Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
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Welcome to Teen Savvy's blog, where you'll find support, strategies, and straight talk to help teens thrive. The blog is manged by Sam Straub, a transformational coach and educator supporting teens AND THEIR PARENTS!
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
3w ago
I’d like to introduce a key parenting strategy to connect with your teen. I teach this to all of my coaching clients: “Join before you shift.” When it comes to raising teens, so many of our conversations are what I call “change conversations.” These are the moments when we’re asking our teens to make a …
The post How to Connect with Your Teen: The ‘Join Before You Shift’ Parenting Strategy appeared first on Teen Savvy Coaching ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
4M ago
I went to see Inside Out 2 with my soon-to-be-18-year-old daughter on opening night, and I’m so glad I did. As someone who swims in the waters of all things teen, I’ve been looking forward to the release of this film since I learned it was in creation.
If you’re familiar with the original Inside Out, you’ll recall that the film features the main character, Riley, as well as a cast of personified emotions that live inside her brain, protecting Riley by showing up when she needs them: Joy, Fear, Sadness, Disgust, and Anger.
These same five emotion-characters return in Inside Out 2, and ar ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
4M ago
The other night my husband and I were reminiscing about our college days, which is when we met. (That I was just a few months older than my youngest is now when I met the guy I’d eventually marry is a tad mind-blowing to me. I mean–I felt so much OLDER than my daughter feels to me now. You can relate, right?)
Anyway–my husband turned to me and said, “We’ve known each other for almost 31 years. Can you believe that?” (We met when we were college freshmen. You do the math.)
If he was hoping for a sentimental response from me, he was sorely disappointed. Instead, the part of my brain ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
4M ago
Surviving the Summer Tech Vortex
Ah, summer! The season of sun, fun, and… a seemingly endless screen time battle with your adolescent–particularly younger adolescents. They’re too old for summer camp and too young for a summer job, so how do you keep them from transforming into screen zombies while you’re at work? Here’s your sanity-saving guide to keeping your adolescent active and engaged (and not glued to their devices).
Focus on the DO’s: The Fun Stuff
Instead of waging a war against screen time, consider redirecting that energy towards positive actions. A friend of mine is an intuitive ea ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
9M ago
Is Love in the Air?
It’s the month of Valentine’s Day. Maybe love is in the air for your teen? (And maybe not–both scenarios are totally normal for the age group.) Whether your teen is managing a romantic relationship of their own or is a bystander to the relationship of one of their peers, it’s important for all teens to recognize the signs of an unhealthy relationship.
The Rollercoaster of Teen Romance
The tendency for teens to feel emotions with great intensity, combined with teens’ being beginners at relationships, are also the same reasons that many fa ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
10M ago
New year’s Eve Negotiations
With New Year’s Eve on the horizon, it’s possible your teens will be making plans to celebrate with their peers. What if your teen asks to go to a party and you don’t know the host or the host’s family?
First of all, it’s totally up to you as to whether you want to say a flat out no or if you’re willing to consider your teen’s request. If it’s the latter, it’s absolutely reasonable to ask for the host’s first and last name, the host’s address, and contact information for the host’s parents. Sometimes, just asking for this information will put the kibosh ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
1y ago
My late mother was a sentimental soul…and a perfectionist. This combination made holidays like Thanksgiving particularly fraught in my household. In theory, my mom loved all the little traditions like place settings “just so” at the dinner table, turkey-shaped salt and pepper shakers, and pulling out the “good china” that required hand washing. I now understand that my mom attended to all these tiny details because she believed that, in doing so, her family members would feel loved and, in return, so would she.
Yeah–that’s a lot of pressure
Invariably, something would go awry, especially ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
1y ago
Halloween with teens is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the holiday gives adolescents a chance to revel in the traditions of childhood. On the other, it can be a reminder of the middle ground that teens occupy between childhood and adulthood. And that middle ground can feel awkward.
Why I personally hate halloween
For me, as an adult, Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I’ve always been a little wary of the dark–theives and bad guys and all. I don’t enjoy the feeling of being spooked–probably because I spook easily. I don’t like the taste of chocolate, and have nev ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
1y ago
It’s been a rough few weeks in the Straub family. And I’m parenting in crisis mode.
If you follow me on social media, you may have already heard about the humongous tree that fell through the roof of our home two weeks ago, leaving my family temporarily homeless.
And if you don’t follow me on social media, buckle up, because here comes the tree-zaster story.
(And on another note, if you’re not following me on FB or IG, why not? I give out lots of free tidbits over there. You should check it out. Seriously.)
But in this blog–the tree…and the challenges o ..read more
Teen Savvy Coaching Blog
1y ago
Back to school time means a return to routines, structures, and academic pursuits. And, for many families, this time of year also means a ramp up in extracurriculars, now often referred to as “co-curriculars” in many school settings. Why “co” instead of “extra”? Schools realize that these activities play a vital role in shaping your teens’ growth, helping them socialize, discover talents, try new interests, and, in today’s achievement-oriented culture, provide a much-needed balance to the rigors of academics.
And the key word in that last sentence is “balance”. A ..read more