If you are a parent of teens/tweens and struggling with the highs and lows of emotions they are experiencing during our stay at home, shelter in place – you are not alone.  Sheri Gazitt the founder of Teenwise Seattle, joined me today and shared some valuable insights to help teens, and their parents to find joy, happiness, and calm while acknowledging their need for space during these interesting times.

Let’s face it – being ‘stuck’ with your parents 24/7 is not normal. It’s actually ‘normal’ for teens to start distancing themselves from their parents as they begin the transition to adulthood. A big part of making that adjustment is time spent with friends, which isn’t happening as much right now. Without this teens can go from one mood to another, within an hour. Sheri offers virtual teen workshops, and hourly parent strategy sessions, helping to open up the lines of communication, creating a plan between parent and teen with an open mind, open heart, and no judgement.

As a parent of three daughters, Sheri understands the anxiety and depression teens face every day. With the added stress of shelter in place, Sheri coaches teenage girls privately, finding out what makes them happy, motivated, and excited about life. She provides guidance to help them discover their positive and powerful inner voice.

As parents we too have our highs and lows of working from home, assisting with homeschooling – but we are usually have more tools available to process it. Teens however can go from a super high excited mood to frustrated and shut down – all within one hour. With Sheri’s coaching she reminds parents and teens to be mindful of their teens space with some simple helpful tips:

  • Room space- It’s okay to allow them to retreat to their room, it’s their escape
  • Finding ways to connect – for some it could be video games, for other’s it’s their phone and social media

Her new Workshop, May 28 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm “Creating Space For Joy”, will help teens, and parents how to prioritize joy, while still fostering achievement and personal success – and it’s free! She’ll talk about how you can create S.P.A.C.E and all the benefits of having your own time.

Kids are very observant – if you are constantly focusing on all the negative aspects of these unprecedented times, your kids will also become negative. It’s important to remember to focus on the little things that make you happy – creating space for your child’s inner joy. For more information or to register for this event, you can visit her website event page.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth that we truly are all in this together. If you or someone you know could benefit from outside resources with your teen, or just need a boost of encouragement that you’ve got this – give Sheri a call! For more helpful teen tips, and upcoming events you can follow her on Facebook. For additional helpful resources visit her website.

Cheers!

Nicole