Help me help YOU

This Friday, I’m asking for something different. I want to know about the issues you are having with your teen—the dilemmas, the struggles, and the questions you have. Share a struggle with me and I’ll make sure to include a tool/resource in one of my upcoming emails to help you tackle it.

We all know that raising a teen is unbelievably hard. As a parent, you’re constantly having to adjust to deal with:

• Feeling like you have little or no control because of a teenager’s rollercoaster of emotions and hormones
• Feeling lost when it comes to navigating the world of social media and peer pressure your teen is surrounded by
• Frustration that old strategies and tools no longer seem to work, and only get teens more aggravated and upset
• Questioning yourself and the decisions you make, often asking, “Am I doing the right thing?”
• The fear, pain, and overwhelm that comes with seeing your child suffer, stress out, or hurt themselves/others

Now, of course, there are also many beautiful moments, but sometimes those can get lost when we as caretakers are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

In our society, there is this perception and underlying belief that as parents you are expected to have all the answers and to do it all on your own. And many parents feel a sense of failure when they open up about their struggles. However, there is no manual and often the happiest families are those with a supportive community whom they can reach out to.

I often felt that same pressure as a teacher. But it was so helpful to brainstorm, observe, and ask for help from master teachers, to pick up their tools/techniques on how to best support teenagers. Many of the things I learned were not necessarily from my mistakes, but from asking for help.

So I invite you to take a couple of minutes to reply to this email and share a dilemma you’re going through, a question you have, or a breakthrough you’ve recently had in regards to your teen. Again, I’ll make sure to include a tool/resource in one of my upcoming emails to help you tackle it. Help me help you! 

You’re not alone,
Shandra