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Trusting Our Teens to Make Their Own Decisions
Last week, I wrote about the importance of not always giving advice to our teenagers. This week, I want to focus on something equally challenging but incredibly powerful: showing our teens that we trust them. This can be difficult, can’t it? Especially when we see them struggling or potentially heading toward choices we wouldn’t make.…
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Why Not Giving Advice May Be the Best Advice for Parenting Teens
It’s all too easy to fall into familiar patterns with our teenagers. As parents, we’ve spent years “helping” our children—and often, that help has meant jumping in with advice whenever we see them facing a challenge. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: when we rush in too quickly to offer solutions, we rob our teens of…
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Breaking Free from Labels: Why Your Teen Isn’t Who They Were Last Year
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how quickly we label teenagers. As parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors, we often fall into the trap of categorizing teens: “the troublemaker,” “the quiet one,” “the class clown,” “the overachiever.” These labels might capture a moment in time, but they fail to acknowledge the incredible transformation happening beneath…
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