Are You Struggling with Parenting Your Teen or Child?
- Is communicating with your teen awkward or nearly non-existent?
- Does your own childhood pain trigger feelings of fear, shame, or anger?
- Have you noticed the issues of identity or other social media impact your teen?
- Do you wish you could control your own reactions with your child / teen?
- Are there times when you and your partner don’t agree on how to parent?
- Would Parenting Therapy help you with what, when and how to parent your child / teen?
Perhaps you and your ex are no longer together but share in co-parenting responsibilities. You both may want what is best for
your child but your parenting approach is much different. Further, you may be at a loss as to what to do to help your child through certain rough spots in their lives. Perhaps you are exhausted trying to figure out how to help your teen yet you realize you may need counseling help. Maybe you find yourself at a loss as to balancing your own time, energy, personal responsibilities, and parenting. Possibly you’re at a standstill as to how to help your daughter cope with her identity struggles, low self-esteem, low motivation, moodiness or isolation. Then, there is your son who may also get depressed, anxious and isolate from others and expresses his ager in ugly ways. Furthermore, your teen may trigger your own anxiety or anger causing it more difficult to parent. This is where Parenting Therapy can help.
Parenting Takes Courage
Children are challenging, sometimes difficult, and at times remind us of our own shortcomings. Further, many parents find themselves stuck or not ready with how or what to do in parenting. Their baby is not so small anymore. They’ve seen their 
teenager grow up before their very eyes and wonder what happened to those years. Additionally, puberty has arrived (or at the doorstep) and new, exciting yet awkward experiences are to be lived as a young man or woman.
As a parent, you may find yourself approaching your teenager the same way. Then, as before, expect him or her to change finding it just does not seem to work all that well. Some parents may expect the teenager to “do as I say not as I do” and find him / her resisting or rebelling against your wishes.
We know that our children may and will trigger our own challenges perhaps force us to look into our own attitudes and behaviors. Thus, parenting may be more than just raising a child but learning and growing as an adult ourselves. Not to mention that our children look up to us for support, guidance, nurturance, and life instruction. Like it or not we are in reality their role models.
Further Parenting Complications
You, like many other parents may be one of two households trying to parent your child. Further, there is a lack of communication between parents with hurt, anger, and frustration clouding the interactions with your children. Then, you add a stepfather or mother figure into their lives and more drama unfolds. There’s then a lot of things going on all at once becoming
very overwhelming. Thus, the ever challenging complications.
Many parents we have talked with have found themselves struggling with the same things. Their child gets bored, grumpy at home when trying to do schoolwork. They want to be in school playing with their friends or learning in a physical classroom uninhibited by excessive restrictions. As a parent, you may find yourself helpless as to how to approach your teen with her depression. You may not understand why he’s so angry or why she isolates in her room. With help, you want them whole again as well as for your own sense of well-being.
Parenting Therapy Adds Support, Awareness and Encouragement
With the application of developed parenting skills, many of our parents feel more understood, support, and courage to parent more effectively. Added with these skills, we have found the balance of love, respect, discipline (structure), listening, direction with encouragement, improve relationships significantly between parents and child. It may be difficult to see all of this right now especially when your teenager struggles in school or in life. Taking this opportunity in counseling is a way to see positive changes that are long-lasting.
For more information, give us a call at 520-292-9750 or email us at joel@pathwaystucson.com
Feel free to contact any of our counselors listed below for further information and/or to set up a time to meet. For parenting therapy, feel free to contact Jerimya Fox, Michelle Rucker, or Jennifer Foster who have experience and training to help you as a parent with your child or teen through your collective struggles, challenges, and triumphs.