One of the most contentious and damaging issues with married couples in parenting can be the idea of “you’re supposed to have my back.”  This gets dicey because once the stone has been cast both partners can claim that the other “doesn’t have their back.”  It becomes a...

Whether it is a conversation that is difficult to have because it may frighten or sadden your child, or it is difficult because it is going to create conflict, parents are often faced with the conundrum of when, where, and how to have difficult discussions.  If you fin...

Realizing you don’t know how to help or parent your teenage child is not only humbling but often devastating.  Whether it is because your child is depressed, anxious, failing school, using drugs, or all of the above, not being able to help your child can affect marriag...

Often parents will put all their parenting energy into trying to set boundaries, create punishments, implement scare tactics, and prodding with rewards.   For parents with difficult teens, these interventions don't work no matter how often and how many times a parent a...

I was in session with a mother and her son.  The son had inherited some money but was not old enough yet to make decisions regarding how the money could be spent.  The mother allowed the son to have a very small portion of the money and she put the rest away for the fu...

While it is important to maintain your boundaries and to protect yourself when you are having conflict with your teen, it is more important to keep perspective.  What I mean by keep perspective is remember the parent you want to be in spite of their insane behavior, do...

Movies have been written about it, everyone knows it is going to happen, but few parents know exactly what to do.  I am talking about what to do and how to handle parenting when you find out your teen is drinking, using drugs, going to parties, or likely all three.  So...

There are so many levels of use, abuse, and addiction that knowing what to do and when to do it gets unbelievably overwhelming.  There are so many opinions and stances that it is seemingly impossible to make the right decision.  Before making any decision, you as a par...

Parents want the best for their children.  They envision the best for their children as being that their child obeys, respects, learns, and in general follows the right path.  When this vision goes awry and the parent’s fantasy about their life and their child’s life g...

Whether it is your parenting relationship or a marriage or a friendship follow these relationship basics and you will see a difference in how you interact with people in your life and how they interact with you, especially your teens and twenty somethings.  By just fol...