Talking to teenagers

Is your child suffering with anxiety, read this… it’s important! I have received 47 emails from my daughters’ secondary school since September 22 nd nearly 5 a week. I have received at least 36 text messages from my son’s primary school since the end of October and he comes home with at least 6 pieces of paper in his school bag a week. This is some examples of the secondary school communication Drama rehearsals email, lunchtime revision email, National citizenship service email, Duke of Edinburgh , carol singers in the village square email, PTA quiz email, Revision resources, bus pass email, Food technology contribution email, six form open evening email, six form open evening feedback email, Sponsored walk email, New headmaster welcome letter email, Careers talks parent assembly email, parents evening email, parents evening feedback email, forthcoming fundraising events email, foodbank collection email, PTA annual Christmas bingo email, community nativity email, Pre ord...

Photo by Oscar Keys on Unsplash Teenagers toxic love…Parents can feel distressed and frustrated at the addictive nature of their teens relationship. What's the best way to manage it? Every teenage relationship has an element of infatuation, they can be on the phone for hours on end, spending every free minute together at school, walking home together etc. This is how all the relationships start off, some remain healthy and happy but some become unhealthy in a short time. Boundaries become blurred, identities become enmeshed and the teenager can quickly lose a sense of self. This can become a huge breeding ground for jealousy. Jealousy is toxic in a relationship that has lost all perspective and the young person has no reference point to hold onto. It starts with probing questions that cause a little unsettling disagreement and progresses to checking phones and logging into each other’s social media. Both boys and girls talk about being ‘located’ on snapchat by th...

So, we are back to routine, are you screaming for your teenager to get out of bed yet? Well you know that you’re not on your own with this, parents of my clients complain about this regularly. As adults we find it hard to get out of bed, but the bills and the mortgage payments and the boss gives us the motivation to get up. What does the teenager have hanging over him to make him get up on time and conquer the day…? His assignment on music production for modern theatre, no he’s got that covered because he believes he can get the guidelines emailed to him instead of attending first period/lesson. Also Lucy who sits next to him said she can help out with that! The fact that he will be marked down as late on his attendance record…no he’s just going to come up with some doctor’s appointment, bus broke down routine, he’s got that covered. The fact that mum will be totally p****d off with him and she will do that silent, only answer in curt sentences thing and tell ever...