3 Quick Tips For A Successful Summer With Your Teen
As another school year ends and summer break begins how are you feeling? I’m looking forward to some family trips we have planned but a little stressed about how we’ll all respond to the lack of routine and structure (and heat). Some of us are relieved that summer is finally here. We welcome a reprieve […]
When In Doubt Keep It Simple
Parenting is a continual process of stepping into the unknown. Since there isn’t a one size fits all approach, every family is going to approach things a bit different. No matter what happens, the one certainty is uncertainty. So, it’s imperative that we manage our own anxiety about not fully knowing what to expect from […]
Help Your Teen Build A Healthy Relationship To Social Media: 5 Tips.
If your teen is looking at their phone right now, do you know what they’re doing? More importantly, do you know if the time they’re spending right now is helpful or hurtful to their overall well being? These are really difficult questions because the answers are always in flux. As we move forward and learn […]
Why Your Teen May Be Tuning You Out
Parent: “How was your day?” “How are you doing?” “What do you think about…?” Do you want to…?” Teen: “Sure”, “Fine”, “I don’t know” “Huh?”, silent shrug. This aspect of parenting teens can be terribly frustrating. So how do we often deal with our frustration? Let it go until we can’t any more then… yell, […]
How To Help Your Teen Get More Sleep and Become A Happier Kid
The sharp decline in adolescent mental health over the last 10 years is alarming and should be a concern to everyone, whether or not they have kids. Two key factors that contribute to this are chronic sleep deprivation and technology. The two go hand and hand of course. Below I’m going to share some important […]
5 Common Mistakes We Make Helping Anxious Teens
Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the US. It has, or will, affect about a third of all adolescents and adults. Self reported rates of anxiety among adolescents are rising and in the majority of cases, anxiety is a precursor for depression. Another reason for concern is that anxiety is very easy […]
How To Help Our Sons and Daughters Become Better Versions Of Themselves
Culture is a powerful thing. It pulls the strings of our behavior and tells us how to act. A culture can be positive or negative and is often both. Rosalind Wiseman, best selling author of Queen Bee’s and Wanna-be’s (the book that Mean Girls was based on), and Masterminds and Wingmen, defines culture as “everything […]
Building Better Coping Skills
I’ve been feeling a bit stressed out and usually impatient with my kids recently. I thought about the in flight oxygen mask as a parent metaphor. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a flight in a cabin that’s losing pressure. Scenario 1: My kids are next to me. Our masks are dropped and dangling in […]
5 Tips To Help Your Teen Manage Transitions
Seasons in Oregon are so beautiful. I’m so used to them and I often take them for granted. I forget that there are many places that don’t experience seasons like we do. This has gotten me thinking about an issue for many kids that I often forget about as well, transitions. Getting on […]
How To Support Your Teen’s Mental Health
The transition back to school is here. My own kids are excited, mostly to see their friends again and to not have to deal with their parents homeschooling them anymore. A lot of the teens I work with tell me that they’re looking forward to seeing friends and teachers and having a routine. […]
