Parenting Teenagers
Transitioning from child to adult is another phase in parenting. This requires a different way of going about things. Letting go is an important part. Letting go so that the child has freedom to try things, but also has a safe haven to be at.
During our sessions we will talk about the options that are there and what you would like achieve. We can talk about ways to achieve that in a gentle way.
When you end up with things that you do not know how to handle, we will discuss these so that you will find what the right path for you is to take, so that you will remain having a loving and strong relationship with your child / children.
The ways to go about this are different for every age group.
For a baby it is mostly eating, sleeping and being physically close to their parents.
For a toddler it is already much different, as toddler loves going out and about and getting into anything.
For a child things are totally different again. They are exposed much more to the outside world and peers, which will have an influence.
For teenagers things become even more different. In those years it is very important to keep a strong loving relationship intact. For those years things such as alcohol, smoking and drugs will likely come up at some point in time. Keeping the relationship good is so important in those years. You want to know what they are doing to keep them safe and healthy.
The way I coach is only based in gentle parenting techniques. I do not approve of spanking and punishment. So therefore that is not part of what I offer in our coaching sessions. If you are interested in taking a journey away from that type of parenting to gentle parenting techniques, I will gladly help you.
My background and experience
My background is that I have been a leader for Attachment Parenting International (API) and later Attachment Parenting Europe (APEU) since the early 2000s. I have 4 children with whom I have a very good and close relationship (born in 1994, 1997, 2003 and 2008). I have learned a lot about parenting over the years. API and APEU are very good at giving their leaders information on the latest research etc. I have made sure I kept up to date.
I personally really like the way Jean Liedloff has described parenting with the Yequana. This type of parenting worked great with my own children. But there are many ways that lead to Rome as they say.
Furthermore I have, through the years, learned a lot about the various way of home educating that are there. In case you are interesting in that, we can discuss the options with regards to home educating as well.
This type of coaching is for parents who have teenagers. For parents who want to continue to raise their children in a gentle and attached way. For parents who want to give their children the freedom they need to continue developing into well rounded adults, but who also want to be the safe haven to make sure their child can always come to them for help.
To have a loving relationship with your children. The continue to work on the strong foundation on which you all can grow. To continue being the parents that they feel safe with, that they can ask for help and that they can count on. At this age communication is very important. You want to remain being respected and you want to make sure that your opinion keeps being important to your children. You may end up having to listen to things that you’d rather not know. But isn’t it better to know what they are doing than being kept out of the loop?
When you know you can have conversation about it and you can educate. When you don’t there is no way to have an influence. And your influence as a parent is crucial in these years.
To continue having a good relationship and an influence on your children and always being in the know. A good relationship lasts a lifetime.