Children of all ages often feel that they don’t have all the freedom they want and this can be manifest in tantrums and power struggles and teenage rebellion.
How do we decide what choices our children should have? How do we help them recognize the freedom they already have? How do we help them learn to make good choices?
In this episode, April and Saren discuss how and when to give our children the freedom and control they crave.
Show Notes
Picking your Battles – Podcast episode featuring April and Saren discussing where to draw lines with our kids and where to be flexible
Tough Times with Teens – In this episode, Saren reads a post she wrote back when her oldest child was just entering the teenage years as well as a very honest post she just wrote about what she’s currently learning and struggling to understand about teens now that her oldest is 15.
Teenagers: When to Push – In this episode, Saren and Tiffany Sowby discuss where to push and where to step back when it comes to parenting teens and pre-teens. Alongside many examples from their experience, they offer some practical and simple advice.
How to Give Advice your Teen will Listen to – This post walks you through the process of creating a book of advice and support, written not just by parents but by other adults who have been influential in your child’s life.
Music from Creations by Michael R. Hicks
Audio editing by Christy Elder
Loved thos episode. I have a new 13 year old and it seemed they want to have more more choices every day.
Do you maybe have the list of choices you talked about?
My kids are still really young (4 & 2), but I really liked this episode. The part where April brings up needing to be deliberate about saying “no” to things that aren’t the best use of time for now, resonated with a book, “Essentialism” by Gregory McKeown, which I recently finished reading. Love the podcasts, keep them coming. 🙂
I loved this episode. I have listened to it a few times now and am in the process of creating a list of choices my 15 year old has. I would love a list of choices you gave your teen so I can get a better idea of what would work for our family.
With regards to the oldest child being the Guinea pig- that’s one of the reasons why in Judaism- the oldest gets double portion of inheritance, due to having been the one the parents learnt on.