The year my dad’s cat came to live with us was the year we had 2 Christmas trees. Puss had been an indoor-outdoor cat and our 7′ Frasier Fir was no match for his 15 lbs of feline fur. After …
Category: teenagers
Christmas Gifts for Your Anxious Teen
Managing teenage stress and anxiety is a daily task in our house. We have a supply of assorted objects that my teens turn to when the anxiety rises. I’ve learned to let them select which stress reliever will work best …
Redefining Your Teenager’s Victories
“Mommmmm. I didn’t get my Article of the Week done for English,” my 15 year old daughter says as she struggles to get up, her eyes still heavy with sleep. “It’s alright,” I tell her. “I’m not concerned about that …
When Your Teenager’s Mess is Part of the Magic
My two daughters are having what will surely end up being a summer long “sleep over” in our basement where it’s cool and dark, perfect for their adolescent sleep patterns. After 5 years of trial and error, not knowing what …
Let’s Stop Sabotaging Our Conversations with Our Teens, Part 3: No Repeats
Last Tuesday, Daughter #1 informed me that she had two competing offers to babysit on Friday. I was happy for her because as a babysitter, she’s quite the catch and I was glad that others were learning that, too. I …
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Let’s Stop Sabotaging Our Conversations with our Teens, Part 2: Are You A Conversational Narcissist?
In yesterday’s post I shared some of the insights I gleaned from Celeste Headlee’s book, We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations that Matter and her corresponding TED talk. Her insight and advice is dead on and has helped me …
Let’s Stop Sabotaging Our Conversations with Our Teenagers
I’ve done it countless times. When it comes to talking with my teenage daughters, you can bet money I’ll say the wrong thing, ask the wrong question, and inadvertently cut short the promise of a satisfying conversation. Apparently I’m not the …
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Why Our Adopted Teens Are So Stressed Out, Part 2
In Monday’s post I shared how scientists, led by Dr. Daniel P Keating, have discovered that prolonged periods of stress on a pregnant woman can affect the fetus resulting in babies that are literally born anxious. The gene that regulates …
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Why Our Adopted Teens Are So Stressed Out, Part 1
If you’re looking for it, it’s all over the news. Even if you’re not, you’ve probably seen a headline or two. Here’s the jist: Adopted teens are over-represented in mental health treatment and facilities and adoptive families are struggling to …
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What to Tell Yourself When Your Teens Aren’t Filling Your Bucket
Daughter #1: I had a good dream last night. Dad: Oh? What about? D1: I dreamt I got a puppy. A German Shepherd puppy. And I named it Timbit. Dad: Ah. That sounds like a nice dream. D1: And then …
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