When we feel crappy, it’s hard to show up (hello, crappy zone!). Enter self-care baseline. Yes, it’s THAT important.
Responsibilities and A**hat Mode
Let’s all take a reminder for today (adults/parents and teens/kids alike): We’re not responsible for the feelings, happiness, or emotional well being of any other person — only ourselves. Say it with me if you need to. We’re not responsible…
Make Me Happy: On Happiness and Other People
Check out a teen’s perspective on happiness, ourselves, and other people. A tough (though useful) life lesson I’m starting to get (after years of trying to please every coach, teacher, boss, and other “authority figure,” even into adulthood, and seeing…
Belonging To Oneself
If we want our children to belong to themselves*, to know and feel and get that they are awesome and worthy and enough and full of potential and possibility, that they do not need to fit into the box of…
Creating Their Own Content
The world of our children and their experience is different than ours is/was. And that’s not good nor bad. It simply is. However, the general human underpinnings, feelings and emotions, yearnings and wanting to belong — it’s there for our…
To the Kids
This one is for our kids. My dear kiddos: As adults we try to teach you so much — in huge part because we are reparenting ourselves (which you will do too). Our own parents did the best they could,…
Reflections, Hating, Learning, and Anger
Thoughts for today: What if how things are going with our kids is a useful reflection of how things are going with us? This isn’t about blaming ourselves for where they are at when life gets hard (which happens!) or anything…
What Goes In? 2018 Talks
I’m preparing for several talks in early 2018. One looks at supporting kids toward positive self and body image. These early preparation stages for a talk are challenging, painful, interesting, and immensely fun, all wrapped together. My outline and slides…
Blowing a Gasket
Thanksgiving is this week in the United States. With the holiday’s focus on gratitude and appreciation, a thought for “blow a gasket” moments that may come up this week (or whenever, as they do happen). So we’re about to lose…
Try the Back Window: Our Human Worth
We recently talked about modeling as a side door for supporting our teens. Today, let’s look at a back window: affirming our teen’s worth. This isn’t about going around and praising everything our teens do, nor do we need to…