxiety
Whether your teen is developing anxious tendencies or has been diagnosed in some form, it can be scary and unknown territory to support them in, especially if you don’t have personal experience with it. You’re of no help if you’re drowning too. After our son’s diagnosis at 8yo, I dove headfirst into rescuing him from […]
Supporting Your Teen Through Mental Health Challenges
For heaven’s sake, toughen up. If your teen had been with you when you were young, they’d never survive! Bullying and name calling were leadership skills (on and off the school grounds) and no one was coming running if you felt offended or triggered. You survived so much worse…minus social media and a global pandemic. […]
Top 5 Apps and Tips to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in the dumpster fire of 2020
This pandemic isn’t your average day-to-day exhaustion. Getting your teen out of bed for online school they hate or the constant nagging to complete homework assignments they don’t seem to care about is wearing you down. Add in protocols making everyday tasks feel epic, working from home with constant interruption and financial stresses, and your […]
7 Ways to Survive a Christmas Quarantine
Family – people who bring familiarity and comfort, while pushing all your buttons at the same time. Travelling on winter roads or formerly packed airplanes was never actually fun anyway. Even a few days with your parents in their ‘82 degree sweat lodge’ on the blow-up mattress in the den that sprung a slow leak […]
The Mental Health diagnosis – our journey with anxiety
Until they were VERY different. My son had an obsessive level of focus by 18 months old. He wasn’t playing with his toys, he was watching how they worked – the way the wheels turned and how those wheels contacted various surfaces. He would use his toys to do the same 3-4 repetitive movements….for 2 […]