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I was beginning to think
more like a teen life coach. My teens were
13 and 17 years old. I had always used my own life
experience as a training ground for life coaching and
therapy. Meanwhile, my teenage children were doing
that teenage thing that teenagers do. Avoiding
their parents at all costs. It was becoming
increasingly difficult to make family time and when we
did get together it was usually very stressful.
Life was zooming by way too
fast and I was afraid that I was losing my children.
I missed the laughter and the teasing. I wondered
why the teenage years had to be such a challenge.
What could I do to bring us together? After all, I
was the resident teen life coach! Surely, I could
come up with something! Then, I made a decision.
The following is a description of what transpired.
We adopted two kittens, a
black one and a white one.
We haven’t turned on the T.
V. in weeks
The kittens are our focus
and entertainment. They perform gymnastics;
extreme stunts, and hurdles for hours and then they
sleep for just as long. We find ourselves admiring
them, commenting on how cute they sleep with their legs
wrapped around each other and their bodies one big
snuggle. My husband loves the word
“anthropomorphic”. We assign human emotions and
intentions to our new babies. “Look, they are kissing!”
The black and white kittens
have been with us now for four weeks. We have yet
to assign them permanent names. While referring to
them these days, they are the “white one and the black
one”. My daughter would like the names to go
together like, “Yin and Yang” or “Lewis and Clark”.
My son likes awesome names like “Black and Cody”.
My husband likes unusual and sophisticated names such as
“Igby and Jazz”. And me? Well, I’m just
going with the obvious, B. C. and W. C.
Just
Like the Typical Benefits of Teen Life Coaching!
We have slowed down.
Life now holds a joy and laughter that had been lost in
a mountain of chores, responsibilities and my longing
for connection. My teenage children are hanging
out with us. These days, kittens get mixed up in
the laundry, in bed making and yes, in scrubbing the
toilets. We look upon these babies as a gift which
touches our nurturing hearts and bonds us once again as
a family. My job as the teen life coach has paved
the way for more creative and positive ideas while
working with teens and their families.
I don’t know if we’ll ever
agree on the naming of our kittens. What I do know
is that my teen life coach intervention has launched
this household of parents and teens into agreement that
we love spending time together. And the added
bonus…sometimes there is a secondary gain from making a
change. When I say, “It’s time to fold the
laundry”, teens and kittens alike are the first ones to
show up for the job.
Contact Susan for a
free coaching
session on
teen life coaching.
Susan P, Epstein, LCSW,
parent coach and
family coach, works with parents and families
looking for satisfaction, balance and growth.
Susan is an expert in the areas of family dynamics,
parenting and child development and her unique blend of
therapy and coaching combine to make her a powerful
catalyst for change.
She practiced psychotherapy for 23 years before becoming
a coach, writer and speaker. Susan graduated from
University of California at Berkeley School of Social
Welfare. She is a licensed clinical social worker
in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Susan also
completed training with the Coaches Training Institute,
an internationally accredited coach training
organization. Learn
more about Susan.
Articles and Specialties of Susan Epstein, Teen Life
Coach:
Life Coach
Family Coach: Six
Tips to Less Stress at Home
Grief Coach: Advice
on Helping Children Grieve the Loss of a Family Member:
Step I
The Making of a Teen
Life Coach
Teen Life Coach
Riffs on the College Homesick Blues
Teen Life Coaching Workshop
Teen Life Coaching:
Drugs and Alcohol
Parent Coaching
Testimonial
Teen Life
Coaching FAQs
Family Coach: Six Tips
for Enjoying Your Kids While Working From Home
Adolescent
Coaching: Through the Generation Gap
Parent Coach
Parent Coaching
Parenting
Coaching in the Fast Lane (workshop)
Parent Coaching
Workshops
Parenting Coach:
Attention Parents! No More Yelling!
Parenting Coach:
Attention Parents! No More Yelling! (part 2)
Family Coach
Couples Coaching:
Rediscover the Joy
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