Parenting

Being a parent has always been a challenge, but it can be overwhelming in today’s “fast paced” society. Being a single parent can be more exhausting, as you don’t have the other person to help lighten the load or discuss situations and problems. Enhancing your parenting skills will assist in calming the home environment and bring more stability to your children. Once youth begin to seek independence you are entering into one of the most challenging of child rearing seasons. Much of Social Media does not build parental respect and family unity. Peer pressure is a big factor that can influence your son or daughter to make decisions that are contrary to their wellbeing. Teens enter the life-stage where their brain is developing, and they actually get energized when debating and arguing with a parent.

David Elkind, PhD, Tifts University of Medicine, in Boston, writes, "Driving fast, breaking curfew, arguing, shoplifting. Teenagers can push your patience, but unfortunately some kids go as far as blatantly flouting rules or breaking the law, often with tragic results. What’s with this rebellious streak? How can parents funnel this into less risky business. All teens go through similar phases – the need for independence, a separate identity, testing authority. It’s part of growing up; it’s also linked to developmental changes in the brain that will eventually help them become analytical adults.

But today’s teens get an extra whammy – social pressures come earlier than in previous generations."

Raising children in today’s technological society can be very challenging. David and Susannah have helped many parents work their way through these developmental stages in life. A parenting coach can look at a situation with an unbiased lens and present positive options for good outcomes.

Susannah is a trained certified child and youth behaviouralist.