Back to School For Parents & Teens

While back to school may be a welcomed relief, it comes with its own unique challenges as a parent. Any kind of transition involving teenagers is never easy. Believe it or not, the first day of school will be just as stressful for them as it is for you. So what can you do to relieve some stress and make this an easier transition?

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Teenagers Want Parents Who Set Rules

The best parenting: firm with rules and open emotionally It happens, but very rarely. A sensitive and intelligent teenager articulates what most teenagers are can’t, “I want my parents to be strict with me.” I often witness a big irony when it comes to parenting teenagers: if you give them everything they want, they will resent you for it. Because in giving them everything they want, you’re not giving them what they need. Teenagers need consistent rules, they need you to be firm, and they need to be frustrated by healthy limits to prepare them for the real world. For many teenagers, getting everything they want creates a sense of lack of preparedness and fear that they won’t be able to succeed in life.

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Parent’s Guide to Rewarding and Punishing Teenagers

Parents are often curious about what I think about their way of disciplining their teenagers. They often want to know if they are doing something wrong, especially if they feel that what they are doing is not working. As a teen counselor, here’s how I like to think about punishments and rewards. There are three basic behavioral rules to keep in mind when disciplining a teenager...

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Counseling Can Be Helpful for Teenagers and Parents

Warning: the first step towards helping your teen might involve helping yourself. Counseling teenagers is a tricky business. So much of what teenagers do and who they are is a reflection of their parents. So when they make their way into my practice, we need to work at changing not only the teenager’s patterns, but the parents’ as well. Parents who are willing to reflect on the role they have played in the development of their teenager’s problems typically have teenagers who will improve more rapidly and change in deeper and more lasting ways.

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5 Ways Parents Can Help Their Teens Manage Anger

Teenagers have a lot to be angry about but they are among the worst at expressing it. Adolescence is a confusing time as teenagers learn to manage physical and mental changes, growing responsibilities, and social pressure all while figuring out who they are and how they fit in. Teenagers express their anger in different ways. As a parent, you know when you teenager is upset. Some explode for all to see and hear while others keep to themselves and shut everyone out. Regardless of how they express anger, it can be a frustrating and overwhelming experience for both teenagers and parents. For parents, it can be difficult to handle your teenager’s anger, especially if it is directed at you. So what can you do to help you teen manage their anger?

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