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Is It Okay to Step In? Do We Always Need to Allow Natural Consequences?
Parenting

Is It Okay to Step In? Do We Always Need to Allow Natural Consequences?

 Do you ever feel like your teen needs too much hand-holding? When our teens can’t seem to function without our help, our minds tend to skip ahead to the part where they’ll never learn any life skills- they’ll never be successful. It’s easy to catastrophize.

 

It’s not true. They’re going to make it! 

 

Our teens don’t need us to point out everything that’s going wrong. Believe me, they get it.

 

They need a win.

 

And they need our support.

 

Right now, when they’re learning a new skill or starting a new project, it’s difficult for them to figure out how to get started. When they can’t identify the first step to take, the steps start to blur together in their head. They feel like everything is going wrong in their world. They get overwhelmed, and they shut down.

 

This isn’t something they choose. It’s neurological. It’s simply how their brain processes information. 

 

We can teach them strategies to minimize this overwhelm. What’s one thing that will help them get motivated? Or one thing they can check off their list? Help them to focus on this one thing.

 

Sometimes, our kids can be hard to read. When they’re struggling, they’re exasperated. It may look like they’re acting out. Internally, they’re falling apart. They don’t want to be behind. They want you to believe that they can do it!

 

Leading ADHD experts estimate that by age 10, children with ADHD receive 20,000 more negative messages- from their parents, peers, or otherwise- than they do positive messages. This messes with their self-esteem.

 

We need to be their biggest cheerleader! Help your teens focus on their strengths. Encourage them. We need to reassure them that we believe they’re going to succeed. 

 

Our teens need our support. Consequently, we’re equipping them to be independent- one step at a time. 

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Kelly B

I'm a Certified ADHD Teen Life Coach: (Teens are my jam!) and creative mind behind the Teen RockStar Program: a 10 month academic long year program of support and partnering with High Schoolers.

I pursued and completed my coaching training certification at the International ADHD Coach Training Center (iACT Center), an ICF accredited program and the rest is history!

I created the Teen Rockstar program as I realized High Schoolers, who are neurodiverse, need support throughout the academic long year. Staying on task, breaking down barriers with motivation, getting started, procrastinating, uncovering coping skills, while being someone in their corner who believes in them, are just a few benefits of my program.

I reside in my “Happy Place” of Pinehurst, NC. where I'm a mom of two incredibly opposite teenage boys, Brady and Bryce, and wife of a workaholic hubby, Tim.

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