STRESS & MEDITATION

As we enter the holiday season, stress can get the best of all of us - I am sharing a link (below) to an article on mindfulness and a great website, Calm.com  for 2, 5, and 10 minute meditations. It is powerful. I challenge you to try it for yourself and suggest your kids try it at the end of the night as a way to de-stress and unwind for bed! 

For the Calm.com link, click here

Mindfulness Meditation Benefits: 20 Reasons Why It's Good For Your Mental And Physical Health

Here are 10    
 (to read the full article click here )

·       It lowers stress -- literally.

·       It can make your grades better

·       It changes the brain in a protective way.

·       It works as the brain's "volume knob."

·       It makes music sound better

·       It has four elements that help us in different ways.

·       It could help the elderly feel less lonely.

·       It comes in handy during cold season.

·       It also lowers depression risk among teens.

·       It supports your weight-loss goals.

·       It helps you sleep better.

WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING!?

"What where you thinking!?"
Continuing the dialog on the teen brain


"When adolescence hit Frances Jensen's sons, she often found herself wondering, like all parents of teenagers, "What were you thinking?"

"It's a resounding mantra of parents and teachers," says Jensen, who's a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital in Boston.

Like when son number one, Andrew, turned 16, dyed his hair black with red stripes and went off to school wearing studded leather and platform shoes. And his grades went south.
"I watched my child morph into another being, and yet I knew deep down inside it was the same Andrew," Jensen says. Suddenly her own children seemed like an alien species."


 For the full article    Click here

MATURITY, EMOTIONS, and the TEENAGE BRAIN

Understanding the teen aged brain is crucial - it' s not an excuse for behavior, but if we can begin to understand the process we will be much more effective life teachers!


"As teens grow and develop, it can be tempting to assume that they can think and behave just like adults. A little bit of time with a teen, however, can starkly demonstrate just how differently they think and act, and it is all due to brain development.

The Teenaged Brain
A brain is like a complicated entertainment system that includes the cable box, television, blu-ray player, and surround sound that are all connected through wires. For adults, the parts of the brain work together using a similar system of wires called synapses.
The teenaged brain, however, has all of the parts, just not all of the wires are hooked up. There may be too many input and output jacks in some places and not enough in others. Plus, teens have the distinct disadvantage of experiencing brain development from the back of the brain to the front.
The very back of the brain that is connected to the spine controls our involuntary functions. Moving up from there, we encounter the hormonal and emotional centers of the brain. Last to develop is the frontal lobe, which controls rational thought, judgment, and self-control.
Teen develop mirrors the development of a baby during his or her first year, soaking up everything the world has to offer. Like young children, teens need guidance, understanding, and patience from adults so that they can learn how to safely navigate the world.

Read the full article - click here

SPECIAL OFFER!

Special Offer! “What I wish I knew before my kid turned 13! - A compass for navigating the teen years” is my next webinar.  The first 5 people to sign up will get the special price of $125. 

“What I wish I knew before my kid turned 13!”

A compass for navigating the teen years

This program is for anyone who is engaged in the process of raising, nurturing and educating teens by offering hands on, easy to understand; practical strategies to help parents and mentors navigate their relationships with teenagers. We will discuss Communication, Conflict, Trust, Discipline, Emotional Literacy, Self Esteem and more.

Focus will be on creating usable tools for building successful, strong and positive relationships. Together we will clarify goals, hone skills, and create a road map for success, in such a way that the adults survive and the kids thrive!

4 week program, each week includes live Q&A sessions, PDF’s, Reference materials and access to Facebook membership group

Module One:                Got Conflict?

Understanding the Teen aged brain

How to handle backtalk & defiance

Module Two:                Say What?

How to speak "teenager"

Speaking so your teen can listen

Module Three:              Why is it so hard?

Drugs, sex (and other difficult topics)

Trust &Discipline

Module Four:                           Making it work!

Building Self-esteem

Creating a Tool Belt for your teen

For more information or to register, click here

CHORES!

Chores are an important part of creating self resiliency which leads to self confidence and that builds self esteem! Even though they may complain, kids like being helpful, productive and connected.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace writes:

 

Today’s demands for measurable childhood success—from the Common Core to college placement—have chased household chores from the to-do lists of many young people. In a survey of 1,001 U.S. adults released last fall by Braun Research, 82% reported having regular chores growing up, but only 28% said that they require their own children to do them. With students under pressure to learn Mandarin, run the chess club or get a varsity letter, chores have fallen victim to the imperatives of resume-building—though it is hardly clear that such activities are a better use of their time.
For the full article
Click Here

MONEY

There is so much written about how to talk with your kids about sex and drugs - but so little about money. Like sex, each family has their own guidelines and expectations, what ever they are, create the time to teach them to your children.

Read the full article   Click Here

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

Executive Function - This is the area of the adolescent brain that is under reconstruction between the ages of 12 and 22. It affects decision process and how we interpret and process information. Here is a video had created for a recent workshop.

THE WILD WONDERFUL TEENAGE BRAIN

 

The Wild, Wonderful Teenage Brain: Hardwired to Test Parental Patience?

 

Understanding the teen aged brain.... Science is giving us insight into how the brain is wired and how it matures. This is valuable information as we try to stay connected with our teens.

 

 

Are you fuming with anger, sick with worry or just plain bewildered? You’re probably living with a thrill-seeking, risk-embracing teenager, simultaneously capable of precocious wisdom and incredibly foolish choices.  Although teen transgressions, such as driving too fast, skipping curfew or choosing delinquent pals, may seem like personal affronts, this behavior actually may have very little to do with you, says Temple University psychology professor and researcher Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D. According to Steinberg, teens act differently because their brains are, in fact, different.
 

For full article  click here

HOW LONG TO NAP FOR THE BIGGIEST BENEFIT

Back in the saddle- workshops were great with wonderful feedback! 

Here is an article that is pertinent for all - sleep (and napping) are important and it is good to understand how to get the most benefit.  

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.
The sleep experts in the article say a 10-to-20-minute power nap gives you the best “bang for your buck,” but depending on what you want the nap to do for you, other durations might be ideal.  For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch. 

For the full article click here (and take 2 minutes to watch the embedded video)

 

How Long To Nap For The Biggest Brain Benefits

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.
The sleep experts in the article say a 10-to-20-minute power nap gives you the best “bang for your buck,” but depending on what you want the nap to do for you, other durations might be ideal.  For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.

- See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

How Long To Nap For The Biggest Brain Benefits

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.
The sleep experts in the article say a 10-to-20-minute power nap gives you the best “bang for your buck,” but depending on what you want the nap to do for you, other durations might be ideal.  For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.

- See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when. - See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when. - See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain.  Everyone likes to get a quick nap in every now and then, but napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when. - See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/#sthash.uCFRppG7.dpuf

Powering up your teen's brain!

The sleep problem
“Almost all teenagers in this country are sleep-deprived,” says Maida Chen, M.D., associate director of the Pediatric Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center and a sleep researcher at the University of Washington. Most modern teens get between six and seven hours of sleep on school nights, but their bodies really require closer to nine or 10. Research finds that during the teen years, the body’s circadian rhythm (or internal body clock) is different from that of younger children and adults. It tells teens to fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning. “A younger child is happy to go to bed at 8 on school nights, but starting about age 14, teens just can’t fall asleep until closer to 10 or 11,” Chen says. She describes this as the “circadian delayed sleep phase” and says it’s a hormonally driven stage of life lasting into the early twenties.

To read the full article   click here

Failing!

The importance of learning how to fail, Chris Hudson nails it!    
 

 Why parents don't let teenagers fail and what teens learn from failing.

Being an effective parent of teenagers requires discernment about when to step in and when to let events unfold.  The older your teenager gets the less you should be stepping in.  There will be times, such as if your teen is putting themselves or others in danger of physical harm, when it is appropriate to step in.  However there will be many times when it is best just to let your teen handle a situation their way, even when you know it will end in tears. Likewise saying no and sticking to it is just as, if not a more important part of being a good parent as saying yes is. - See more at: http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2012/10/letting-teenagers-fail-why-it-matters/#sthash.4syapVWi.dpuf

Being an effective parent of teenagers requires discernment about when to step in and when to let events unfold.  The older your teenager gets the less you should be stepping in.  There will be times, such as if your teen is putting themselves or others in danger of physical harm, when it is appropriate to step in.  However there will be many times when it is best just to let your teen handle a situation their way, even when you know it will end in tears. Likewise saying no and sticking to it is just as, if not a more important part of being a good parent as saying yes is.  

Read the full article click here

Being an effective parent of teenagers requires discernment about when to step in and when to let events unfold.  The older your teenager gets the less you should be stepping in.  There will be times, such as if your teen is putting themselves or others in danger of physical harm, when it is appropriate to step in.  However there will be many times when it is best just to let your teen handle a situation their way, even when you know it will end in tears. Likewise saying no and sticking to it is just as, if not a more important part of being a good parent as saying yes is. - See more at: http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2012/10/letting-teenagers-fail-why-it-matters/#sthash.4syapVWi.dpuf

Being an effective parent of teenagers requires discernment about when to step in and when to let events unfold.  The older your teenager gets the less you should be stepping in.  There will be times, such as if your teen is putting themselves or others in danger of physical harm, when it is appropriate to step in.  However there will be many times when it is best just to let your teen handle a situation their way, even when you know it will end in tears. Likewise saying no and sticking to it is just as, if not a more important part of being a good parent as saying yes is. - See more at: http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2012/10/letting-teenagers-fail-why-it-matters/#sthash.4syapVWi.dpuf

Being an effective parent of teenagers requires discernment about when to step in and when to let events unfold.  The older your teenager gets the less you should be stepping in.  There will be times, such as if your teen is putting themselves or others in danger of physical harm, when it is appropriate to step in.  However there will be many times when it is best just to let your teen handle a situation their way, even when you know it will end in tears. Likewise saying no and sticking to it is just as, if not a more important part of being a good parent as saying yes is. - See more at: http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2012/10/letting-teenagers-fail-why-it-matters/#sthash.4syapVWi.dpuf

Being an effective parent of teenagers requires discernment about when to step in and when to let events unfold.  The older your teenager gets the less you should be stepping in.  There will be times, such as if your teen is putting themselves or others in danger of physical harm, when it is appropriate to step in.  However there will be many times when it is best just to let your teen handle a situation their way, even when you know it will end in tears. Likewise saying no and sticking to it is just as, if not a more important part of being a good parent as saying yes is. - See more at: http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2012/10/letting-teenagers-fail-why-it-matters/#sthash.4syapVWi.dpuf

New Program!

The Tool Box Program: Building Better RelationshipsThe Tool Box is now available as web based program to help guide you through the parenting process.  If you would like to be one of our 'testers' we would welcome your comments and thoughts!  The program will be officially launched in September - but for now, during this trial period it is free.

Click Here

The Tool Box Program: Building Better Relationships
 

Review!

Thrilled to share a wonderful review of The Tool Box from Maren Schmidt, author and educator.

A valuable book by Karren Garrity is appropriately named, The Tool Box: Tricks of the Trade for Raising Teenagers. Even though Garrity wrote this book to help those working with teens, the relationship building advice works for three-year-olds or 103-year-olds. 

 

To read review Click Here     

10,000 Steps- It Starts With One Foot

Maren writes primarily about younger children, but often the advise is applicable to our teens and tweens.  In this article she talks about the significance of 10,000 steps a day. Exercise is such an important part of our lives and building it into our kids lives is crucial.



'"The idea of 10,000 steps began as a marketing slogan in the 1960’s for cardio-vascular fitness using a pedometer.  10,000 steps is a catchy phrase to help us remember that we need a minimum amount of daily activity in order to maintain a basic level of health." Maren Schmidt

click here for article

Understanding the teen aged brain

Ever say to your teen ' What were you thinking?" Well chances are, they are not thinking with the rational part of their brain.  Science is giving us insight into how the brain is wired and how it matures.  This is valuable information as we try to stay connected with our teens. 


 click here to read article