Navigating the tumultuous teenage years is no small feat, yet it's a journey every parent must undertake. How do teens establish meaningful connections? What role does identity play in their relationships? What's the impact of social media on their lives? As a certified Life Leadership and Success Coach for teenagers and parents, and a mom of three young adults, I am here to help you unravel these complexities.
In this enlightening episode of Empowered Parent Podcast, we explore the significant influence friendships, relationships, and social media have on teens. We delve into the challenges teens face while forming and maintaining friendships and the complex dynamics of their romantic relationships. I share my insights on the importance of open, non-judgmental conversations, and how to empower your teen with self-esteem, assertiveness skills, and the ability to set emotional and physical boundaries. We also touch on the powerful role social media plays in their world, both positive and negative. This episode is a treasure trove of practical advice designed to help you support your teenager through these transformative years. Tune in and empower yourself!
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SOCIALS:
If you are looking for extra support, please don't hesitate to reach out. Send Renee an email at renee@teenesteemacademy.com
IMPORTANT FACEBOOK UPDATE: My FB was hacked recently, so there is not as much content as previously. I have created a new profile and FB community but it's acting up again. I've also got content on INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and most recently, PINTEREST.
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OTHER HAPPENINGS:
UNLEASH CONFIDENCE and BOLSTER CONNECTION [For Teens, Tweens, and their Parents]
A hybrid journey for teens and tweens to ACTIVATE Self-Awareness, Self-Acceptance, Self-BELIEF, and Self-CONFIDENCE
Improve attitude so there is less arguing and conflict within the home
Let go of mom guilt and 24/7 worry, sleepless nights, and feeling like you are walking on eggshells
This journey be done solo-journey (with parent guidance of course), or with the added support of our teen/tween weekly catch up calls. Group coaching is a powerful modality of support for both teens and parents, as it helps you to feel like you are not the only one going through stuff!
UNLEASH CONFIDENCE BOLSTER CONNECTION for teens and tweens is our empowering SEL-inspired system, created specifically for this age group to Activate Confidence (the end result) through 3 powerful modules.
UNLEASH CONFIDENCE BOLSTER CONNECTION PARENT is an opportunity for you to get your questions and concerns answered on our weekly parent calls.
This journey is best suited for those between (11-15), though the content is relevant to all ages.
BETTER CONNECT MINDSET MASTERY
TEA's ongoing Parent Group separate from Rise Confident, but available as an add-on or as a stand-alone journey.
This is an opportunity to access a one-of-a-kind program, rooted in Energy Leadership that you can either work at your own pace (as it is a self-mastery program you will have lifetime access to), or join us for our weekly calls. 🙂
By the end of your journey I can all but guarantee that the lens through which you view the world and yourself will be different. Better different! Think improved re
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Empowered Parent Podcast with Renee. Being a teenager is hard. Being a parent of a teenager can be even harder. Each episode we deliver tips, tools, tricks and stories to help you feel empowered, confident and energized as the parent of a teenager. Teenagers want to be happy. Sometimes they just need a little help along the way. Now here's your host, renee Sinning. Renee is a Certified Life Leadership and Success Coach for teenagers and their parents. She's also a mom of three young adults and an experienced high school educator of 18 years. Renee is well-versed in everything teen. Now, without any further ado, here's Renee.
Speaker 2:
Hi parents, it's Renee. Welcome to another episode of the Empowered Parent Podcast. On this episode, we're going to talk about navigating teen relationships, friendships and a little bit about social media. So, as a parent of a teen, you already know that forming those meaningful connections during the teen, in between years, is really a big deal. It's a big deal to the teens and it dictates a lot of their life. If we're being honest, adolescence is a time of rapid change, both physically and emotionally. The hormones are all over the place. They're growing inches at a time. It's a period of time where friendships and relationships take on a whole new significance, whether they have good friends, so-called friends or no friends at all. It's very significant in their lives.
Speaker 2:
Some of the challenges, or some of the key challenges that teens and tweens face when it comes to not only forming friendships but also maintaining them, has a lot to do with their identity, because teens and tweens are still trying to figure out who they are, what they value, what's important to them, and through this discovery, from both them and from their friends, going through the same thing at the same time, it can lead to shifting friend groups, shifting interests and priorities good or bad, and add on to that the emphasis that kids have on social acceptance, that they're trying so badly to fit in, that many teens and tweens succumb to peer pressure. They turn into someone that it feels like you don't even know anymore, because they don't really know who they are and they're just trying to fit in and find their way. Friendships in relationships it is such a big deal. The question becomes how can you, as parents or guardians, support your teenagers and navigating these social challenges, peer pressures, without them losing themselves? So you've probably heard me say before connection is key. It's vital. The parent-child relationship is so important because without good connection, your child is less likely to listen to anything you have to say, even the best advice or encouragement. But it's within that good connection that those very important conversations can take place. So good connection and good communication and conversation is key. It's vital during the teen years, but they don't make it easy at all. Teens and tweens yearn to feel seen, heard and valued. So some things that you can do is and a lot of this is through modeling.
Speaker 2:
I did a whole podcast on that before you are your kids number one role model and so through modeling, we wanna encourage our kids to have those open, non-judgmental conversations. So whatever they might be sharing with you in any moment, especially friend or social drama, we wanna model being open and non-judgmental, even though we might be biting our tongue. I've talked before about asking for permission If they want your advice, especially the older they get. But even in middle school, kids are starting to pull away. They don't want their parents to fix things. What they want is someone to talk to and someone to vent to, and so that open, non-judgmental conversation.
Speaker 2:
The more you can model at that, the more your kids are gonna do that in their own relationships. Because it's not only about finding the right relationships again, it's also about maintaining them. We wanna always be validating their feelings and providing guidance, without imposing our own expectations on what we want to happen, on what we expect to happen. Let them fall, let them make mistakes. We want them to do that while they're under our roof, right, because we can pick them back up. They have a safe place to fall, and so validate their feelings when things get tough and provide them guidance. Again, the older they get, you don't wanna provide them guidance as a fixer, but you wanna provide them guidance as someone with wisdom who loves them and wants what's best for them, but again, the permission piece is really really big when it comes to giving that guidance.
Speaker 2:
It's also important to be sure that your child has the tools to help them develop their self-esteem and assertiveness skills, because we want them to be able to navigate peer interactions with confidence. And again, a lot of parents will come to me and say I wish my child was more confident. It's confidence is the last step. The first step is knowing who they are, accepting who they are finding themselves, knowing their strengths and values, what they want out of a friendship, what's important to them, and once they kind of accept that and embrace that, it's a lot easier for them to be confident in those relationships. But we want to encourage them and make sure they have those tools to develop their self-esteem and those assertiveness skills, because it isn't innate at their age, their brain isn't developed and if they aren't willing to learn that from you, that's when you wanna make sure there's somebody in their life that or some type of a program that is giving that to them, that they're gonna listen to, because it's vital. It's always been hard being a teenager, but in this day and age kids need extra, extra, extra support because it's so hard and they have so much coming at them day in and day out, so many micro messages. So developing teen self-esteem it's vital.
Speaker 2:
Then we get to teen romantic relationships, even tween. That's a whole different ball game when it comes to dating. As a parent, remember that dating in adolescence and we can use dating in air quotes dating in adolescence it can be an opportunity for personal growth and for them to learn about healthy relationships. So the lesson sexually active they are, the earlier we can develop these healthy relationships, the better. Because the truth is the kids have hormones and those sexual relationships are going to happen at some point, maybe not even during high school, but at some point they are, and for many kids it's way sooner than later. So dating during adolescence it is an opportunity for personal growth and for them to learn about healthy relationships.
Speaker 2:
But for that to happen, it's absolutely crucial that your child understands the importance of communication, mutual respect and setting boundaries, whether they're emotional boundaries or physical boundaries and it goes back to my last podcast where I talked a little bit about no means. No, it's imperative that your child starts to learn to trust their instincts and remind them that they should never feel pressured, they should never feel coerced into anything that they're not comfortable with. And I'm sure you're already doing this. I'm sure you're having these conversations with your teen or tween, because if you're listening to this podcast, you're a parent that's trying to get as much knowledge as you can to help and support your kids. The problem is that, depending on your relationship, they may or may not be listening Now. They'll still hear you, they will still hear what you're saying, but it's just so important that they're getting the messages, the right messages, about their self worth, boundaries, instincts, communication and respect all of that from somebody, and if it's you, that's the best case scenario, but if it isn't you, that's okay. It's just a phase of their life. Keep doing it, keep giving them the information, but have some other tools in place or other people in place to be given them the same message, because I think we all know we can say something to our kids 1000 times and then somebody else comes and says the exact same thing and suddenly they're like the smartest person in the world. So it's really important that they're getting these messages about their own self worth, about boundaries, about following their gut, about communication, about respect, from as many places in people as possible, because it's vital to those healthy relationships.
Speaker 2:
And then I'm just going to touch a teeny bit on social media as a reminder of the huge impact that it plays in teen and tweener relationships, whether it's a friendship relationship or a dating partner. Because social media it can be a powerful tool, and it is a powerful tool for many kids to say stay connected and express oneself. It's also a scary tool because social media can also amplify their feelings of comparison. That comparison culture they live in. It can cause them great insecurities. There's FOMO, the fear of missing out, bullying. So there's a lot of downsides to social media. But it also is their world.
Speaker 2:
So I know it's such a challenge for parents to guide teenagers on how to use social media Mindfully. We just have to keep emphasizing that online interactions should complement, not replace, face-to-face connections and that what we see online is not always what is, and that it's normal to face challenges in relationships, which is true for adults and kids. Through modeling we can teach our kids to, when the going gets tough, be kind to ourselves and others. A lot of parents beat themselves up right, so we wanna model that be kind to ourselves and others. Surround ourselves with people who uplift and support you so that your kids do the same thing which we wanna model trusting our own instincts, communicating openly and always prioritizing your own well-being as a parent because that gives them the message that they can prioritize their own well-being too. It gives them permission to do that, which is something that we want for our teens and tweens, because we want them to be putting themselves first, not in a selfish way and a safe way, so they can have healthy, strong relationships.
Speaker 2:
If your child is suffering from toxic friendships or no friendships, there's a gap there and it probably comes down to some mode of self, low self-esteem or low self-confidence. Reach out. I have a program called Rise Confident specifically for teens, tweens and parents. It's hybrid, so it's really easy for them to do, and there's an online piece they can do all themselves and then there's calls, but they can be as involved and not as involved as they want, while still getting the information. There's video walkthroughs and there's stuff for the parents and the teens called Rise Confident and super excited.
Speaker 2:
It's not officially launched yet, but getting the word out there, and so that's it, and thank you for joining us on this episode of the Empower Parent Podcast. Remember you are not alone in this journey. There are resources available to help along the way and reach out if you feel really stuck, if your kids are really stuck. Boosting teen self-esteem and self-worth. It is my ultimate passion and that, mixing that in with helping that parent-child relationship to be as strong as possible, because it's a single most important relationship in their life and that's it. See you next time parents.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for joining us this week on the Empower Parent Podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you'll never miss a show While you're at it. If you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on iTunes, or if you'd simply tell a friend about the show, that would help us out too. Be sure to head over to reneesendingcom to pick up some parenting freebies, and remember teenagers want to be happy. They need a little help along the way.