Parenting doesn’t get easier as children grow.
It gets more complex. Calling all teen parents!
Are you tired of the one-word answers, the slammed doors, and the constant worry about their choices?
It feels like a stranger has replaced the child you knew, and your ‘parenting toolkit’ no longer works. What once felt natural has started to feel confusing, tense, and sometimes, you’re left wondering: “How did we get here?”
If you’re struggling to parent a teenager, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure this out on your own.
Calling all parents of adult kids!
You expected the teen years to be a rollercoaster, but you didn’t expect the ride to continue into their 20s and 30s.
Whether you are navigating a painful silence where your child is alive but out of reach or won’t leave the nest, you are likely grieving the relationship you thought you’d have by now, struggling to set financial boundaries, and parenting an adult child can be very hard, and no one prepares us for it!
Most family therapy is designed for toddlers or teens, but relationship estrangement between parents and adult children is increasing and is frequently described as a ‘silent epidemic.’
Parenting therapy isn’t about blame – it’s about empowerment.
We don’t just ‘vent’ about the kids; we build a strategic plan. The “3R” Model is a short-term, results-based approach that can help. That model is as follows:
Before you change any behavior, we look at the family dynamic. We “press pause” to see what’s actually happening under the surface. For instance, you might ask:
- Why does their eye-roll or silence feel like a personal attack?
- Would I rather be right or have a relationship?
- Am I financially supporting my child to the extent it feels draining?
- Why did my child walk away from our relationship?
During this phase, we focus on fixing the cracks in the foundation. Kids won’t listen if they don’t feel “safe” and ‘heard’ in the relationship.
We work on repairing those cracks to build a safe and open relationship.
Here, we create a new “Operating Manual” to help build a sustainable, collaborative, respectful, and eventually, joyful relationship with your child.
We want the happy child back who enriches our lives.
Let me address some questions you may have.
Is my kid going to hate me for coming to therapy? Actually, most kids (even the grown ones) feel a sense of relief when the ‘vibe’ at home shifts because the parent is doing the work.
Can I come alone if my child refuses to join? Absolutely. You are 50% of the relationship. When you change how you show up, the dynamic has no choice but to shift.
Do you have a Chief Barking Officer? Yes! My labradoodle, Yogi, occasionally joins our virtual sessions to remind us that even the toughest days deserve a little warmth.
Learn to navigate the complexities of parenting.
Parenting shouldn’t feel painful, draining, fearful, or isolating.
Together, we can create a plan to rebuild a meaningful relationship with your child.
Ready to trade the tension for a real connection? If so, please book a 15-minute consultation, and let’s talk about how to get your family back on the same team.