• Family Counseling: Becoming a Closer Family

    Family counseling is often helpful during the teen years.  Most families find during the work week they can manage fairly well due to having some type of routine in place. Parents go to work and kids to school. The evenings are usually rushed with homework, activities, fitting dinner in there somewhere, and getting everyone to bed on time.

    But what about the weekends?  This is usually the most stressful time for families.

    So what do you do with everybody?

    First and foremost, let me suggest not to get too caught up in the “doing.” It’s OK to plan things and try to make them fun for everybody. But I’m sure you’ve discovered by now that you won’t be able to make everyone happy, so let that expectation go now.

    Not every minute of every day needs to be scheduled. If you and your family members are rushing here, there and everywhere, when are you supposed to just relax, enjoy time together and experience life with one another?

    Let us suggest another option…

    Try to focus instead on “being.” This includes: being present and being invested.

    Being Present

    This isn’t referring to being physically around the kids. It means being there emotionally. Caring about their concerns and fears.  Put the phones down and really try to connect in a way that’s meaningful to both of you.

    Being Invested

    As your kids age, it’s important to really get to know them as a unique individual. What’s important to them and why?  What issues burden them?  These are deeper conversations.  Being able to time them well and “read” whether your teen is interested in talking about these topics requires attentiveness and creating a safe space for them to share.

    So kick back this weekend and don’t despair. So what if you don’t have a ton of ideas for things to do? “Being” is free. Still not sure how to go about making this transition into the teen years?  We’re always happy to support you with creative and individualized ideas through our Family Counseling services.