ParentingPanicButton » Entries tagged with "parenting teens"
Cell Phones and Your Teens…Did you know?
You can have your cell phone carrier allow only certain phone numbers to be called and received on your teen’s phone? These can be limited to your number, and other emergency numbers until they earn back the trust you expect. You can reward them with one added, trusted friend at a time, with your permission. And, by the way, you can let them know that the privilege of having a phone includes their agreement to answer or call you right back when you call or text 80% of the time. Remember who is paying for the phone, the bill, the texting, data plan, etc. Parents have successfully raised and protected kids without the help of cell-phones for millenniums! Also, be a good model. Use only hands free cell phones when in the car, and only when absolutely … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips
Who is the Problem?
People cannot be problems; problems are problems. If, in our dealings with our children, we slip into a place where, whether or not we intend it, our child feels like we think they “are the problem”, defenses will go up, and willingness to deal with the issues will go down. We behave similarly when our children treat us as if “we are the problem”. So how can we identify the real problem, and move it towards the middle? Here are some examples: Danny is inattentive and sometimes disruptive in class. The teacher thinks the student is the “problem”. Danny thinks the teacher is the “problem”. The parents think the teacher and the student are the “problem”. The teacher suspects that the parents are the “problem”. Sarah is generally negative and unresponsive and unusually contrary. You’ve … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips
Collateral, Currency and Clout Part 1
Child- Healthy Substitutes for Punishment, Shame, Blame, Arguing, Yelling, or Hurting We love our children, and always will, no matter how much they frustrate, upset, disappoint or anger us. From the day they are born, it is their job to push away from us on a journey to become independent, “big” and in love with freedom. The deep love we have for our children is our joy and our nemesis. So often, people can see from the outside that our kids are “working us” and clearly in the drivers seat. We may see it but fall prey to its power, or the desire for avoidance of conflict. And, so often we see it clearly in the dynamic between other children and their parents. Why is it so hard for us to … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenting advice, parenting tips
How much is your honor worth?
Whether you are parenting teens or thinking about your own habits, here is great test for your value system. Before doing something that has a feeling of dishonesty, or when trying to decide if something is right or wrong, ask yourself, “How much is my honor worth?” Here are examples of situations you might question: You keep the change when you give someone a $10 and get change back for a $20. Whoops, you get to the car with your bags of merchandise and notice a bag of M&M’s they forgot to charge you for. You figure what the heck and don’t go back in. You back into a pole in your own driveway and no one sees. You tell the insurance company it was a hit and run and collect the damages. You take a … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenting advice
An Open Letter to Fathers and Men about Daughters and Emerging Young Women
Dear Dads (and other Male Role Models), Our impact on our daughters, nieces, stepdaughters, and granddaughters is immense. They love us, look up to us, and even revere us. Sometimes they dislike us, resent us, are disappointed in us and wish we didn’t care so much. When we listen to them, understand them, advise them, and forgive them they appreciate and feel it deeply. When we manifest our “papa bear” desire to protect them from all mistakes and perils with anger, manipulation, and fear we alienate them and even sometimes push them to risky activity. When we manifest it in a loving, compassionate and mindful way, they will hear us. They need to make mistakes to grow, and their mistakes touch our heart in the deepest way. We work to separate sensible … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips
Pay now or pay later; Parenting Advice that Works!
There are a large number of lessons we have to learn from infancy to adulthood in order to make us functional, happy, well-adjusted, self-supporting adults. As a matter of fact, there are hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands. We learn most of these lessons from observation, being taught, or common sense realization. Others, we learn through experiencing consequences to our actions. As children we may be taught the importance of sharing, why we should not hit others, and why we use the toilet and not our pants. As we get older we generally learn things that are reflective of our age and maturity. If the sign says, “walk” but a car is speeding through, don’t walk. Don’t eat random wild mushrooms if you are not a mushroom expert. Don’t take a … Read entire article »
Filed under: parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips
Clear Way to Make a Good, Right Decision–Sentiment or Heart; Flip a Coin
Imagine you have a decision to make. It is a difficult decision and one that necessitates mindful attention. The decision is a huge one, one that will take you on a very different path than any other decision. Or, it is a small, but essential, pivotal decision of the moment. Try the following practice. Notice your sentiment. Sentiment is feeling based on emotion, opinion, self-concern, fear, sadness, nostalgia. It has the Latin root word for “feel” in its very fiber. It often starts with “I should…”, “I am afraid…”, “What if…”, “I will miss…”, “I fear..”, “I can’t…”, “I shouldn’t,,” It has lots of “buts” and “ifs”. After you immerse yourself in your sentiment, know that it is not a great basis for a decision. It could cause you to miss a great opportunity. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips, Relationships
Back to School Pep Talk–Success Strategies
What kind of student are you? What are your gifts and challenges? Perhaps you are someone who tends to procrastinate, forgets to do your homework, has problems doing well on tests, does assignments but forgets to turn them in, has a reputation for being disruptive in class, is often tardy, can’t remember the assignment. Do you have time-management issues or are plagued by distractions of media, texting or lack of motivation? Is your backpack a disastrous, disorganized mess? Are you sometimes even tempted to cheat or plagiarize, rather than disappoint your parents? Maybe you are a student who is a perfectionist, a chronic worrier, or an over-achiever who is stressed, sleep-challenged and cannot turn it off. Do you have well-intentioned parents with high, sometimes unrealistic expectations, which may frustrate you and cause you … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips
Summer Camp Gives Many Gifts for Kids!
Enjoy this article from Common Ground about the benefits of summer camp. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Common Ground, parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting tips, summer camp
Parenting and Your Child’s Musical Life
Enjoy this article in Common Ground about your child’s musical life! … Read entire article »
Filed under: children's music studies, Common Ground, parenting advice, parenting teens