If you’re like most parents of teens, you’re afraid of the ominous consequences hanging over your teenager’s head.   Teenagers are overexposed and bombarded by pressures all around them. You’re worried about doing the right thing in order to keep your teenager safe from blunders that could impact their future.

I found a persistent message when talking to teenagers.   “JUST BE THERE.” Parents are there for children when they are young. But, when they hit the uncertain, moody, fighting-for-independence stage, parents feel frightened and back off. During coaching, I’ll work with you to find practical ways to stay close to your teen while giving them space to grow into their new identity.

Have you considered that your teen’s behavior might be a reaction to overwhelming stress?   The teen years are another developmental stage, like pre-school and the early elementary years. But, teen years differ from early developmental stages in their complexity, the variety of responses, and the significance of consequences of poor decisions. The result is a difficult time made even more stressful for everyone involved. As a coach, I help parents look at their teen’s behavior objectively. We explore what is going on in their teen’s life and consider all the factors influencing behavior. This helps parents to move past behavior and find solutions.

The most important factor in your being able to influence your teenager is the strength of your relationship with him or her.   I believe that parents hold the key to having a healthy relationship with their teens. We get to choose the way we view our teen-agers and that affects the way we feel about them.

Teenagers are not always able to communicate what is going on inside their heads.   That’s why parents need support and practice in sorting out the messages teens are sending. Coaching helps parents learn to listen in a way that opens up a teen’s heart to begin talking and sharing in a loving connection that provides the foundation for a strong future.