5 Ways To Embarrass Your Teenager

Have you seen it yet? The eye roll when you crack a joke around your teen. Or have you felt the burn from the words “You’re so weird Mum,” simply because you asked your teen’s friend how their day had been? Well, if you haven’t yet, you will. Teenagers are desperately trying to fit in […]

Helping Our Teens During Exam Season

Study leave has officially begun at our house, so I thought it was time to help my teen set up some good study habits as he prepares for his NCEA Level 1 exams. We all learn differently. Some people prefer silence and order, while others can listen to thrash metal while learning algebra.  These top […]

Holidaying With Teens

A couple of summers ago, my family and I went camping at a place called Whatuwhiwhi in the beautiful Far North. We had borrowed our neighbour’s 1970’s pop up camper for the week, hoping it would be a little more comfortable than our tent – we were wrong.  We parked at our site next to […]

Motivating Your Teen

Have you ever come away from a parent/teacher interview feeling deflated and frustrated? “Could do better, talks too much or needs to develop better work habits.” “Hey teachers, how about a compliment sandwich?” Surely all that negativity won’t help motivate a teen. From what I have learnt about the teenage brain so far, it will […]

Tidy Your Room!

Over the past month, I have been watching the pile of clothes on my son’s bedroom floor with interest. As the pile increases in height and width, I wonder just how long he plans to keep his room this way. When will he run out of clean clothes? Should I ask him to pick them […]

Ten Things I Love About Teenagers

Sometimes I think teenagers get a bad rap. We live in a culture that fears and dreads the teenage years. It’s like we get persuaded to expect the worst from our young people. If this is the message that teenagers are hearing, should it be a surprise to us when they fulfil that role?