Is Your Teen Ready to Launch

How many of you have a senior in high school? I do!

He's pretty amazing in SO many ways and still has a few ways that he could use some growing up.

I've been reflecting more and more about how he will fare in the next phase of his life. Have I taught him enough?

I know he can make himself a sandwich, schedule an appointment, and clean a toilet. But what about his mental, emotional, and social skills?

Maybe you've been thinking about these things too.

As a parent, preparing a teen for the real world is a very complex and time-consuming endeavor. It's a process that truly takes 18 years (and beyond). Our teens make lots of mistakes under our roof, and some of these things couldn't be learned any other way.

But the real world can be slightly less forgiving of their mistakes.

I can remember that I made just about every "adulting" mistake at least once. Taxes, health insurance, parking tickets, cooking mishaps, forgetting to clean the lint filter and almost burning the house down. Yeah, that was me.

But more important than any of those practical skills, and what I'm especially concerned about teaching my teens, are lessons in emotional intelligence, relationship dynamics, stress resilience, and DEEP-rooted self-confidence.

If you're like me, you might be taking a bit of an inventory.

Do your teens take responsibility for their feelings and actions or do they still think other people can "make them" mad or frustrated? Are they in victim mentality much of the time?

Do they know what their responsibilities are in relationships and what they aren't?

Do they know how to process emotions and work through their big feelings without engaging in destructive behaviors?

Are they able to speak up and advocate for themselves with teachers, friends, and work colleagues?

Does your teen know how to create healthy boundaries?

Do they have a solid identity? Are they figuring out who they are and living from their deepest values?

Do they have dreams? Are they confident they can reach those dreams? Do they keep their promises to themselves?

Do they know how to manage their time?

How well can they cope with stress and anxiety? Are they resilient or do they give up easily when faced with adversity?

Do they know how to get their amazing brain to work FOR them, or does it shut them down and keep them stuck in inaction and self-doubt?

Do they have a kind and compassionate relationship with themselves? How do they handle mistakes? Does their self-talk sound more like an inner bestie or an inner bully?

Although it's normal to have some holes in these areas (our seniors have many years of brain development ahead of them, after all), you might be deeply concerned about your teen's current trajectory.

It's frustrating, because maybe you want to teach your teen all these things and more, but you're afraid they won't listen. Maybe you feel like your teen started tuning you out long ago.

Maybe you've considered the possibility of finding another adult to "coach" them through preparing for this transition--the beginning of the rest of their lives. If so, I want to invite them (and you) to a complimentary consult with me.

I promise if nothing else this 45 minutes with me will give you clarity of where the gaps are and give you some valuable insights of how to move forward. Click HERE to get started.