The New Year brings on a fresh start! A newness! A re-creation of sorts.

It gives us an opportunity to reflect and discover where we are and where we want to go!

THE TIME IS NOW!

I carve out one evening, grab my journal, cozy up to the fire, with my cup of tea, and reflect on the past year and how I envision the upcoming year. I do it from the lens of me as the hero of my story. We are the heroes of our story but we tend to pick out the parts that did not go so well and I take this time to concentrate on all the things that did. And since I am the co-creator of my life it allows me to write the story as the hero of my journey.

With my clients, we start this process together. We begin by brainstorming all the accomplishments that occurred in the last year. Big and small!

The Best Gift you can give your teen is the gift of presence.  More than anything, they want to be seen and heard by YOU!

Oh yes……. your teen wants the newest phone, the newest gaming system, and of course the list goes on and on but we know that material things provide short term happiness.  What your teen really wants is to feel your unconditional love.  They crave your loving attention. 

They would rather you forgo the obligatory holiday party to watch a holiday movie and sip on some hot coco. Or any other holiday excursion your family loves to experience together! 

Your teen wants to create memories with YOU! 

I Love Thanksgiving....BRING IT ON!

Not for the turkey or the stuffing but for the reminder that it is so much more than the turkey, stuffing and pies. For me, it reminds me to have a deep sense of gratitude.

Thanksgiving is not just a holiday celebration once a year. It is an attitude that produces JOY! This is something to be practiced often, not just at Thanksgiving time. That is if you are in the market of experiencing more JOY in your life!

I practice gratitude each morning and before I go to bed. This time of year helps me go deeper and be more mindful of what I am thankful for while I sweat over the stove making all the must have traditions I do not like cooking, not one bit but I do love how I can take the time (while I wait for the water to boil for my potatoes) and make a conscious effort with my thoughts. It is a perfect time for me to fill up my bucket of Thankfulness and let it overflow! As I do this, the joy in me rises!

You can use this same exercise to experience more joy with your TEEN!

This is hard for me to believe but my oldest is officially an adult!

I had an opportunity to go up to his school this weekend and celebrate with him.

I was intentional about being present and enjoying my time with him and of course, watch him play some hockey!

While watching my teen in his environment it reminded me of what I want to make a priority in my own life.

My Big Takeaways From My Trip:

ONE: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE

TWO: TAKE ACTION

THREE: BUILD YOUR TEAM

Most parents (me included) tend to share our knowledge and advice with our teens CONSTANTLY, so they will become well adjusted contributors to society. “Do this. Don’t do that. Don’t forget this. Why are you doing it that way?” What if we stopped talking and started listening to our teen? What if, instead of lecturing them, we interacted with them? Sounds easy. It’s definitely not easy to change our ways, but it is definitely possible.

We NEED Community! 

We need to feel connected. It's what makes us human. 

While chaperoning a student retreat with hundreds of teenagers, peer leaders, and faculty members I realized something very important: 

COMMUNITY IS THE FOUNDATION OF WELLBEING.

 WE ALL NEED LOVING SUPPORTING PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES

We need people that nudge us forward. People who check in with us. Nothing crazy….a simple, “What’s up?”

Think about this:

Who do you call in an emergency, or vent about your day, or when you need a helping hand?

Who do you call when you need a laugh, who has your back no matter what? 

Now, what about your teen? Who do they call?

CONNECTION = SENSE OF BELONGING

We have all lost many connections over the last couple of years and it’s time to re-emerge and reconnect.  

And once you make one connection, others will follow!!!

The best way to find your community is to start with re-discovering who you are.  Once you and your teen re-learn and discover what lights you up, you start to naturally attract a community that are like-

If you want MORE CONNECTION with your Teen….. I have a program for YOU!!

I am excited to offer my new program called The Connected Parent. This program is my labor of love that I know Parents of Teens are in desperate NEED of!

It’s time to stop bickering and nagging and start having MORE unique, special moments and connections with your teen.

Your teen wants it, you want it! It is time to gain the support to help you create this for the both of you!

Even though your teen would rather be left alone, on their phone more often than not, and appears to be ignoring you every time you try to communicate to them………deep down they want to be seen and heard by YOU.

I am here to help you gain a relationship with your teen like you never experienced before.

This is for parents that desperately want to reconnect with their teen. If you feel you are consistently talking AT THEM and not talking with them and you feel more frustrated and annoyed with your teen rather than being able to enjoy your teen……then take action now!

If you are craving a relationship with your teen…I am here to tell you that not only is it possible, but it is so worth it. Enjoying the human you raised is the best feeling in the world.

The Connected Parent Program is designed to support your parenting journey for ONE WHOLE YEAR!

I have been wanting to jump start this program for some time now and I am so happy to finally get to share it with my fellow teen parents!

If you are struggling to communicate with your teen,

feel you are being tuned out,

worry they are getting their wisdom from TikTok instead of you,

then this program is for you.

It’s time to stop bickering and nagging and start having MORE unique, special moments and connections with your teen.

If you are craving a relationship with your teen…I am here to tell you that not only is it possible, but it is so worth it. Enjoying the human you raised is the best feeling in the world.

More information coming soon about the program! Get excited! You are not going to miss out on this opportunity.

If you want to join my program waitlist, DM me now! You will be the first to gain insight on the program details!

Building Strength in anything will breed confidence. Lifting weights is my example but I see teens develop confidence when they start to practice something they love! I have a client who loves creating jewelry with different crystals. The more she created and practiced her craft the more excited she became. You could see her confidence radiate when she talked about her creations. She would discover different techniques and try different types of jewelry to discover how best to display the crystals. Before she knew it, someone noticed a piece of her jewelry and with confidence and love she described how she created it and the meaning behind it. The women she was talking to asked her if she could make one for her. My client was not expecting this at all but was so happy that someone else saw the beauty in the piece. They exchanged numbers and my client sold her first piece of jewelry.

Teens are designed to take risks and be curious! They are suppose to try things......and they totally should!

Some good, and some not so good risks will definitely occur during teen years but what is important is how we react as parents.

Taking Risks is Crucial for Teens.

Of course, educating our teens on what is right and wrong is critical, and I believe as parents we can also model this behavior for them.

Allowing teens to figure things out is a game changer. They are not allowed to fail or succeed on their own when we come to their rescue or do things for them.

Teens pick up from an early age that they have to do things perfectly. Perfect at academics, Perfect in sports, Perfect in performing arts. Pressuring teens to do well in academics, sports, and activities leads teens to put additional pressure on themselves to be PERFECT.