June 24, 2022
top trending topics
💛 You need to know what your teen really needs from you.
👀 Talking to your teen about having sex may be awkward, but it’s important.
⚠️ Your relationship dynamic changes when your kids become adults- here’s a bit of advice.
💔 If your teen is down about a breakup, help pick them back up.
🖥️ Here’s how to navigate when you catch your teen looking at porn.
tips & tricks for growth
dealing with a disrespectful teenager can be testing
From rolling their eyes and being argumentative, to defiantly shouting “No” right in your face, if you have a teenager, you have undoubtedly experienced some form of disrespectful behavior along the way. But how do you respond in a constructive way as a parent?
Here are four things to keep in mind when parenting a disrespectful teenager:
- Model the behavior you want to see. It always starts with our example as parents. This can’t be stressed enough: as a person and as a parent, make sure you respect and take care of yourself, and model respect toward others.
- Remember that this is a difficult phase of your teen’s life. This isn’t to excuse disrespectful behavior, but it is to keep it in context and put it in perspective. This is to help you choose your battles and how you approach them.
- Look for any deeper issues beneath the surface of disrespectful behavior. The disrespectful behavior you see might be the expression of deeper issues that you need to address as a parent.
- Don’t stop being their parent. You still set the standard for appropriate behavior in your family, and your teen needs healthy boundaries to grow and thrive.
enhance your listening skills with these tips
Whether you’re listening to your child, a co-worker, your spouse or you want others to listen to you, something powerful happens when people feel like someone is not only listening, but hearing them.
Most people believe they are good listeners, but when you get right down to it, we live in a society full of noise, and most of us have a hard time slowing down enough to listen well. In fact, many are so used to the chatter they literally have a hard time focusing when it’s quiet.
One thing is for sure: You cannot seek to listen well and also be doing something else.
what we’re lovin’
This week’s picks come from Kris Nash, wife to her husband of 26 years, Greg, #GirlMom of 3, and the Editor here at First Things First. Take a peek at her recommendations for this week because they are just THAT GOOD. Check ’em out 👀:
✅ If your teen is headed to college this year, do yourself a favor and read A Checklist for Sending Your Child to College. I can tell you firsthand there are a few things you need to know and take care of BEFORE they ever step foot on campus.
🚙 Road trips are great for playing games or increasing family connectedness with a few conversation starters. Our family prints U.S. maps to color in as we see each state’s license plate. We even play “My Cows” or “Punch Buggy” (We called it Doodlebug as a kid!) on shorter drives. Maybe some of these road trip games can ease the pain of those gas prices we’re all feeling – or at least stir up some fun along the way.
😋 Speaking of road trips, do you ever feel like you’re on the road ALL THE TIME? And every time you get in the car someone is HUNGRY? These 14 Healthy Road Trip Snacks and 27 Must-Have Road Trip Essentials to Pack in 2022 can help you out. Whether you’re driving around town, carting kids around, or taking that family vacation, having portable snacks/treats and drinks (and a few other things) on hand can help you bypass the drive-thru or prevent some major meltdowns if you get stuck in traffic.
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