Find ways to help your teen experience success within a reasonable schedule.
So as you consider making some changes, try to learn specifically what your teen’s worries are and do whatever you feasibly can to address them. Ask questions about what they like most about each activity, and pull out the feelings behind the fears. Let them know that you totally understand and want to prioritize the things that are most important to them.
For example: “I saw you grin when you made that great basket and everyone cheered. That’s a great feeling, isn’t it? If that is really important to you, let’s make sure one of your two activities is a team sport like that.” Or, “Are you really enjoying hanging out with Nate and Brad? Maybe if we cut dodgeball, you can invite them over after school some days.”
Even though you might feel that there’s no way around having to cut back on some things, show your teen that you “get” why they could be upset, and that you want to value what matters to them. Then you’ll not only have a better schedule, but a better understanding of the person your teen is becoming.
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Shaunti Feldhahn loves sharing eye-opening information that helps people thrive in life and relationships. She herself started out with a Harvard graduate degree and Wall Street credentials but no clue about life. After an unexpected shift into relationship research for average people like her, she now is a popular speaker and author of best-selling books about men, women and relationships. (Including For Women Only, For Men Only, and the groundbreaking The Good News About Marriage).
Her latest book, Find Rest: A Women’s Devotional for Lasting Peace in Busy Life, focuses on a journey to rest even with life’s constant demands.
Visit www.shaunti.com for more.
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