The teenage years are well known as a time of self-doubt and low confidence. This can happen for a number of reasons, but you’ll be pleased to know that there are lots of things you can do to help your step-teenager counteract such feelings. During their teenage years, young people are trying to work out […]
The ‘big issues’ facing today’s teenagers may not immediately be obvious. Drugs, alcohol, sex, and relationships have traditionally been the things parents worry about, but also high on the list of today’s problems facing teenagers are gaming addiction, online bullying, and mental health. The basis for helping your step-teenager to deal with these issues has […]
Exam season can be a very stressful time, not just for the teenager sitting the exams, but also for the whole family. Such immense pressure, if left unmanaged, can cause a loss of focus, increasing anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Of course, study techniques and the need to revise and work hard are vital for […]
Whenever I coach stepfamilies – either parents, their children or the family as a whole – there’s one issue that almost always crops up: discipline. How do stepparents avoid being seen as the nasty interloper with ridiculous new rules, and how do teenagers and kids cope with the changing boundaries of a blended family? There’s […]
There are elements of parenting that stepparents can overlook, perhaps because they feel that they don’t apply to them, and one of these is being a role model. In fact, considering yourself as a role model can be very helpful in creating the right mindset for all sorts of issues that crop up in everyday […]
It’s surprising how many stepparents find themselves faced with the challenge of stepchildren who exhibit narcissistic personality traits. Or perhaps – when you consider how narcissism develops – it isn’t surprising at all. The Narcissist: Nature or Nurture? A large proportion of my coaching career has been spent studying narcissistic personality disorder and helping those […]