Search Results for: blog talking to your teens

What to Expect When Your Kid Becomes a Tween

You may have been warned that your darling baby will become a teenager some day. There is plenty of advice out there about how to parent a teen. What appears to be lacking is the advice for parents whose children have suddenly become tweens. Here are some things to expect. What is a tween? In general, a tween is a person who is not a little kid anymore and who is not technically old enough to be an actual teenager. Teens are people who are 13 through 17. There is debate over whether an 18 or 19 year old is … Continue reading →

How to Unplug Your Kids And Encourage Family Communication

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Want to have a better relationship with your kids and teens? Do you find it hard to get their attention when they are staring at a screen? Here are some tips for parents who want to unplug their kids and encourage communication. Limit Screen Time The goal is to place limits on when and where your child or teen can use their computer, tablet, or smartphone. The goal is not to remove those devices from your kids forever. A reasonable amount of screen time can be stimulating and sometimes even educational. Parents need to pick their battles with this one. … Continue reading →

How to Talk to Your Kids about the Economic Crisis

“How can I talk to my kids about the economic crisis?” It is a common question that most parents face today. As prices on consumable goods rise, from food and gas to the cable bill, and families feel themselves pinched, even the youngest children are starting to notice that things around them are changing. Neighbors and friends may be moving away, favorite stores and restaurants may be closing, and everyone seems to have to sacrifice something they enjoy just to get through this time. Parents should see this time in our history as a teaching moment, but the lessons should … Continue reading →

Does Your Spouse Get Your Time?

One of the things couples fail to realize is that many marriage problems stem from a lack of time. You see, it takes quality time to nurture a relationship. If you are spending more time at your job or with your kids, then your marriage is bound to suffer. Now don’t get me wrong, different seasons in life require more attention than others. For instance, when my children were young they naturally required more of my time and attention. But even then, it didn’t necessarily mean my husband only deserved the leftovers. Time can’t always be measured in quantity. It … Continue reading →

Airing Your Dirty Laundry

Despite my love for Facebook and the fact that I allow my teens to partake, there are definitely times when the spotlight shines on the downside. Take for instance when a teenager decides to air their dirty laundry. Thankfully my teens are respectful enough (or maybe it’s just that they are smart enough to know better) to not say negative things about me on Facebook. I don’t care if they think I’m being unfair or that I don’t know what I’m talking about; voicing these opinions on social media is a no-no. I’m also glad they don’t share with the … Continue reading →

Most Teens Hide What They Do Online

A few months ago I attended a parenting class at my church. One of the dads was expressing how it is our job to monitor our teen’s use of technology. Of course that makes sense, right? But as I pointed out, it isn’t always so easy. Let’s face it…teens usually know more about technology than we do. That means they can get around things. For instance, some parents look at the computer’s history to see which websites their children have been on. But most kids know how to clear out their history. A recent survey from McAfee found that 71% … Continue reading →

Be Present and Connect With Your Child

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I live a busy life. As a single mother with a full time job, I don’t always have the time to do what I would like to do. One of the things that is most important to me is connecting with my daughter. I want to be present for Hailey’s life, I want to be involved, I want her to know that, not only do I care about her, but that I’m interested in her as a person. The challenge is always, how to find the time to really connect with my child. Time is precious but so is a … Continue reading →

10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away: Dismiss Their Hurts (Part 8)

In part 8 of my series on “10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away,” we are going to be talking about how dismissing their hurts can be detrimental to your relationship. In fact, this is probably one of the biggest ways we can push our teens away. One of the things we have to remember as parents of teens is that what we may consider to be “nothing” can be everything to them. Just because we can’t understand why they feel so strongly about something doesn’t mean it’s invalid. Sometimes we make statements like… “Oh, you’ll get over it.” “Just … Continue reading →

10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away: Criticize Their Style (Part 7)

Today in part 7 of my series, “How to Push Your Teen Away,” we are going to be talking about criticizing their style. This can be a huge problem. It is not enough that society sometimes judges teens by how they look but they don’t need their parents adding to it. I remember the day my daughter was first allowed to wear eyeliner. She started off with applying just a bit. Then as time progressed, she began to look more and more like a raccoon. It drove me nuts. I was constantly telling her to take some off. Then one … Continue reading →

10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away: Offer Advice When They Don’t Want It (Part 4)

Continuing on in my “10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away,” I am going to be talking about offering advice when your teen doesn’t really want it. The key is to know ahead of time, before you say anything, what they are looking for from you. It is the easiest thing to do (at least for me)…to offer my opinion or advice on a situation my teen is facing. But if they aren’t looking for it, they may not only reject it but it may cause them to pull away from you. When your teen comes to you about a … Continue reading →