What is the strongest part of your family?
If you want to do something for your kids, do something to improve your marriage.” Dear Friend,15 years into my friend’s marriage, the relationship was no picnic. Being absorbed in the craziness of raising three kids, running their own businesses, and maintaining a household got the best of them. They had nothing left over for each other […]
A Glimpse Into The Mind of a 15 Year Old
Palmer here! Tuesday was World Mental Health Day. I know that tweens and teens sometimes have a hard time letting their parents into their inner world. And that can be scary as a parent. How do we get past those walls and really understand what our kids might be experiencing? This graphic is a reminder I like […]
How can we make sure our tweens and teens are OK?
Dear Friend, Kerry here. 🙂 A few years ago, I gathered a team of high school and college students and we went out and interviewed teens about their relationships with their parents. Here are a few things the teens had to say: YOUTH WANT THEIR PARENTS TO LISTEN.1 in 4 youth said that quality time spent […]
It’s the journey, not the destination
Palmer here! Recently, while talking with some of my teen coaching clients about school starting, they have shared what “success” looks like for themselves. Most of the time, they start with answers like “great grades,” lots of friends, top of their sports teams, etc. While I hope they can achieve those goals, I encourage much more focus […]
Lighter fluid and yogurt bowls
It was a calm, normal morning of getting ready for school with Palmer (13) and his little brother (8). All was well. It was a minute or two before we needed to leave. All of a sudden, Palmer could not STAND the way his brother was using that particular spoon to scrape the yogurt out of […]
Swore you’d never yell at your kids?
Before I had kids, I swore I would never yell as a parent. Well… I clearly didn’t realize what parenting teens would actually be like. It’s hard! There would be times I found myself throwing all my parenting skills out the window and yelling at my kids when I was overloaded with frustration. It felt […]
Meet Your Kids Where They Are
Palmer here! One of my favorite parts about my work as a youth coach is getting to walk alongside kids as they go through the ‘tween and teen years. I feel like I am constantly learning from each one of them and it brings me so much joy. This incredible work also comes with a […]
What to do when your teens are rude?
With six kids, I’ve heard my share of rudeness! Some phrases that got under my skin the most were those dismissive comments like, “Mom, stop” in a snarky tone. Or, “Bye, Mom” when I’m being dismissed from their room. What to do? Here’s something to experiment with: If you don’t like how you typically respond […]
What to Do if Your Kid Leaves Dirty Dishes Laying Around
There are times when a parent has no clue what to do. This especially happens when our innocent babies and precious toddlers become willful and defiant ‘tweens and teens. Kids capable of making choices out of laziness and disregard for their parents. So, what do you do when your kid leaves dirty dishes lying around? […]
An activity that will transform your family
We’ve got a little family-related riddle for you. Can you guess what activity should go in the blank below? Over three decades of research have shown that __________ offers a wide variety of physical, social-emotional and academic benefits. While some of these benefits can be gained through other activities, __________ is the only single activity that is […]