One Simple Way to Connect With Your Teens This Holiday Season

The holiday season can feel like a whirlwind, but it’s also the perfect time to connect with your teens—without overcomplicating things. If there’s one thing you can do to strengthen your bond this season, it’s this: spend intentional, one-on-one time together.

It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. A late-night drive to see holiday lights, baking cookies, or even a cozy chat over hot chocolate can create meaningful moments. What matters most is showing your teens that you’re fully present and value time with them.

For me, I’ve learned that each of my three teens connects in their own way. One might love chatting during a walk, while another prefers a movie night on the couch, and the third lights up at the idea of baking something together. The common thread? Being present and sharing moments that let them know they’re seen, heard, and loved.

So this holiday season, step away from the chaos and find one small way to share quality time with each of your teens. It’s a simple gift that will leave a lasting impression.

How will you spend time with your teens this season?

I’ve been there—watching my teen give up on something so quickly that it feels like they barely even tried. It’s frustrating and, honestly, a little heartbreaking. As a parent, I just want to step in, shake them, and say, “You’re better than this! Just keep going!” But deep down, I know that approach won’t work.

What I’ve realized is that it’s not really about the task they’re abandoning. It’s about how they see themselves in that moment—overwhelmed, unsure, maybe even scared. My role as their parent isn’t to force them to succeed or solve the problem for them. It’s to help them believe that they can succeed, that they’re capable of handling tough moments, and that failure is just part of the process.

It’s not easy to watch them struggle, but I remind myself that these struggles are how they grow. And even when they give up (and I feel like giving up on encouraging them), I want them to know I’ll always be in their corner, ready to help them try again.

Help a teen realize their dreams for 2025 through transformational life coaching.

What is the Holiday Referral Bonus?

It’s a limited-time pop-up promotion to celebrate the 2024 Holiday Season and welcome new friends into the fold of the Carin Rassier Coaching Community. 🎉

You can earn free coaching sessions when you refer friends or enroll in a 12-week coaching package. Read on for full details. 

If you’re anything like me, you might feel that tight knot in your stomach when your teen starts dating. My first instinct? To go into control mode, even shut it all down, or better yet: lock her in her room until she is 21, in the name of protecting her.  

But I’ve come to realize that this urge is rooted in fear, and while it’s completely normal, it’s not the best way to build connection, trust, and love with my teen. My ultimate goal is to nurture our bond, so I’m choosing to approach this new relationship with openness. Here’s how I’m navigating these mixed emotions and using this experience to create an even deeper, more meaningful relationship with my teen.

If you’re parenting a teenager, you’ve probably been there: you ask a simple question, and you get a suspiciously vague or totally unbelievable answer. It happened to me just last week. I asked my teen where they were going, and they told me they were “just hanging out with friends.” Simple enough, right? But something felt off—call it parental intuition.

Long story short, I later found out that “hanging out” actually meant going to a party I didn’t know about. Cue the immediate surge of frustration, concern, and—if I’m being honest—hurt. I wanted to stay calm and respond thoughtfully, but instead, I went into full “What were you thinking?” mode. Not my finest moment, I’ll admit.

So, why do teens lie? And more importantly, how can we as parents handle it in a way that doesn’t lead to a total communication breakdown (like mine almost did)? Here’s what I’ve learned.

Parenting teens comes with its fair share of difficult decisions. It’s a constant balancing act between giving them freedom to grow and guiding them with boundaries that shape their future. But here's the key: your teens are watching your every move, and more than ever, they are learning from how you navigate the tough choices.

The Power of Your Example

At this stage, it’s not just what you tell your teen, it’s what you show them. They are absorbing the way you handle challenges, make decisions, and carry yourself through adversity. If you want your teen to grow into a resilient, confident adult, you need to model those very traits, even when the decisions you face are tough.

But what if you took a step back and imagined this scenario from a different perspective: If you were your teen, watching yourself in the same situation, what would you want them to do? Would you encourage them to take the easy way out? Or would you tell them to be brave, face their fears, and make the hard but right choice?

Parenting a teenager can feel like navigating a maze. With their rapidly changing moods, emerging independence, and evolving worldviews, it’s easy to feel like you’re speaking different languages. But here’s a timeless truth: kindness is a universal language that can bridge the gap between you and your teen. By leading with kindness, you not only foster a deeper connection with your child but also model the kind of leadership that truly makes a difference. 🌟

The Power of Kindness in Connection

Teenagers are at a stage in life where they’re seeking to define who they are and where they fit in the world. Amidst the chaos of academic pressures, social dynamics, and self-discovery, they often need to know that they are understood and valued. This is where kindness comes into play. ❤️

Kindness in parenting isn’t about being a pushover or letting go of boundaries. It’s about approaching interactions with empathy, patience, and respect. When you lead with kindness, you create an environment where your teen feels safe to express themselves and is more open to listening to you.

For parents of teens, the back-to-school responsibilities can seem unending: shop for clothes, plan carpools, manage high school/college orientation logistics, and plan to stock the pantry with all of the weeknight snacks and dinner staples. (Don’t forget to add every sports event to your calendar and then untangle the inevitable scheduling conflicts, too! 😵‍💫) 

And the worst part is that the back-to-school stress creeps into your summer, prematurely claiming the carefree spirit of the season and transforming it into an all-out, exhausting sprint towards the school year. Forget your end-of-summer fantasies of relaxing poolside with your family and finishing that book you’ve had on your nightstand for 5 months: August can feel like a tumultuous extension of the school year, and not at all like a relaxing, celebratory cap on the end of a restorative summer season. Yikes! 

You (and your family) deserve better.

Read on to cut through the chaos with 4 Impactful Ways to Connect with Your Teen During Back-to-School Season.

Teens and Anxiety is for REAL!

So many teens are experiencing more and more anxiety and it is harder for them to find happiness and confidence to do the things that they want.

Let’s be Real - Majority of teens are experiencing anxiety. Whether it is general feelings of anxiety, social anxiety, experiencing anxiety with school work, presentations, tests, athletic performance, social pressures, friendships, and so on. Anxiety is for REAL.

Anxiety builds overtime and doesn’t seem to dissipate without understanding Anxiety for REAL. If your teen is experiencing anxiety, give them the gift of understanding their emotions and how to overcome the fear of anxiety.

That is why I decided to develop an 8-week coaching series called, Anxiety for REAL. It is time for your teens to feel empowered and learn why they are experiencing it and what they can do about it! The power is within them!

Happy Summer!!! I absolutely love summer. It is my most favorite season. The warm weather is so comforting and I always feel more relaxed and allow my life to flow a bit more than being on a rigid schedule like most of the year. To get me into this mindset, I do a summer reset! I wanted to share my process and provide a guide for you and your teen. Get your summer started on the right foot so to speak!

I created 5 ways to care for yourself that will make you feel more relaxed, purposeful, and fulfilled! As parents of teens, we can get too much into the day to day of what “needs” to get done and not allow time to actually be intentional with our summer. We usually have the summer vacation planned but what about all the other weeks that comprise the summer.

Ask yourself:

What do I want to experience this summer?

How do I want to show up for myself and my family?

What do I want to accomplish?

How do I want to feel throughout this summer?

We rarely asked ourselves WHAT DO I WANT as parents. I want to give you permission to put yourself first!! You are worthy and deserving to have the summer you desire!!!

I ask…why not you?