The Reflective Parent: Parenting Strategies to Improve Communication And Build a Strong Relationship With Your Teen and Family
For parents who feel exhausted trying to reconnect with their child but are feeling stuck. Nothing you do seems to be working and you’re ready to dive deep, get vulnerable, and take on a different approach.
Here, on the “The Reflective Parent” podcast, we start by looking at ourselves and begin to make small shifts for change. When we better understand ourselves, we are better equipped to engage with the family and its unique dynamics. Small changes in your own behavior and way of thinking will have a big impact on your family dynamics, your relationship with your partner, and even the behavior of your teen or pre-teen. When you change, they change, and you’ll see them adopt better strategies that align with your family value system.
I’m your host, parent coach Jason Denham. With nearly 20 years of experience in family dynamics, including 14 years living with adolescents and 2 years managing sober living for adults, I’ve worked with diverse personalities and diagnoses in families across the globe. My background spans wilderness therapy, residential treatment, transitional living, foster care, and sober living. Since 2021, I’ve been a parent coach and continue to support families, drawing from my own experiences with recovery, ADHD, and epilepsy. These insights help me provide practical tips and actionable parenting strategies for those families facing similar challenges.
“The Reflective Parent” podcast is a place where parents like you can come to seek community, connection, confidence and competence in deepening your family relationships, increasing your peace, feeling less exhausted, and more motivated to teach.
In this podcast, you can expect to learn about topics like:
- Building a strong relationship with your family;
- Setting boundaries and limits;
- Showing up to teach and guide;
- Screen hygiene or screen misuse;
- How to deal with a lying or disrespectful teen;
- Improving communication with your teen and family;
- Teen drug and screen addiction;
- Teens struggling with Autism, ASD, ODD, or ADHD;
- Teen mental health issues;
- And much more.
Bring your most challenging questions and your most courageous, vulnerable self as you learn with other parents, because together is better and you are not alone.
To learn more about my work as a parent coach, visit www.awakenedshadow.com
The Reflective Parent: Parenting Strategies to Improve Communication And Build a Strong Relationship With Your Teen and Family
2. How Struggles Shape You and Your Teen, And How They Shaped Me
Struggle can be a powerful catalyst for growth. I’ve witnessed this truth not only in my own life but also in the lives of countless teens while working in wilderness therapy, residential treatment, and transitional and sober living.
However, my time in wilderness therapy was particularly eye-opening. Seeing the immense challenges these teens faced made me realize just how fortunate I’ve been in comparison—how lucky I was not to have struggled as much as they did.
“But through [my struggles], I was able to grow quite a bit. And so can these young humans who are really struggling with a lot of areas of their lives” - Jason Denham
In this episode, I’m diving into some key experiences that shaped my understanding of how you, as a parent, can better support your teen. We’re not just talking about the everyday parenting strategies here - we’re talking about creative problem-solving. We’ll explore how stepping into your teen’s shoes, even when it’s hard to understand where they’re coming from, can make a significant difference.
We’ll also discuss how slowing down to celebrate those tiny victories can make all the difference in your relationship with your teen and your family.
In this episode, we’ll discuss some practical steps to get you started:
- Family agreements: Why letting your teen have a say in family decisions can transform your family dynamics.
- Understanding the body’s response: What happens inside us when family tension rises, and how we can manage it.
- Self-care for parents: The importance of carving out time to restore your nervous system, so you can show up with renewed energy to build a strong relationship with your family.
- The power of movement: How physical activity can help your teen open up emotionally.
- Letting go: Why it’s crucial to allow your teen to tackle problems on their own, rather than solving everything for them.
- Screen Time: The impact of screen usage on our brains, and what that means for our teenagers.
Each of these topics plays its own role in understanding how we can better connect with our teens, helping them grow into resilient, capable adults. Let’s dive in!
⭐Looking for individualized support? Book your free consultation now. https://awakenedshadow.com/#appointments
👋 Don’t be a stranger! Come and say hi on Instagram @theattachmentcoach
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