Asking curiosity questions to the children and teens in your life will not only increase their engagement (which brings confidence, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and so much more along with it), but it will also give you, as the parent or caregiver, more room to breathe. Keep reading to learn how to use curiosity questions in a wide range of opportunities!
You and your family can make agreements about screentime, chores, finances or allowances, curfew, and so on. When you and your child or teen reach agreements TOGETHER, the buy-in is stronger. They are more likely to follow through with genuine interest and commitment. Plus, there’s less weight on you! Instead of giving instructions or reminders-- which can feel like nagging-- you can ask/remind your teen, “What did we agree to?”
Get a “behind the scenes” look at the work of a coach and therapist that specialize in working with teens. Lindsay Camp LMFT of Austin Teen Therapy, joins us for a Q and A about coaching and therapy. We explore similarities and differences in our practices and share about our unique philosophies.
Parents, caregivers, and supporters, I invite you to give this practice a try. Become aware of how it changes your own mood and energy as you face challenges in your own life. Then, notice how your breath can change, impact, and support the environment you facilitate with and for the children and teens in your life. Breath can be a powerful tool for talking to teenagers about the tough stuff!
As humans, we all have a desire to belong and to be significant. Positive Discipline teaches that every behavior a child or teen exhibits is an attempt to confirm that they belong and are significant. Today, we focus on how YOU, as a parent or caregiver, can use this concept as a foundation for intentional living.
As the parent of a teen, it can be truly powerful to practice self-encouragement. This involves practicing self-compassion, acknowledging that you cannot control your teen, and giving attention to “successes.” Keep reading for a daily self-encouragement practice.
As parents, caregivers, and supporters, it’s important to set limits in order to protect our energy and time. Boundaries support us in living with intention and getting our needs met. Furthermore, each one of us has the powerful responsibility to determine our boundaries and to create a life that reflects these values.
Movement, or shifting the energy in the physical body, can be an excellent way to get "unstuck" when you or your teen are facing big emotions. Keep reading 30 Ways to Move Through "Stuck" Emotional mindfully!
Have you witnessed your teen in the midst of decision-making anxiety? They may have been struggling to make a choice about anything from whether or not they should go to the school dance, to what they wanted to eat for dinner, to which courses to take next semester, to how they wanted to dress for school. Indecision can arise over things small and seemingly irrelevant, hugely impactful, and anywhere in between. Keep reading for 5 Ways to Help Your Teen Make a Decision when they feel stuck.
Two words that I hear often from my clients are "I'm anxious." I’ve written before on Talking to Teenagers About Mental Health, and because this topic is worthy of occupying space and needs to be destigmatized, I'm revisiting it. Keep reading for 35 Healing Tools for Times of Anxiety and Depression.