"The road to success is always under construction." -- Lily Tomlin
Parents of Teens: We Need to Redefine High School 'Success'
"After going through infancy and toddlerhood and a rather rocky preschool period with my two oldest sons, things started to come together for us, and I experienced a slow but steady increase in parental self-confidence.
Seeing my boys thrive and grow and, yes, learn to fall asleep on their own despite any missteps I might have made in those early years, helped me to realize that there really are many ways to raise great kids, and that what matters in the end is the big picture -- not whether I get every little detail "right."
But now that I've got two teenagers in the house -- Isaac, 14, and Jacob, almost 16 -- I admit that some of that confidence has been shaken." [ more ]
Seeing my boys thrive and grow and, yes, learn to fall asleep on their own despite any missteps I might have made in those early years, helped me to realize that there really are many ways to raise great kids, and that what matters in the end is the big picture -- not whether I get every little detail "right."
But now that I've got two teenagers in the house -- Isaac, 14, and Jacob, almost 16 -- I admit that some of that confidence has been shaken." [ more ]
Reading Corner
Title: Staying Connected To Your Teenager: How To Keep Them Talking To You And How To Hear What They're Really Saying
By: Michael Riera, Ph.D. Stage: Adults
"At last, a book of sage advice that will help frustrated parents reconnect with their teenager and keep that connection even in today's often-crazy world.The first step is simple: realizing that inside every teen resides two very different people-the regressed child and the emergent adult. The emergent adult is seen at school, on the playing field, in his first job, and in front of his friends' families. Unfortunately, his parents usually see only the regressed child-moody and defiant-and, if they're not on the lookout, they'll miss seeing the more agreeable, increasingly adult thinker in their midst.With ingenious strategies for coaxing the more attractive of the two teen personalities into the home, family psychologist Mike Riera gives new hope to beleaguered and harried parents. From moving from a "managing" to a "consulting" role in a teen's life, from working with a teen's uniquely exasperating sleep rhythms to having real conversations when only monosyllables have been previously possible, Staying Connected to Your Teenager demonstrates ways to bring out the best in a teen-and, consequently, in an entire family." -- Goodreads Review
By: Michael Riera, Ph.D. Stage: Adults
"At last, a book of sage advice that will help frustrated parents reconnect with their teenager and keep that connection even in today's often-crazy world.The first step is simple: realizing that inside every teen resides two very different people-the regressed child and the emergent adult. The emergent adult is seen at school, on the playing field, in his first job, and in front of his friends' families. Unfortunately, his parents usually see only the regressed child-moody and defiant-and, if they're not on the lookout, they'll miss seeing the more agreeable, increasingly adult thinker in their midst.With ingenious strategies for coaxing the more attractive of the two teen personalities into the home, family psychologist Mike Riera gives new hope to beleaguered and harried parents. From moving from a "managing" to a "consulting" role in a teen's life, from working with a teen's uniquely exasperating sleep rhythms to having real conversations when only monosyllables have been previously possible, Staying Connected to Your Teenager demonstrates ways to bring out the best in a teen-and, consequently, in an entire family." -- Goodreads Review
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be the Change
This article introduces the idea of success as someone who is "a contribution." Talk with your teen, or raise the question of that definition of success with them and see if it leads to discussion or a new perspective for them, or you.
