Category: Tweens and Teens
It’s Just a Phrase: Translating Your Teen’s Slang and Its Impact
Parents, have you ever felt perplexed listening to your teen’s conversations? Sometimes it sounds like their phrases are their own secret codes. But the modern-day slang kids use isn’t simply “just a phrase.” Language is one of the strongest tools humans have. It represents culture, belonging, identity, and more. When parents dismiss or ignore the…
When Competition Crosses the Line into Toxicity
Last spring, something happened that really made me pause. I realized what happens when competition crosses the line into toxicity. My daughter came home unusually quiet. Not her usual after-school burst of stories and snacks and backpack chaos… just… quiet. I sat with her, and it took a while, but she finally told me what was going on.
Why Teen Journaling Is the Secret Superpower for Confidence and Calm
Why Teen Journaling Is the Secret Superpower for Confidence and Calm When I was a teenager, I didn’t always have the words for what I was feeling. Some days I felt unstoppable, and other days I doubted everything. What I didn’t realize back then is that one simple tool, a blank page, could be a…
When Your Teen Is Struggling to Start the College Application Essay: A 4-Step Action Plan
It’s your new nightly routine: your teen sits down to write their college application essay, stares at the blinking cursor, and waits for inspiration. You try not staring at your teen, but good luck with that. Frustrated sighs ensue. The screen remains blank. In the distance, you hear the admissions deadline creeping closer. If this…
Stop Setting Yourself Up for Failure: Overcoming Negative Self-Talk
Parents, are your teens setting themselves up for failure with their self-talk? Self-talk, aka your inner voice, is the way you speak and dialogue with yourself. Self-talk shapes your beliefs about who you are, how the world works, and where you fit into it all. As a certified family life coach, I’ve seen how teens…