EP 11 - Your Teen Knows Best

In this episode I explain why it’s important to stop Managing your Teenager and start Mentoring them.

I have a handout that accompanies this episode and it can be downloaded from my website: 

📍www.caigraham.com/understanding

Teenagers’ brains are under construction - and with this comes chaos and overwhelm.
It’s a scary time for them - when their minds are a melting pot or hormones and invariably they don’t know which way is up.

It’s our responsibility as parents to hold a space for our teenagers as they get to grips with what’s going on in their heads.
This maturation carries well on into their twenties - so it’s going to save a lot of heartaches if we start adapting as soon as possible.

Whilst they are traveling through adolescence they will indeed:
✔️ Start questioning our authority
✔️Pushing our buttons
✔️Making questionable decisions
✔️Struggle with their emotions and feelings

this is what independence looks like. So (like it or not) we are stuck with it!
Our children are learning how to become a young adult.

It’s what they are programmed to do - so there’s no point in trying to resist.

What I suggest we do is :

1. Be Patient
2. Validate their Feelings
3. Respect this Independence
4. Consult and Collaborate
5. Allow for Mistakes
6. Understand that your child is an EXPERT in their own lives.
7. LISTEN to their opinions and thoughts.

Details of all further podcasts can be found on my website :
📍www.caigraham.com/podcast

Music Credits: MBB: https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial/happy