Tips for parents of teenagers | Gail Friend
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Tips for parents of teenagers

How to Build Family Connection at this time of year
Personal development

How to Build Family Connection at this time of year

Nov 23, 2021

At this time of year, we are often focused on getting everything done. Finishing exams, school functions, work functions, planning holidays. What if we stopped to pause and change our focus to how can I have true connection in each moment? Instead of what are we going to do, focus on how will I get […]

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4 Tips to support our children during exams?
Tips for parents of teenagers

4 Tips to support our children during exams?

Nov 17, 2021

Fostering independence – Teach them to plan Teaching our children how to manage their own schedule during exams is the best skill you can give them. Allow them to try their own way. And the younger they are the better. In the beginning you can let them work off their exam timetable and set a […]

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How can we prepare our children emotionally for Puberty?
Tips for parents of teenagers

How can we prepare our children emotionally for Puberty?

Jun 10, 2020

Between the ages of 10 and 13 children start to become more aware of their bodies and how they are starting to change. They become more aware of their friendships and comments from others. If we as their parents are aware of this, we can help them to develop a healthy sense of themselves during […]

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The Importance of Training the way our Children Think
Tips for parents of teenagers

The Importance of Training the way our Children Think

Oct 23, 2019

Training the way your child thinks is more important than the result in the moment. How often do we think of just our need in the moment, and forget the big picture of what our children need to learn in that moment? Our day to day conversations have a huge influence on how our children […]

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How much time should I spend with my child?
Tips for parents of teenagers

How much time should I spend with my child?

Aug 19, 2019

In our busy lives today, how much time do we spend with our children? How do we decide what we do with them and what we don’t? How much time is enough? The first place to start is to get clear on our outcome for our time with them. This gives us a frame of […]

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The Top 5 Mistakes Parents Make
Tips for parents of teenagers

The Top 5 Mistakes Parents Make

Aug 18, 2019

Parenting can be hard sometimes, and there is no course or learning we have to go on before we become parents. How do we know if we are really being effective? Sometimes even with the best intent, we can be moulding our children’s perceptions in ways that will not help them as adults. Here are […]

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What do you teach your children about love? What does love look like for you?
Tips for parents of teenagers

What do you teach your children about love? What does love look like for you?

Feb 14, 2019

I grew up with a perception that love is when everyone is happy the whole time. Isn’t that what we all want? It is that tingling feeling when you think of your loved one. The irony is that when we strive for that picture, we cause our own unhappiness because what happens when we or […]

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Holiday Expectations – What are your expectations for these holidays?
Tips for parents of teenagers

Holiday Expectations – What are your expectations for these holidays?

Dec 4, 2018

Very often at this time of year everyone is tired and just looking forward to the holidays. Have we given some thought as to what we want for the holidays? Do you just want to relax and have quiet time? Do your children have expectations of all the things they want to do with you? […]

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How can we support our children during exams?
Tips for parents of teenagers

How can we support our children during exams?

Oct 29, 2018

1. Fostering independence Teaching our children how to manage their own schedule during exams is the best skill you can give them. Allow them to try their own way. And the younger they are the better. In the beginning, you can let them work off their exam timetable and set a plan for a day. […]

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It is that time of the year again. Does it feel like you are running out of time and energy?
Personal development

It is that time of the year again. Does it feel like you are running out of time and energy?

Oct 22, 2018

It is that time of the year again. Does it feel like you are running out of time and energy? There are so many more things to do, more functions, finishing our work schedules before we go on leave, organising for holidays and financial pressures. It is so easy to get caught up in this […]

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Does a loving family mean doing everything together?
Tips for parents of teenagers

Does a loving family mean doing everything together?

Sep 22, 2018

I remember always thinking that having a loving family looked like everyone spending time all together. I would see happy families all together and long for that. I often wondered what was wrong with me.  My situation was different. Although my two boys were 3 years apart, because my younger son was a special needs […]

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How do we measure how well we have done and how does this impact our performance and our sense of self?
Personal development

How do we measure how well we have done and how does this impact our performance and our sense of self?

Sep 11, 2018

Measuring ourselves by our Results Often we measure how well we have done by the result we get. While the result is important, measuring ourselves by our results creates our stress and our stress impacts our performance. When we are stressed we are not as resourceful and learning becomes less effective. Managing our stress is […]

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Managing our stress about our teenagers writing exams
Tips for parents of teenagers

Managing our stress about our teenagers writing exams

Aug 31, 2018

What makes us stress when our teenagers write exams? What do we say to ourselves? How do we help them when they are stressing? They are stressing too much about these exams and it is getting in the way of their studying What do we do when they are not settling down to study or […]

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Tips to Help with Exam time Stress
Tips for parents of teenagers

Tips to Help with Exam time Stress

Aug 27, 2018

Exams can be very stressful. How can we manage this stress? 1. Listen to your stress  Do you dismiss or ignore your stress and try and study “over” it? Feeling stressed impacts our ability to learn and take in information. Our stress is there to tell us something, when we listen to our feelings they […]

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Preparing Your Teen for Success (Talk Series)
Tips for parents of teenagers

Preparing Your Teen for Success (Talk Series)

Aug 21, 2018

Parenting a teen is not instinctive  and is anticipated to be quite challenging Join us for our series of talks on preparing your teen for success. Come and learn to understand your teen. Gain strategies on how to balance keeping control and giving them the freedom to develop into adulthood. Understand how to work with your […]

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Setting up Agreement Frames with our Teenagers
Tips for parents of teenagers

Setting up Agreement Frames with our Teenagers

Aug 17, 2018

When our teenagers misbehave, setting up agreement frames can be a great way to manage consequences and it develops accountability in them. We do this by having a discussion about the situation, asking questions and coming up with an agreement of consequences. We can ask questions like: How do they feel about what they […]

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Do we judge our Teenager when we Discipline?
Tips for parents of teenagers

Do we judge our Teenager when we Discipline?

Aug 15, 2018

When we discipline, how do we FEEL towards our teenager? How we feel has a huge impact on our message. If we are angry with them or think they are “wrong”, our judgement of them will impact our effectiveness. When our teenager feels judged, they are less open to learning or listening. Their emotion gets […]

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What stops us from being Consistent with our Discipline?
Personal development

What stops us from being Consistent with our Discipline?

Aug 5, 2018

How many times have you heard…Always be consistent with your discipline? Sometimes that is easier said than done. Have you ever thought about why you don’t? Could it be about avoiding conflict? When we choose not to follow through on consequences, or not to discipline in the moment when we know we should, it is […]

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Tips to develop your Teen’s Strong Sense of Self
Tips for parents of teenagers

Tips to develop your Teen’s Strong Sense of Self

Aug 1, 2018

1.Allowing them to choose and try new things EVERY DAY As parents when our children are young we are used to guiding them, giving them information and making suggestions, but is this the best way for them to learn? Do we give them enough opportunities to choose, explore and try things for themselves? Giving them […]

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How do we influence our Teens with their friendships?
Tips for parents of teenagers

How do we influence our Teens with their friendships?

Jul 24, 2018

The most important step to influence is taking care of ourselves first. When we are feeling good and resourceful, that is when we are able to facilitate our teenagers learning effectively. As soon as we are tired or emotionally charged we become less effective. Our Teen’s friends have a big influence on them and […]

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Vision for a Parent-Teen Relationship
Tips for parents of teenagers

Vision for a Parent-Teen Relationship

Jul 10, 2018

A Parent’s Perspective My teenager sees me and understands how much I love them. They know me and what I need too. We can talk easily and openly about anything without judgement. We are allowed to be upset by situations and differences without impacting on our love and respect for each other. We both ALWAYS […]

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A Parent’s Vision for their Teenager
Tips for parents of teenagers

A Parent’s Vision for their Teenager

Jul 9, 2018

Our teenager knows who they are. They make decisions that work for them. They are not swayed by other opinions. They know what they want and have the courage and determination to be uncomfortable in order to achieve what they want. They are okay with making mistakes. They have empathy and understanding of others. […]

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Self-care – The Most Important Step in Parenting
Personal development

Self-care – The Most Important Step in Parenting

Jun 26, 2018

So often when we think about parenting our focus is on our children and what we do for them, or what they have to do. How often do we think of ourselves? Self-care is the first and most important step in parenting. How often do we put everything else in the front of the […]

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What do we teach our Children and Teenagers about their Emotions?
Tips for parents of teenagers

What do we teach our Children and Teenagers about their Emotions?

Jun 23, 2018

As parents we want our children and teenagers to be happy. What do we do and say when they are feeling angry, scared or sad? How often do we hear, or say to our children, “oh don’t worry about it, just focus on the positive” or “don’t feel upset about that, it is not […]

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Preparing Your Teen for Success (Talk Series)
Tips for parents of teenagers

Preparing Your Teen for Success (Talk Series)

May 17, 2018

Parenting a teen is not instinctive  and is anticipated to be quite challenging Join us for our series of talks on preparing your teen for success. Come and learn to understand your teen. Gain strategies on how to balance keeping control and giving them the freedom to develop into adulthood. Understand how to work with your […]

Read More
Does your child resist talking to you about their experiences? What does this mean?(Series 1, Blog 3)
Tips for parents of teenagers

Does your child resist talking to you about their experiences? What does this mean?(Series 1, Blog 3)

Feb 20, 2018

My child struggles a bit to make friends (Blog Series 1) Part 1. Teaching your child what kind of friends to look for – click here to read it Part 2. Developing the courage to initiate friendship – the first conversation – click here to read it Part 3. Does your child resist talking to you about […]

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Conflict Resolution – Developing open communication with your teenager (11 -18 year olds) – Saturday 27th May 2017
Tips for parents of teenagers

Conflict Resolution – Developing open communication with your teenager (11 -18 year olds) – Saturday 27th May 2017

Feb 19, 2017

Conflict Resolution – Developing open communication with your teenager Does your teenager talk to you? Would you like them to talk more AND hear you more? Do you bump heads with your teenager? What is behind your teenager’s emotions and how can you handle them? Join me to learn how to develop open communication with […]

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What do we teach our children about their emotions?
Tips for parents of teenagers

What do we teach our children about their emotions?

Jul 4, 2016

What do we teach our children about their emotions? As parents we want our children to be happy. What do we do and say when they are feeling angry, scared or sad? How often do we hear, or say to our children, “oh don’t worry about it, just focus on the positive” or “don’t […]

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Conflict Resolution – Developing open communication with your teenager (11 -18 year olds)
Tips for parents of teenagers

Conflict Resolution – Developing open communication with your teenager (11 -18 year olds)

Jul 1, 2016

Does your teenager talk to you? Would you like them to talk more AND hear you more? Do you bump heads with your teenager? What is behind your teenager’s emotions and how can you handle them? Join me to learn how to develop open communication with your teenager and how to reduce conflict. Workshops are […]

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Developing Open Communication with your Teenager
Tips for parents of teenagers

Developing Open Communication with your Teenager

Jun 14, 2016

Does your teenager talk to you? Would you like them to talk more AND hear you more? Do you bump heads with your teenager? What is behind your teenager’s emotions and how can you handle them? Teenagers are at a stage in their life when they want to be treated as adults and make […]

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Teaching children how to set goals and be self-motivated
Tips for parents of teenagers

Teaching children how to set goals and be self-motivated

Jan 10, 2016

Teaching children how to set goals and be self-motivated. It is that time of the year again, where parents face the challenge of children starting a new year at school, the changes, the challenges and how to get them self-motivated to achieve their goals and be happy at school. There are a few key factors […]

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