Parenting Support - Just for You

The SPS Blog — Just for You — contains practical coaching tips and advise for parents of teens and young adults. (PS: There's tons of good info for any parent who wants to learn, grow and hone their parenting skills.)


 

When is your Family ready for Smart Phones

We are clear that it is not just the child that needs to be ready, but also the parents. Rather than having an answer that is the universal “this is what you should do”, understanding that each family is unique in their focus and values, we encourage you to find the right questions to ask yourselves to help determine your readiness.

If your teen is like 95% of the families we help, they are adamant about asserting their “independence”, usually defined by slammed doors and proclamations that they need to be free to do what they want, but for all practical purposes, they are still pretty dependent on parents in most areas of day-to-day living. Therefore, you still have some influence.

From small anxieties like having the toilet paper run out to big anxieties about our health and the health of our loved ones, it’s a challenging time for all of us. Many of the teenagers and young adults that are in treatment, already have a heightened level of anxiety and hypervigilant reactions to that anxiety. So learning how to manage our own anxiety becomes even more important so we don’t intensify the worries of our loved ones.