You might not what to hear this, but when you see your teen at their worst, what you are really seeing is your child feeling safe and loved. It’s because they feel comfortable enough in their home environment that they can put their guard down.
Simply put. How they behave at home is not what the rest of the world experiences with regards to your teen.
Being a parent (especially of independence-craving teenagers who think they have it all figured out) is the toughest job in the world.
It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. It requires a ton of courage, mental resolve and sometimes, a deaf ear to other parents’ unsolicited advice (or snarky behind-the-scenes comments) who think your clench is too tight.
although anxiety is a diagnosis, it is not a death sentence. There is hope for your teen and your relationship with them. There are things you can do that will actually help them in learning to cope with their anxiety and thrive in the world. And both of you can make it to the other side stronger, both as individuals and as a family.
“Negotiating with children is part of fatherhood.”
Everything is a negotiation, especially with kids. Comedian Jim Gaffigan jokes that his youngest daughter acts as the ring leader for his other four kids and turns bedtime into a hostage negotiation. Reluctantly, Gaffigan caves and gives in to their demands as long as they go to sleep. It’s humorous and true. Negotiating with children is part of fatherhood. And sometimes, we have to negotiate with our kids to regain some of our sleep.
Everyone makes mistakes, but when parents mess up in relation to their children, it can be hard to own up to their failures.
“As parents, we may feel uncomfortable about apologizing to our kids,” said Genevieve von Lob, a clinical psychologist and author of “Happy Parent, Happy Child.” “We may fear that we’ll lose our authority as parents if we say we’re sorry, and that our children might lose respect for us, and even start using our apology against us.”
She emphasized, however, that the exact opposite is true.
But what’s the best way to go about apologizing to your children ?
A Ted Talk is a lively and engaging presentation given in an informal manner by guests from all different types of backgrounds They are often a motivational talk that can teach our kids important life lessons and help them to understand themselves and the world around them a little better. They are almost always inspirational and some can even be laugh-out-loud funny. There are doctors, comedians, celebrities, activists, teachers, and sometimes even kids and teens.
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