Parenting is HARD. In fact, it’s probably the hardest job out there. On top of that, there’s no training, no test to pass, no license to acquire, and no guidebook. One day you’re responsible only for yourself, and the next you have a child to raise. And then you turn around, and the child is a teen … and it seems that everything you’re doing is wrong. You thought you knew this child, and now they are acting totally differently – they may be emotional, argumentative, weepy, obstinate … and that’s all before noon. And as soon as you have a bit of a feel for how to work with your child, they change. And you’re at square one again.
Welcome to the world of parenting a teen! As challenging as this time of life can be, it can also be exciting, interesting, and fun. Really. It begins with understanding that despite what’s going on in the ups and downs of your household, you can remain the calm and stable center. It is possible.
This 4-hour workshop begins with a discussion of the changes in the brain that are going on during adolescence which affect the behavior and mood of teens. We then introduce tools that can help: mindfulness and self-compassion practices, exercises, and guided meditations that are adapted specifically for parents. There will also be an opportunity to develop a plan going forward – you will have time to reflect on how you will incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion tools in your daily life to ease the challenges of this life stage.
This workshop will be directed toward parents of teens and pre-teens, but anyone is welcome. It will be led by Karen Bluth, PhD, who has survived parenting two daughters who are now alive and well and in their twenties, and Laura Prochnow Phillips, MA, who has a 14-year-old daughter, and is in the throes of parenting a teen along with you.