We tell our children from the day they’re born; ‘You’re special’, ‘You matter’, ‘You are so significant to me.’ Our words are important, but on their own they’re not enough to make our kids feel it and believe it. As they get older, our teens also need to know how and why they matter. Connections …
In many ways I experience parenting as “a long letting go”… as my child grows older, I find mysel ever so slowly having to let go more and more of making decisions for her, being in charge of her where-abouts, and filtering what she is exposed to. As children get older they move into more …
Whether it’s clothes, electronics, make-up or music, teenagers can be extremely territorial about their stuff, leading to spectacular bust-ups over who raided whose wardrobe or didn’t return something that they borrowed, and didn’t even have permission to borrow in the first place. As the parent you can: mediate endlessly, lose your patience, or encourage …
It’s easy to get into conflict with our kids. They ignore us, we raise our voices, they fight back etc. We, the big people, need to be strong, loving, flexible and available. And that might mean we need to take responsibility for our own frustrations, irritations or impatience rather than projecting it onto our kids …
Sometimes it can be very frustrating communicating with an adolescent. The old saying “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” is particularly relevant when dealing with adolescents. Not only are they undergoing huge personal physical, social, psychological and emotional change, but communication patterns are also undergoing a transformation. This is NOT the …
Grunts and Eye Rolls, Finding a Better Way to Communicate Read More »
“Self-harming” is when people cause themselves physical pain in the hope that it will alter their mood state. This is not the same as “wanting to die” and most who self-harm are not suicidal. Some people harm themselves because they feel disconnected and isolated from everybody, and hurting themselves is the only way they feel …
Children and ‘self-esteem’ is heard regularly in the media, however self-efficacy is the term used in psychology and refers to a person’s belief in his/her own competence. It has nothing to do with being boastful or proud, rather having a healthy view of one’s own characteristics or abilities and what one can offer the world. …
Self-harming is when people cause themselves physical pain in the hope that it will alter their mood state. Some people harm themselves because they feel disconnected and isolated from everybody, and hurting themselves is the only way they feel real or connected. People who cut often start cutting in their young teens. If your teen …
Even though your teen is on the way to adulthood, you still want to know they’re making good choices about who they hang out with and, even more so, the people they date. Tread carefully – we can’t make these choices for them and if they feel judged or controlled they will just keep us …
By the time your teenager is ready to leave home, you’ll want to know that they’re a confident budgeter and good with money. Rather than paying for all their small purchases individually, try providing an allowance for the week or month which they must use to cover their own expenses. There’s no better way for them …