Four Subtle Ways to Support Our Teens as They Enter the Whirlwind of Romantic Love

These are some common mistakes that a lot of parents make that in turn can make our kids not talk openly to us.

Staying connected with teens as they experience puberty and work towards becoming independent individuals (which is the goal!) can be extremely challenging. As a teen-parenting relationship coach, it's literally my job to guide families through this difficult time.

A “helicopter parent” is one who pays extremely close attention to their kid’s experiences and problems. They hover overhead, overseeing every aspect of their child's life— constantly.

How we can cool off, calm down and use these stressful times to develop a new way of communicating with each other on politics or ANY area of life where we might see things differently than the next person.

Parents often stay in the space of appalled, frustrated, annoyed, disappointed-- which are all natural reactions for sure, BUT if we don’t move past our human reactions when reality does not match our expectations, we do not get to the good part where we solve real problems.

You may have never said this out loud, but is there a part of you that is above reproach?

Powerful questions from a session that could alter your relationship with your teenager completely.

This may seem like a mellow, chill, innocuous belief, but there is something sneaky about it that subtly and effectively cements in the untrained mind: “I can’t do anything about fill-in-the-blank. Oh well.

Ouch!!! Sorry about that!! ‍So, I’m not implying you’re not great, but, be honest, have you ever pondered that thought? 

Notes from a session with my 16 year old client...

When you’ve been more intentional with how you operate when you’re around your kid, you’ll see that you can in fact make a huge difference in how they respond to you. Letting them have some slack, some reigns to work with gives them the chance to show you, but...

If our earnest goal is to have them open up, show us their soft underbelly and let us know even the ugly about their lives, maybe even effect real and lasting change, then guess what? We have to stop being reactive. We have to work on our own anger, past issues, all of it.

Take a breath. Close your eyes, if you’re into that, and be honest with yourself. Could you use a new idea or two? Have you tried everything else? Do you realize that this is a pivotal phase of life in which kids can choose one distinct future over another?