Have you ever felt like you're navigating a minefield when it comes to parenting teens in our tech-saturated world? In this episode we talk about guiding teens and tweens through their online lives and the importance of good connection to unlock the secrets of your child's digital experience. We talk about setting concrete boundaries without shutting down communication channels. I share actionable strategies (or reminders, as you may already be doing many of these) to help you and your teen build a relationship that thrives on trust and mutual respect in the age of the internet.
The journey of parenting doesn't need to be a solitary one. Remember, at the heart of every parent's mission is guiding our teens toward happiness.
HAPPENINGS:
1) Free Webinar --- How parents of teens and tweens can better connect without all the arguments, attitude, disrespect or guilt)
2) The Confidently Connected [Teen/Tween] System is a super easy 3-step system for teens, tweens, and parents.
It's designed to give today's youth tools to help them discover who they are so they don't spend years suffering from low self-esteem, a lack of confidence or motivation, unhealthy relationships (with themselves and others), and generally6 feeling lost, stuck, unhappy, or out of control.
The Confidently Connected [Parent] System gives parents of teens and tweens tools to support and better understand what their kids might be going through, as well as help them strengthen or create strong, healthy relationships (with their kids, themselves, and others).
Because the system is hybrid, that means the teen/tween can work at their own pace and in their own time, as the content is fully digital.
Additionally, there are weekly call opportunities to connect for both the teens/tweens, and, separately, for the parents.
This might just be the easiest system you will come across to get teens and tweens the information they need (which is generally NOT taught in schools) to improve their self-worth, their confidence, and their overall mindset so they can become happy, successful young adults, which all parents want for their kids.
Have you ever felt like you're navigating a minefield when it comes to parenting teens in our tech-saturated world? In this episode we talk about guiding teens and tweens through their online lives and the importance of good connection to unlock the secrets of your child's digital experience. We talk about setting concrete boundaries without shutting down communication channels. I share actionable strategies (or reminders, as you may already be doing many of these) to help you and your teen build a relationship that thrives on trust and mutual respect in the age of the internet.
The journey of parenting doesn't need to be a solitary one. Remember, at the heart of every parent's mission is guiding our teens toward happiness.
HAPPENINGS:
1) Free Webinar --- How parents of teens and tweens can better connect without all the arguments, attitude, disrespect or guilt)
2) The Confidently Connected [Teen/Tween] System is a super easy 3-step system for teens, tweens, and parents.
It's designed to give today's youth tools to help them discover who they are so they don't spend years suffering from low self-esteem, a lack of confidence or motivation, unhealthy relationships (with themselves and others), and generally6 feeling lost, stuck, unhappy, or out of control.
The Confidently Connected [Parent] System gives parents of teens and tweens tools to support and better understand what their kids might be going through, as well as help them strengthen or create strong, healthy relationships (with their kids, themselves, and others).
Because the system is hybrid, that means the teen/tween can work at their own pace and in their own time, as the content is fully digital.
Additionally, there are weekly call opportunities to connect for both the teens/tweens, and, separately, for the parents.
This might just be the easiest system you will come across to get teens and tweens the information they need (which is generally NOT taught in schools) to improve their self-worth, their confidence, and their overall mindset so they can become happy, successful young adults, which all parents want for their kids.
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:Hey parents, it's Renee. Today I'm going to talk about navigating the challenges of parenting teens and tweens in the digital age. So if you are the parent of a teen or tween, you know that this comes with a lot of challenges. But first I want to acknowledge that parenting in the digital age can feel overwhelming at times. You probably have a lot of feelings around it, from getting ticked off to feeling overwhelmed, to feeling afraid, and those are all normal because it's something we can't really get away with. You can shield your kids for a while or for a bit, but they live in a digital age. We live in the digital age, and so it's hard to get away from tech. It's just part of our world. So I'm going to explore some practical strategies and tips to help you navigate these challenges with confidence. A lot of these you're probably already doing, but maybe there's some that you haven't done yet or you're unsure of or a little bit uncomfortable with. First, I'm going to say communication is key. It's something I talk about all the time because without good, open, positive communication with your teen or tween, or without good, open connection, it's hard to have the difficult conversations that you need to have, especially around tech. So establishing those open, honest lines of communication with your teen or tween is so crucial, it's so vital. It's vital to their self-esteem, to their self-worth, to knowing that they have somewhere, that you're their safe place to fall. Because if that connection isn't there, then kids either get their answers elsewhere, they internalize and hold stuff in, even when they're hurting or in pain or afraid, or they take another route and make some unhealthy choices. So establishing open, honest communication with teens or tweens is crucial, not just for parenting in the tech world, but for parenting everywhere. It's just vital for that connection. And the truth is that kids want to have a good relationship with their parents. They just don't always know how and, because of all the stuff they're going through, their brains aren't developed. They don't know how to deal with it all, so they'll push you away, but they want to. Kids don't want to be angry, they don't want to be sad, they don't want to be mad, they don't want to feel hurt, they don't want to feel overwhelmed and they do want connection and they want support. They just don't always know how to express that and so it's easier to push you away than it is to be vulnerable. So really, really important, and a lot of kids don't make this easy. But so here goes. Here's some practical tips and strategies to help parenting teens and tweens in the digital age. And the earlier we have these conversations the better, because it gets harder as kids become more independent and start when to pull away from you. But no matter, no matter their age, it's still important and vital.
Speaker 2:So, number one make it a point of having regular conversations with your child about their online activities, about their experiences when they're online. This is really important. How does it make them feel? Do they feel good when they're online? Are they having fun or does it actually chip away their self-esteem? Does it make them feel bad? Are they comparing themselves to others? Are they looking at what they don't have? How does it make them feel? Because a lot of kids actually don't even like being online, but they have that FOMO thing that if I'm not on then I'm gonna be out of the loop or comparison to other kids. So, having those conversations with them, you can help them kind of make sense of it and navigate around it.
Speaker 2:Also, having conversations to share the concerns that you have and as a parent, there are many of those we wanna have those conversations in a way that they don't become defensive right off the bat During those conversations. We want to encourage two-way, like it's not just us talking to them, we want it to be both ways. And so we wanna listen actively and without judgment. We really wanna hear what they're saying and what they're not saying, and we wanna let them know that you're not here to judge them. You're just here to support and guide them and help them through any kind of uncomfortable feelings they might be having. So we want to have the conversations in a way that I'm really listening to what you have to say and I wanna hear about your world. Again, all of this is easier to do when you have better connection or good connection and good relationship with your teens or tweens. If you don't have that right now, you can still get that. It's never too late to build or rebuild, to strengthen or re-strengthen those relationships. So, as you're having these conversations, even if your kids act like they aren't listening, they still hear you.
Speaker 2:Number three is setting clear boundaries around. Technology is also important and you're probably already doing this. But, depending on their age, see if you can work together with your child to establish boundaries for screen time and social media access that works for both of you. We wanna get buy-in from them, if possible, along with not just the boundaries but also clearly defined consequences. So when those boundaries are breached and they get in trouble or those consequences are implemented, there's no confusion as to why You're not fair. It's not fair, it's already been laid out there and everyone's on the same page. So everybody is clear on what are the boundaries and what are the consequences, and this is something that can be revisited over time. If they are using social media the right way, right. If they're using it a positive way say, they have good grades, they have good friends, they're not doing things they shouldn't be doing. Setting those clear boundaries and clear consequences. If you can get buy-in, great. If you can't, that's okay. You are the parent and you get to decide what you want for your child. But anytime we can get buy-in from our kids, they're more likely to follow through and be less sneaky.
Speaker 2:Also, as part of these conversations, explain the why. Let them know why this is important, why you're doing this and why this is important to talk about. You can talk about real life events that have happened, maybe something in the news or someone that you know of or someone that they know of. We're not doing this. You're not setting rules to cage them in. It's all about empowering kids to use social media and tech in a healthy way, and explaining the why can be helpful. And then, of course, you want to encourage healthy habits, such as taking breaks, making sure they're doing activities other than just being online, and also the importance of prioritizing sleep. Like kids, nothing good is happening on the internet at 12 or one or two in the morning, and so teenagers need the second most amount of sleep after babies. Their bodies are growing, their brains are growing, they have all kinds of stuff coming in all the time that they need sleep, and there's so many negative impacts of a lack of sleep. So, again, that can go into the why. Why is it so important? You're not just making this stuff up. So this isn't just about imposing rules.
Speaker 2:It's also about educating your teens and tweens about the potential risks and consequences of their online behavior. We want to talk to them about things like their online privacy. That's huge. What to share, what not to share? Who to share it with? Do you know the person? Is this a stranger? Not giving away their personal information like their location or your home address. We want to talk to them about cyber bullying and how to recognize and respond to inappropriate content. So there's a lot of inappropriate content out there and a lot of times, if that comes at teens, it can make them feel pretty icky on the inside, but they don't know how to respond. They might feel that they have to engage in an inappropriate way to fit in or they're just afraid to say anything to you or anyone else. So, again, communication, connection is so important so that when these things happen, if cyber bullying happens or if someone sends an inappropriate content, they have somewhere to go and they know how to respond. So that's all part of the education piece.
Speaker 2:The goal is to empower teens and tweens to make responsible choices when it comes to social media and to seek help if they ever feel uncomfortable or threatened. Doesn't take much for that to go way down the wrong rabbit hole, and the key is that you want your teens and tweens to come to you when things are going on in their life. You want you to be their safe space, including their online life, and there has to be trust there. There has to be communication, there has to be connection. So that's so vital.
Speaker 2:And then back to tech. You always want to lead by example. We are our kids' biggest role models. They are always watching and learning from us. We live in a tech world too, and so your own behavior around technology can have a huge impact on your child's attitude and habit. So you want to be modeling things like putting away your phone or your computer when you're interacting with them during family time or just during conversations. You don't want to have a conversation with a kid while you're looking at your phone, because what message is that sending? So you want to be mindful of your own screen time and practice those digital detoxes where they see you doing that, or you do maybe do that as a family. So modeling those healthy tech habits is vital, because they're always watching and learning and you are their biggest role model.
Speaker 2:And finally, parents, for you, don't hesitate to seek help or support when you need it. Parenting in the digital age it's a journey and no one has all the answers. Don't compare yourself to others, don't compare your kids to others. It's hard. Parenting period is hard. Parenting in the digital age just adds an extra layer, and sometimes you just need support, you need help. Sometimes you just need to work through your own stuff to reestablish those connections.
Speaker 2:Again, this is all about empowering today's teens and tweens to make healthy choices in all areas of their life, including tech, so they can become healthy, happy, confident, self-assured young adults, so they aren't allowing the outside world to chip away at their self-worth and their self-esteem. By navigating these challenges of parenting teens and tweens in the digital age and tech world, it requires a lot of patience on your part with yourself and others. Communication, good communication, healthy communication with yourself and others what are you saying to yourself? And a proactive approach. Connection and communication is key to helping your teens and tweens thrive.
Speaker 2:Self-esteem and self-worth starts at home. It starts with that connection and communication and it's gonna help them thrive in a digital world. It's gonna help them to stay healthy and happy and have someone to go to because that connection is there and that trust is there and that relationship is there. You wanna be their soft place to fall. Kids don't want to feel angry or sad or mad. It doesn't feel good to them either. So even if things aren't where you'd like them to be right now, that's okay. It's never too late to change dynamics your personal dynamics, your family dynamics. It's never too late to begin to build a relationship with your teen or tweens if it isn't there to rebuild it, even if you have to go back to square one, no matter how it appears on the outside. I have yet to talk to a single teen or tween, even those with the biggest chip on their shoulders, who doesn't wish they had a good relationship with their parents. For those that don't Like, kids want this. So that's that on parenting and digital tech age tech world.
Speaker 2:If you haven't already, be sure to grab your free Better Connect checklist. It's gonna help you identify gaps that might be getting in the way of your relationship with your teen or tween. Sometimes, when we're in the crux of it, it's easy to miss things, even little tweaks that we might be able to make. Just take a big picture, look at what's going on and then you get to decide what you wanna do about that or what is within your control. What do you maybe need help with? Whatever, it's just a checklist and it's just gonna. You can go through it and kind of look at these different areas of your life and see where the gaps are. So thanks for joining today. I hope this was helpful. Remember you don't have to go at it alone, and I will see you next time.
Speaker 1:Thanks for joining us this week on the Empowered 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 reneasendingcom to pick up some parenting freebies. And remember teenagers want to be happy. Sometimes they just need a little help along the way.