Communication with a teen can sometimes be a daunting and frustrating task. How many times have I heard, “Stop yelling at me”? When my volume isn’t really as high as my teen is making it out to be. Or the way I say something can be totally misconstrued. No matter how much I try to “fix” my teen’s interpretation, they have heard what they believe they have heard and nothing is going to change that. I am always looking for ways to improve communication with my teens. Much of this depends on their personality. For instance, there are certain tones … Continue reading →

Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to playback the things we say throughout the day? I think it would be pretty enlightening. For whatever reason, there was this moment I experienced a couple of days ago when I really heard myself. And I didn’t like what I was hearing. The realization hit me that I give a lot of instructions, particularly with my youngest child. “Put your shoes away.” “Feed the dogs.” “Turn down your television.” “Do your homework.” It’s not that giving instructions is wrong. But is most of our communication spent barking orders? I had to ask … Continue reading →

Connecting to a teenager can sometimes be a challenge. However, there are several factors that will play into this including their age, their gender, how well you are currently getting along with each other and your communication skills. Age can make a difference. I remember connecting to my oldest son to be difficult around the age of 12 and 13. But now at 18 we have some great conversations. Some ages are more difficult and that can even vary from one child to the next. In general, the middle school years tend to be the most difficult. But I know … Continue reading →

Like most of you who have heard about the tragedy in Ohio, my heart has felt broken over the loss of life. Yet another high school shooting, with the death toll now at three. It brings back memories. Not just memories of previous high school shootings—such as Columbine—but memories of my 17-year-old son’s first year of high school. You see, at first it was thought that the shooter in this latest incident was bullied. Since then it has been said he wasn’t “well,” something is psychologically wrong with him. That was the case nearly four years ago when a high … Continue reading →

I am definitely not an expert at parenting. I still have three children living at home with several years left, so I don’t claim to know it all. But there are some things I have learned that I believe could be a huge benefit to other parents. Even in the advice that I pass along, it doesn’t necessarily mean I have it down pat. I might still be working on it myself, which is the case here. If I could wrap up in one sentence what I would want to say to any parent when it comes to communication with … Continue reading →