Thank you to all who were able to join us for our conversation about parenting adolescents with panelists Jeannie House, Gail Melanson, Margaret Watt, and moderated by Rob Cashel. You can watch the entire conversation here.
Some takeaways:
“When teens don’t want to talk about [sex] the first thing I tell them is if you can’t talk about it you shouldn’t be doing the things you’re doing. How do you keep yourself safe and healthy? It can feel uncomfortable but it is a part of our development, part of human nature, so let’s talk about things. If you have a little bit of a connection, an alliance, you can talk about difficult things.” – Jeannie House
“Don’t underestimate the impact that role-modeling has on adolescents. We know that when kids are little they mimic us but I think people forget how important parents are as role-models for adolescents. They’re watching you with relationships, with substances, with social media, with telephones, all of it.” – Gail Melanson
“Don’t always educate. Just ask them and listen … It’s definitely harder to repair a broken communication than to maintain a healthy one, but it’s never too late.” – Margaret Watt
There was a great deal of information shared yesterday. Some resources suggested by our panelists include:
PFLAG
Talk. They Hear You. Mobile App
“Never Enough” by Jennifer Wallace
“How to Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
“The Grown-Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans” by Josh Shipp
“13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do” by Amy Morin
“Teenage as a Second Language” by Barbara Greenberg and Jennifer A. Powell-Lunder
Conversation Cards for Teens 13-18
What If? in a jar by free spirit publishing
