I gave another motivational presentation today, this time to about 200 parents at a High School in Oakland, California. I sometimes forget how important this information is, but as I speak, people are immediately engaged. I know this is not because of my skills as a motivational speaker, necessarily, but because ALL in the room, parents and caregivers, are committed to doing the best we can to raise our children.
Teens are amazing in their own way: they are engaged, excited and often passionate. Of course, they do get into trouble sometimes, and because of this, we parents have fears: What if my child gets caught up in alcohol or drugs? How do I know if they are overly anxious or depressed? What can I do to really show up for them as a parent?
This is precisely what my motivational presentations for parents are about: the reasons our kids do the things they do, ways parents can pay attention to them in these changing times, and ideas on how to best engage them when our two cultures (the teen’s world and the adult’s world) collide. I am honored to do this work and to make connections with the parents through my presentation and want to extend this through my writings in our blog. In writings to follow, I will provide tips for parents to use as a guild with their teens. Armed with these tools, I believe we all become better equipped to be the best parents we can be.