@drwilloughjenkins: This one is going to land differently depending on how your week went. 1. The small moments of connection you had with your teen this week matter more than any lecture. 2. If you lost your temper with your teen this week, the most important thing you can do is not pretend it did not happen. Repair is what they will remember. 3. Your teenager is watching how you handle your own hard emotions far more carefully than they are listening to anything you say about theirs. You are the model, whether you are trying to be or not. 4. The week your teen seems the most withdrawn and difficult to reach is often the week they need you closest. Distance is usually a signal, not a preference. 5. If the majority of your interactions with your teen this week started with a correction, a reminder, or a concern, they registered that. So did you as they probably haven’t been responding well. 6. How you respond in the first ten seconds of a conflict determines almost everything that follows. Regulation in that moment is not weakness. It is strategy. 7. One moment this week where your teen felt genuinely heard and not immediately fixed will do more for your relationship than a month of well intentioned guidance. What are you going to do differently next week. Start there. You are already doing better than you think. #ParentingTeens #TeenMentalHealth #DrWilloughJenkins #parenting #parentinghacks
