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Lighthouse Parenting Provides Stable Beacons

Lighthouse parenting is one of many different parenting styles. The overall goal with this parenting style is to provide your teenagers with a stable beacon that they can turn to for guidance. It is a balance between protecting your teens from harm and giving them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. The lighthouse parenting style was created by Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MSEd. He has a book called “Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love With Expectations and Protection With Trust”. In the book, he describes lighthouse parenting by saying that parents should be like lighthouses for their children, “beacons of … Continue reading →

Your Parenting Style Impacts Your Teen’s Autonomy

One of the many goals of parenting is to raise children who become successful adults. Ideally, teens should develop the skills they need in order to become adults who can function in the “real world”. A study shows that your parenting style impacts your teen’s autonomy and the quality of his or her romantic relationships as an adult. Developmentally speaking, teenagers are at a stage when they are beginning to separate from their family and seek out their own, individual, identity. Little kids typically have a strong desire to seek approval from their parents. Teens, however, are much more interested … Continue reading →

Helicopter Parenting is not Helpful

It is natural for parents to want the very best for their children. They make sure their kids have brushed their teeth, feed them healthy foods, and check to make sure that their homework is done. All of this is done because of love. That being said, there is a point where things become too much. It turns out that helicopter parenting can actually harm a child’s future prospects. What is a “helicopter parent”? Parents Magazine says that the term originated in 1969 in a book called Parents & Teenagers written by Dr. Haim Ginott. Some of the teens he … Continue reading →

Raising Teenagers

Raising teenagers, I don’t think there are scarier words in the world, when you are a single parent, that fear and stress is multiplied. First, because we all remember what we were like as teenagers and we know this is not going to be an easy ride. When Hailey was born one of the first things I did was apologize to my mother, I was a mean teenager who thought my mother knew nothing and I knew everything. I know that is pretty common but I was still devastated that I had behaved that way, especially once I held my … Continue reading →

Dating When Parenting a Teen

Dating is hard enough when it is a mature man and woman just trying to get to know each other. If that person happens to have a teenage child from another relationship then it is a million times harder. Teenagers today have so many things going on at school and with friends that the last thing they really want is to be introduced to a new person in their parent’s life. Let’s be realistic though, you are living also, and you cannot just wait for them to move out before you date. There are some things that you can do … Continue reading →

October 2010 General Conference-Courageous Parenting

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I have to admit that the idea of being a parent to teenagers terrifies me. Now, let me say, there are definitely things about it that are enticing too. But, for the most part, I’m terrified! Hopefully the years between now and then will provide me with added wisdom and knowledge to help my kids become well-rounded, decent people. I loved the talk in General Conference titled “Courageous Parenting” by Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy. While I am still a few years away from dealing with some of these issues, it gives me hope to know that we … Continue reading →

Learn Your Teen’s Love Language

One of my favorite books that I have read more than once is “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. This book talks about the different love languages that we have. They are: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Most of us enjoy all of these love languages but we tend to especially appreciate one or two more than the others. By reading this book not only do you discover what your primary love language is but you also realize that it’s usually the love language you show toward other people. The problem … Continue reading →

Parenting – The Hardest Job Out

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs out. These days it is made even harder by so many marriages breaking up and ending in divorce and re-marriages that create blended families. The other reason parenting is hard these days is because there are more cases of both parents working outside the home. That need or perceived need for both parents to work leads to many problems, some of which Andrea touches on her blog. It leads to bored children and teenagers, with too much time on their hands and lack of supervision. Another factor is that parents have either by … Continue reading →

Don’t Stop Hugging Your Teenagers

I recently ran across a forum where parents were comparing notes on whether or not their teens would hug them. Most said the teens would hug them in private and would prefer not to in public. Some parents respected the kids need for space and others hugged them anyway. It seems that all of the teens survived being hugged by their parents whether they liked it or not. My next step was an article entitled “Is Hugging Bad for Teens?” The article looks at hugging from the viewpoint of school administrators. Recently schools have been putting the breaks on hugging … Continue reading →

Teenagers’ Opinions on the Meaning of Christmas

I have written before about how teenagers are never wanting for opinions. In fact, my children have been rather opinionated and open to sharing their theories and pontificating about the whys and hows of things for quite some time. This past weekend, two of my children and I found ourselves talking about the holiday season and they were both sharing their ideas about what the “meaning” of the season is… The great thing about teenagers is that they want to “go beyond” the typical—and come up with what they think are new ways of looking at things. They’ve heard all … Continue reading →