Keeping Communication Lines Open with Teens

“So, how was your day? Anything exciting happen?” asked the mother as she picked up her daughter from school. Her teenage daughter grunted as she got into the car, “Just the usual. Nothing ever happens.” Once the car started moving, the daughter put in her earbuds and started texting with her friends. The mother silently…

Cost of Yelling at Kids

“Put that down!” yelled the mother at her four year old daughter. “I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you are pushing my buttons today.” The mother continued to yell at her daughter as she cleaned up the spilled cereal her daughter had been attempting to put into a bowl. Once she had…

Instilling Self-Confidence in Kids

“Here honey, let mommy do that,” said the mother as she reached for her daughter’s shoes to help put them on. The two year old looked squarely at her mother, yanked away the shoes and said, “I do it.” The little girl in this case was firmly expressing her self-confidence that she could put on…

Helping Kids Have a Healthy Self-Esteem

The boy looked at his mother and said, “I don’t think I can. I usually mess things up.” The mother sighed and wondered why her son was so reluctant to try new things. She just knew that he could be good at so many things if he would just try. In the situation above, the…