In the Middle of It with Amy Kelly, The Ish Girl
Happy Birthday to the Podcast! 15 Best Takeaways From Our First Year
Released: Feb 20, 2019
Happy Birthday!
This week marks the 1-year anniversary of the first podcast episode! To celebrate and show my appreciation for all your support, I compiled the 15 best takeaways from aaalllll the episodes I published during the past 12 months.
Thanks so much for the way you care about teens and want to show up for them. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish in the weeks and months ahead!
The 15 Best Takeaways from our First Year:
No one knows your teen the way you do – and it’s your job to “stay in the know” with them because as teens, they shift and change frequently Be intentional about building a support community. Not only for yourself but for your teens too. Sometimes, when your teen can’t receive something from you, they can hear it from other adults in their lives – cultivate that community and ask them to speak into your teen’s life. {PRINTABLE – Letters to My Teen} Don’t jump in to solve their problems – although this may seem counterintuitive, especially when your teen is anxious. Solving things for them won’t help them in the long run. Do support them and be a coach as they work through challenges. The goal is to help your teen develop resiliency and the ability to advocate for themselves. Keep your eyes on the bigger picture – while living in the moment This is not who your teen is – it’s how they are becoming an adult. Pick your battles. Remember it takes 2 to argue - avoid getting sucked into arguments that aren’t your battle. Being a united team as you co-parent, whether with a spouse or an ex or otherwise, is HUGE for your teens. It gives them a stability and security that they will value later on. Stop “thrashing” yourself with that critical inner voice. Be deliberate about positive thinking and have grace with yourself. Reframe your thoughts by using “THINKS” (true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, kind, something you’d say to a friend) {PRINTABLE – THINKS Graphic} You have your own umbrella (so does everyone else) and underneath it are your own thoughts, feelings, values, etc. {PRINTABLE – Healthy Boundaries Umbrella } My responsibility as a parent is to train, model, and reinforce with the hope that my teens will adopt my values and beliefs – they have the freedom to adopt or reject them Be quick to apologize – everyone will mess up, and it’s all in how you come back together and reconcile When I know it’s developmentally appropriate for teens to go through certain stages as they’re changing from kids into adults, I can now respond to their misbehavior rather than react to it. {EBOOK – Be the Grownup They Need} Seeing our teen’s behavior as developmentally appropriate can help us reframe it and respond, rather than react, to it. Defining a behavior as developmentally appropriate doesn’t excuse inappropriate or unhealthy behavior. Understanding what is developmentally appropriate frees parents and teens from condemnation and shame.
Referenced in this Episode
Episodes used to compile the 15 best takeaways
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FREE EBOOK: Be the Grownup They Need