Dear Shaunti, In the last few months, it has gotten so hard for my teenage daughter to talk to me. I learn everything from listening to her tell her friends. Yesterday I overheard her telling a friend about being a finalist in a writing contest at school. When I asked her about it, she said…
Dear Shaunti, My 15-year old son begins his complaining about going to church on Saturday night and doesn’t quit even after we’ve forced him to go on Sunday morning. He’s always loved church and he has plenty of friends. I asked him to pray about it and he told me matter-of-factly that he doesn’t even…
One of the most mystifying things that a husband and wife can go through begins when their child enters middle school. Couples start hearing things like, “Uh, Mom, not to hurt your feelings or anything, but don’t go clothes shopping for me anymore, okay? Just drop me at the mall with some money.” Wow, that…
Dads, you are all so very important and your kids are actually influenced by what you say and do with them far more than you may believe. I want to share with you an email we received from a single dad who, inspired by my book For Parents Only, initiated an important conversation with his…
Talking to a teenager is like… It’s amazing what comes up when you do a Google search with those words! Talking to a teenager is like talking to aliens. Talking to teenagers is like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree. Talking to a teenager is like pulling weeds. None of these things sounds particularly…
With Shaunti on the road and the approach of a writing deadline, Vanessa Snyder, MA, LPC, LMFT, shares from her own experience as the mother of teens. You would think I would finally have it together. I have been a mother longer than not. I have papers on my wall that tell me I am…
