Adolescence is a tumultuous and often overwhelming time in life, and as a result, teens commonly make mistakes that can lead to broken trust with the adults in their lives. Teens who struggle with depression, anxiety, drugs, and underage drinking are even more likely to have behavioral problems that cause a significant breach of trust…
Sometimes it feels like parenting may be the hardest job in the world, or at least the most emotionally draining. You are tasked with raising this new human being in an often-difficult world, attempting to guide and influence her in the best way possible while simultaneously coming to terms with the fact that there is…
Your child is the most important person in the world to you. Being a parent is as personal as personal gets. So how is it possible to not take your teen’s acting out personally? As a reflection of your parenting skills, or supposed lack thereof? Because, challenging as it is, learning the skill of detachment…
Mindfulness and mindful practices have been shown to have many beneficial effects—but they don’t happen on their own. You’ve probably heard the term mindfulness. Mindfulness is used to describe the state of being completely present—aware of, attuned to, and curious about what’s happening around you, while avoiding being overwhelmed, thinking frantically, or reacting judgmentally. In…
The skill of listening to our kids, particularly teenagers in trouble, is a vital one. An old adage says you never learn a thing when you’re talking. If we can take the time to observe and listen to our teens, we can gain vital insights on who they are as people, what their current circumstances…
Everybody has said them at some point or another, and if you’re female, you’ve probably heard them too. In the course of everyday communication, we have hundreds of phrases that seem inconsequential on the surface, but in reality, reinforce negative images about how girls should act and behave. These six in particular, are damaging to…
There are times when you feel hopeless. Sometimes sadness envelops you, and nothing seems enjoyable. On the flipside, you sometimes feel uneasy and tend to worry too much. These sets of feelings are signs of depression and anxiety. Of course, you have those durations when everything seems fine only for you to hit a low…
YOUR “TROUBLED” TEEN ISN’T TROUBLED… She’s Hurting. Of all the labels you dreamed your daughter might have had growing up – princess, honor roll, varsity team – one probably very far from that list was troubled. Yet, after a string of bad relationships, difficult conversations, and behavioral changes, you sense that daughter is beginning to…
One minute, she’s your little girl. The next, she’s a stranger. The only thing that happened was your daughter got a new boyfriend. On the surface, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. In fact, when he first introduced him to you, he was perfectly charming. She seemed happy at first, but before…
Lately, you may have noticed that your teenage child has changed drastically. They now dare to answer back and harshly for that matter. You recall that a few days ago a similar situation occurred at school and you were forced to go and plead with the teachers to let them stay. Otherwise, the school administrator…
