Dr.Siggie - PhD - Parenting Expert

Parenting teens and tweens 😅 it’s a journey but stay strong - you can do it!

We don’t want to suppress their voice and their expressions (remember, we did give them their voice after all) but we can work to guide it.

Not through lectures - those don’t work. Your child tunes out, shuts down, or gets even more reactive.

Through reflection, curiosity, active listening and yes, boundaries grounded in guidance, not anger.

It’s not easy! In fact, it may be one the hardest things you do 💛 but you can do it :)

Thank you to for the laugh and inspiration.

1. Let them struggle. Age appropriate struggle is how they build inner strength.

2. Let them practice. Skills are not immediate. They take time, effort, trial and error. Emotional skills are no different.

3. Let them ask for help. Before jumping in, allow some space for them to try, even fail, and when needed, ask for help. Recognizing and verbalizing you need help is absolutely a form of resilience.

Came across this sweet video a while ago and have been thinking about it lately :)

We can’t stand back every moment, but when we can… let’s practice slowing down and pausing our internal urge to rush, help, fix, and solve. It’s in many of these moments when we step back where our children push themselves to step up.

Original video by 💜

➡️ Perfectly ok for kids to want and wish… and not get.

➡️ Validation is not the same as accommodation.

➡️ Imagination is a powerful tool!

Does your child have a very hard time when they lose? (Like fall apart kind of hard?) They may be naturally more rigid or competitive in their personality and that’s totally ok.

When it comes to winning and losing I like to think our goal is a balance:

➡️ Going for the win, of course! But not at the expense of having fun or making it miserable for others.
➡️ Feeling upset when they lose, of course! But not totally and completely falling apart.

And we can absolutely help our children find this balance.

If you have a child that’s highly competitive, I have a whole section dedicated to winning and losing in my Everything 3-7 Course with all your practical tools and scripts. Visit the link in my bio for more info.

Video in the beginning by 😊

Are you the parent your kids fall apart with? Have more meltdowns around?

A couple things to think about :)

Yes, safety and trust are likely a factor. Meaning your kids are holding it together (for the most part) around others and then around you, they can just let it all out.

Another possible factor to consider is your dynamic - do you tend to give big reactions? If so, you might be caught in an unintentional push-and-pull where they push and you react and the cycle continues.

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Original clip at the beginning from