Tag Archives: adolescents

Puberty Can Be Emotionally Overwhelming to Adolescents

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Parents may have forgotten what it was like to go through puberty. According to Psychology Today writer David Schwartz LMFT, puberty can be emotionally overwhelming to adolescents. Your tween or teen may be experiencing emotional difficulty as their body changes. According to David Schwarts LMFT, adolescents start to experience a whole new world of feelings when they reach puberty. They start to have emotions, recognizing their own sexuality and longing for closeness with others of their own age. This can create an overwhelming sense of change and uncertainty. Many adolescents aren’t sure what is happening to them. Parents can help … Continue reading →

Adoption in the Little House TV series, seasons 4, 5 and 6

This is a series of blogs on adoption references in well-known TV shows or books that our children will likely come across. The last few blogs have focused on the TV show Little House on the Prairie. You can find the first blog in the series by clicking here. In the fourth season episode “Be My Friend”, Laura finds messages in a bottle from a desperate girl who is isolated in the woods with her fanatical father, from whom she has concealed her pregnancy. Charles and Laura find the baby, whom Laura cares for while Charles inquires of the minister … Continue reading →

You May Have to Tolerate a Bad Attitude

How many times have you wished you could control or manipulate your child’s mood or attitude? I know that as my children reached the pre-teen years, I really wasn’t ready for the snarkiness and bad attitudes that came along. It wasn’t enough for me that they actually did what I asked them to, I wanted them to do it with a smile and glee. The reality was, if I waited for them do both mind and obey, AND be happy about it–I would probably be waiting forever! I learned that it is perfectly normal to expect and tolerate some grumbling … Continue reading →

I Say One Thing, But They Hear Another

No matter how much I work on communication in my parenting, sometimes one of my children and I get our wires crossed. There are just those times when I hear myself saying one thing; think I am being clear, transparent and obvious–and they hear something completely different! The next thing I know, I am trying to explain myself and defend what I thought I was saying and we’ve entered some sort of twilight zone of miscommunication! Here is a perfect example: My daughter came downstairs in the midst of preparing to go to a costume party. She said to me: … Continue reading →