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Your Teen’s Pandemic Routine: Expectation V. Reality (why you and your teen feel exhausted from all this free time!)

Group of emotional teens

Teach your kid to hug themselves, by first hugging yourself

The #1 Calm Down Strategy Most Parents Overlook

It seems counterintuitive, but the one of the first things I teach parents is how you can recognize and care for yourself before we work on addressing your child’s behavior. Parents often think “If I can just get my kid’s behavior under control, THEN I can finally read that book, or sign up for Zumba, or take that weekend away to golf.” The truth is, without the patience to manage those meltdowns, your child cannot successfully achieve that change you’re hunting.

And the fact is, you’re wondering if that trip will ever come for you if things keep going down this path. You’ve been trying all sorts of coping skills. You’re on the right track, part of preparing your kid for the world is teaching him/her when to take a break when they’re overwhelmed. (You know it’s not just about figuring out how to toughen up and accept the fact that there are bad things that happen in this world, move on, and get over it.)

Highly Sensitive kids are the catalyst for change in our society, and they can’t act on what subtleties they notice in the world without support in knowing when to retreat into calm.

The first step towards setting them up for success is modeling this for them, EVEN when it seems like you have NO TIME to do it given how many meltdowns they have each day!

Reach out to see what will help you regain peace in your home.

https://thompsonchildtherapy.com/contact/

 

How to Show Your Teen Respect for Their Privacy, Without Staying in the Dark About Their Life

We hear from parents all the time that their teen “doesn’t talk” to them. Parents say when they ask their teen about their day, they hear “fine” but they’re certain that’s not the case. The dagger-like stares, the irritability and short temper say opposite.

It can be so challenging to know when to press on, to help their teen open up, and when to “respect their privacy”… especially when worried about teens making unsafe choices. 

Here are a few things parents can consider when honoring their teen’s needs for privacy, without overlooking safety concerns.

  1. Ignorance is not the same as privacy. When respecting a teen’s privacy, be sure to avoid confusing this with a sense of “I don’t want to know” for fear of finding out something alarming. Parents have a right to know who your teen’s friends are, what they generally discuss, what their interests are, and where they hang out together. It’s all in the delivery of the question.
  2. Teens often struggle with seeing a ‘middle ground.’ So, it’s either all, or nothing, when they’re asked to share about their day. But, depending on their mood, they could fear that sharing ‘all’ could lead their parent to restrict contact with friends altogether when concerned about safety. 
  3. Teach your teen to summarize their experiences. This is especially hard for highly sensitive teens; being concise is a life skill, and teens might need examples to learn this effectively. For example, if a teen had a 60 minute discussion about a friend’s love interest, and this love interest is flirting with two different people, and they were trying to figure out who he liked more, and dissecting every snap/IG post, your teen could tell you: “Julie and I were talking about how whether or not Aaron is interested in her.”
  4. Focus on your teen’s interest or skill in the conversation: “It sounds like you’re really trying to help her figure it out” or “You’re a good friend for listening to her.” Don’t try to fix the problem, pry for more details, or teach social skills when focusing on teaching teens to summarize. Small steps towards helping your teen share more will lead to increased trust.

In order to do this without worrying they’re missing something important, it’s helpful for parents to have support. Reach out where we will discuss what works best to help you and your teen learn how to balance privacy and maintaining trust in your relationship.

 

The Best Way to Figure Out What Your Teen is Thinking…Without 20 Questions

“Is that why you’ve been so angry lately?” Often genuine curiosity like this from a parent is met with a scoff or an eye roll from their teen. We’re here to tell you why that is, and how to get around it.

It’s easy to worry about why your teen is acting a certain way, whether that be yelling, isolating in their room, never being home, or talking until wee hours of the night on FaceTime with their boyfriend, (literally doing nothing….it’s just on in the background).

When you notice behavior like this it’s hard to figure out the cause in order to stop it. Especially if your teen won’t open up.

What we know is that validating your teen in the moment is the best and most effective way to learn more about what your teen is thinking.

When you inquire with your teen about why they’re feeling a certain way, they may or may not tell you…

…either because they don’t know, or because the way you ask why is missing the mark for your teen in the moment they’re being emotionally vulnerable with you, so they clam up.

When you help your teen know that their emotions are normal and to be expected (don’t confuse emotions with behavior!) your teen automatically feels understood.

What happens when a teen feels understood? They share more.

If your teen is struggling with anxiety, depression, or is healing from a traumatic experience, it’s crucial that you know how to validate.

Telling your teen “it makes perfect sense that you feel like that… especially given what just happened” helps your teen know you GET IT.

You may not have all the answers, that’s what our support is for, but when you’re ready to listen and hear how your teen feels their feelings deeply, your teen is bound to share more often.

 

To learn more about what works to support your teen in managing big emotions and to open up, click the link below:

https://thompsonchildtherapy.com/specialties/teen-anxiety-and-depression/

Sticks and Stones My Ass– What to do When Your Kid Calls You Names, Part 3

Last week we learned that anger is always a secondary emotion. That means we can act as investigators rather than instructors when our children act out in anger. When our child/teen is angry, focusing on their other emotion and redirecting them to express this emotion effectively, will help dissipate their anger.

Usually, we fall into the power-struggle trap of commanding our children to behave: “don’t call me names, that’s disrespectful, go to your room!” This leaves our child/teen feeling powerful that they can hurt our feelings or make us react in anger.

Try these options instead:

Name the underlying feeling and comfort this part of your child.

Let’s use the example of Josie wanting a snack 10 minutes before dinner:

“You are sad that you don’t get a snack. Let’s get a drink of water to cool down those mad feelings.”

Redirect the emotion to an inanimate object:

“It’s hard when you don’t get what you want. That’s disappointing.”

“NO! You’re a bad mom!” (The first time doesn’t always work!)

“Josie, I know you’re disappointed you don’t get a snack right now. You can pretend the doll is me and call the doll names, but I am not for name-calling.”

Redirecting your child’s impulses toward an inanimate object is much like grumbling under our breath or in our heads for adults. Children don’t always have that level of self-control readily accessible when angry. Give them an outlet to maintain the verbal aggression without directing it at you. This is the first step to teaching them they can control their behavior.

Once your child follows through on this task, report their actions back to them:

“Ooh, you’re so mad you are calling her names!” This demonstrates to your child you are interested in understanding their feelings by naming them. They feel heard, and you are no longer the target of their anger. It is this part of the step that does not reinforce the aggression like people believe punching a pillow does for managing anger. When kids/teens feel heard, they feel less likely to act out.

Praise their efforts to calm down: “It was so hard to stop yelling at mommy, but you did it! You chose to yell at your doll instead.”

For teens, redirecting them to write down what they feel, or to play music to suit their mood is another good option, even if that means blasting the tunes. (“You can choose to write or draw about your disappointment, or play loud music to calm down. Please do not use that language when you are angry.”) Be sure to comment positively once they come back from their room on the effort it took for them to calm down. “You were really pissed, and you wanted to keep calling me names but you didn’t. I’m proud of you for that, that’s hard to do.”

Once your child/teen is calm, you can discuss with them how you feel when they use those words.

For teens especially, it could be very helpful for them to hear how those words bring up memories for you. Instead of in the moment via lecture-mode, here is the teachable moment. This is when you can come up with solutions to decrease the problem next time. Perhaps that means setting up a calm-down corner on the ground floor, or in their room. Notice how I said decrease, not eliminate when addressing the problem. Your child will yell again. They will call you names. Your responses will help eliminate the problem, their calm-down tools will help them feel more capable when upset. 

I hope this is helpful. If you would like more tips about managing anger, or other child/teen emotions let me know in the comments!

Teen yelling

Sticks and Stones My Ass– What to do When Your Kid Calls You Names, Part 2

I hope you took some time this week to figure out what you’ll be implementing regularly to care for yourself, and identifying what, if any, activity for your child has to be shuffled around in order to make it happen. Bonus points for already doing it!

So, when you thought about the memories these mean names remind you of, what feelings came up? Helplessness? Vulnerability? Sadness? Disappointment? Hurt? This insight will come in handy…

Here is the next step in responding to your child when they call you names:

Understand the Brain

Children do not have the cognitive capacity to think ahead when upset. Their frontal lobe, the part of the brain that manages impulses, is immature.

But wait, Megghan, MY KID KNOWS these words piss me off! Yes, after they explode, they remember, or it registers, that what they did is hurtful. They are intelligent enough to talk to you about it later and demonstrate understanding. When we assume this means they know what they’re doing in the moment, what we miss here is the understanding that children need empathy, repetition and support to manage their angry impulses.  If we do not acknowledge their brain development, we jump to shame-oriented parenting strategies (spanking, time-out, writing lines, soap, etc.)

Understand Anger

Children cannot develop and express empathy unless they feel understood. They cannot understand, nor give two sh*ts about your feelings, and whether their words hurt you, if you do not first identify and sit with theirs. So, last week I asked you to do some self-exploration. If we brush off our own emotions regularly, say our kids’ words don’t hurt, then we cannot acknowledge their hurt.

Notice how I am not mentioning much about anger in this post already.

Anger is ALWAYS a secondary emotion. There is always another feeling underneath the anger. This feeling makes us feel more vulnerable, and thus we automatically look for a way to feel powerful, hence, the angry outburst. This comes more easily than saying “I’m disappointed!”

Think about it: Our initial impulse when disappointed, hurt, upset, is to lash out. As (mostly) responsible adults, we manage this, stuff it aside, or grunt rather than act on it. Why? Because we know what the consequences will be if we don’t.

Get Down on Your Kid’s Level, and Name Their Other Feelings

Now that we know anger is secondary, it’s important to do some investigating regarding what other emotions our children are feeling in the moment. Pro Tip: upset is a good one. It’s often safe enough for teens, because it is in the same emotion family as anger. As you practice naming feelings other than ‘mad,’ your child will begin to correct you. This will help you start to nail your guesses, but either way, your child hears you focused on their feelings, and less on their behavior, which in turn decreases the intensity and length of their meltdowns.

Name ‘upset, disappointed, hurt, etc.’ and then name the anger. Doing both is important. This helps your child/teen switch the focus to the feeling behind their anger, moving the processing of the feelings along.

Child Example:

Josie wants a snack, but it’s 10 minutes before dinner. You tell her no, redirect her to the choices she has after dinner, and she still gets upset. She’s not hungry for dinner! She wants those cookies NOW. So, she calls you stupid and the dinner gross. Typically, this would lead to you sending her to her room and sometimes giving some retort back about how ungrateful she is about your hard work in the kitchen. Maybe in this moment it struck a cord because you’re not sure how dinner will turn out, (you’re trying a new recipe) and you’re already vulnerable about the meal.

Here is where you can name her feeling for her:

Mom, bending down to meet Josie: “Josie, I know you’re disappointed you don’t get a snack right now. You’re mad that you can’t have what you want right now.”

That second sentence probably sounds familiar. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ve been focusing on naming feelings for your children. Hopefully, the primary feeling, disappointment, is more easily recognized here, as she can’t have what she wants. By kneeling or bending down we decrease the sense of powerlessness our children feel when a big tall adult is telling them ‘no.’ It sends the same comforting message we instinctually give when our child is physically hurt, or they are sad. Emotional hurt or disappointment is not much different of a feeling. Responding in a similar manner will help your child feel understood.

Teen Example:

We ‘bend down’ by going over to our teen and making eye contact. Use our body language to indicate full attention and care to their feelings– our toes follow our nose. This body posture of facing our teen with our whole body indicates their emotions matter enough to attend to, even when we aren’t giving them what they are asking for.

“I know you’re upset you can’t borrow the car this weekend. You were hoping to go to ______, and you’re mad that you can’t drive yourself.”

Next week we will focus more on how to redirect your child/teens anger and support them in expressing it in a more effective manner. Acknowledging the emotions behind the anger is the first step toward teaching them how to manage their emotions more effectively, and how to have a conversation with them about why their words hurt so much.

Are there other parenting topics you’d like to hear more about? Let me know in the comments!

Sticks and Stones My Ass– What to do When Your Kid Calls You Names, Part 1

Whether is a*hole, jerk, dummy, or stupid, it hurts when our kids/teens lash out in anger. No matter the age, correcting the use of the ‘bad word’ is probably not going to diffuse the situation in the moment. Focusing on the emotions behind the words will, however.

1. Check On Yourself

No, not ‘check yourself’, check in ON yourself. This series is not only about how to respond to your child, but also a check in to all my parents out there to make sure you’re comforting yourself. Parenting is hard as hell. PLEASE do something for yourself regularly so that you can be able to take that verbal tomato thrown at you. Reading your book club book that you don’t actually like doesn’t count.

Paint your nails, take a yoga class and actually go, whittle some wood, dig in the yard and plant something you can feel proud to watch grow (only if gardening is actually your thing). None of this Keeping up with the Jones’ hobby shit. If you don’t like to knit, stop doing that to relax. Find some sort of self-care activity (I’m sure there’s a Pinterest list about it) that sends the message to yourself that you are worth the 30-60 minutes a week. Yes, you heard me; monthly parent’s night out isn’t going to cut it.

As parents, it’s easy to prioritize our kids’ sports practices, scouts meetings, and other events over our own interests.

Cool it. Find a friend who can carpool. Your kid will benefit more from a parent who can keep their cool when they are overwhelmed than one that shows up to ALL THE THINGS but can’t keep their shit together at home.

Feel like I’m going too far with this post?

Let me ask you this: why do we take in the parenting blogs that tell us all the things we’re doing wrong for our kids, the things we SHOULD prioritize for their healthy development, and yet dismiss ones that encourage we prioritize our own well-being?

In order to forgive ourselves for the times we do lose our shit at home, and do better next time, we have to be available for change. We cannot be available for change as parents if we are in survival mode.

2. Name the Feeling

I’ve written about empathy before. I will write about it again. Here, I’m talking to you about naming your feelings. What besides hurt are you experiencing when you hear those words your child flings at you? Do you hear your 5th grade bully saying you’re no good? Or your caregivers as a child when you didn’t measure up?

Experience that pain.

Maybe that means you take a longer shower and let the tears flow, but either way, understand why these words are so powerful for your children when they use them. It will help you teach them why they’re not appropriate later.

You are responsible for your own emotional management.

If you regularly treat yourself with compassion, it will be easier to let your child’s poor choice of words when they are hurting mean less to you. With this, you can avoid lecturing, time-outs, writing lines, and all those other punishment and shame-oriented responses that are based in anger, frustration, or exasperation when our children are not able to manage their emotions.

Want to know more about what and when to respond to your child when they use this language? Next week I’ll cover that.

Spoiler alert: 

Despite my cuss words above, I’m not going to say it’s no big deal that your kids are using these bad words. But, as you can probably tell, the soap in my mouth at 7 didn’t do shit. (Sorry mom!)

Porter - dog for animal-assisted play therapy

Dogs Can’t Tell You You’re a Piece of Crap

How I Became Interested in Animal-Assisted Play Therapy

For a period of time at a Residential Treatment Center I worked at it was ‘bring your dog to work day’ any day you felt like it. So I, having just gotten a dog myself, was super excited when he reached the four-month mark and was allowed to come. This was a very selfish goal of mine. I wanted to bring my puppy to work–how amazing would that be? What I didn’t know was how effective Porter’s personality would be with these youth who had such extreme behaviors.

Dogs are Great Listeners

Their aversion to talking about their feelings based on their history of neglect and abuse was pronounced, but when you put a dog in the room (and one who was fluffy and friendly and calm… almost never) you are able to help them feel comfortable enough to process what hurt them in order to build skills to help them make it through their days.

I saw hardened, aggressive, outwardly mean teens melt to the floor with this puppy in their lap. And as he licked their faces they giggled. Now, as a play therapist I believe there is inherent good in all people, especially children. Porter just helps bring it out a little faster than I can.

Dogs Can’t Call You a Piece of Shit.

And so it’s a lot easier to build a relationship with a kind, friendly animal and transfer that relationship to its kind, friendly therapeutic handler. It’s harder for teens and kids to take the look a dog is giving them and interpret judgmental words out of it. If they do, they usually mention it to the handler. However, when I raise an eyebrow, or open my eyes wide in interest, they are less likely to ask me whether I approve of them, even if I am expressing genuine curiosity in the moment. This blunt inquiry takes much more time in human relationships.

Kind and Friendly, Yes, But He’s Also A Goof

No, Porter is not the perfect therapy dog. He won’t be visiting an ‘old folks’ home’ or hospital anytime soon– he is just too wiggly. But for children who struggle to maintain their behavior, who struggle to stay calm, and who struggle to slow down, he gives them the perfect opportunity to be the teacher. They can feel proud of what they know they are capable of doing. And Porter continues to learn as he grows out of his lab-puppyhood, which may or may not take a decade.