by janetedgette | Nov 6, 2020 | Family life, Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting
“Mom, there’s a guy in our driveway with a tow truck,” my son tells me, urgently. With miscalculated insouciance I reply, “No worries, dude, I’m sure it’s Bill.” Bill is our neighbor, and he owns a service station. “But he’s hooking up...
by janetedgette | Jun 6, 2020 | Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Teenagers
My last post expressed my concern about the way we talk about teenagers in our culture—you know, that kids are just “hard-wired” to be difficult once they reach adolescence, that puberty and all those hormones make them crazy, etc… I wondered whether we could afford...
by janetedgette | Dec 6, 2019 | Bullying, Family life, Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting young children, Self-esteem
People love Mr. Fred Rogers and the recent movie, It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, elegantly illustrated his abundance of empathy, generosity, emotional intelligence, and grace. Yes, he was kind, but there was something more that drew children toward him and...
by janetedgette | Jul 4, 2019 | Family life, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Parenting young children, Teenagers
A teenage girl stares at her mother who waits patiently and smiles kindly at the elderly man whose unfamiliarity with paying electronically is holding up the line at the register. “Why were you smiling at that guy?” the daughter asks on their way out, her impatience...
by janetedgette | May 17, 2018 | Coaching kids and teens, Home Page, Parent-Teen communication, Teenagers, Teens and school
Ever wonder why your teenager takes a pass on your advice? Especially when you know for a fact that it’s really good? Here are three reasons why teenagers might look elsewhere for solutions or support, or nowhere at all. It can explain those times when they...
by janetedgette | Oct 4, 2017 | Family life, Home Page, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Teenagers
Olivia calls her dad a s**t-head every chance she gets, but what she really wants to say to him is this: “Every time you talk to me you’re trying to make some point and it gets old. Plus, you think you’re being funny but it hurts my feelings and that’s why I don’t...
