Clinical psychologist and writer, Laura Kastner, PhD, spoke with Lon Woodbury on "Parenting Choices for Struggling Teenagers", a radio talk show hosted on L.A. Talk Radio. She talked about raising rebellious teenagers by getting CALM and staying sensible. CALM, she explained, is a phrase or acronym for positive steps parents could take to establish self-discipline when faced by a troubled adolescent. During the interview, she detailed a range of adult strategies for solid self-regulation that had proven to work incredibly well.
Lon Woodbury is the founder of Struggling Teens and Woodbury Reports and he has assisted families and struggling adolescents since 1984. Besides his work as an Educational Specialist, he is a prolific author, and his Parent Empowerment book series is available on amazon.
About Dr. Laura Kastner
Dr. Laura Kastner has actually authored four incredible books on parenting: The Seven Year Stretch, The Launching Years, Getting to Calm, and Wise-Minded Parenting. She is a psychologist with her own private practice, and also a clinical instructor, with positions in a large number of departments, namely Psychology, Psychiatry and the Sociology departments at the University of Washington.
The Secret of Parenting Children, Getting from CALM to WISE
One of the most vital parenting skills a mother or father can learn when it comes to managing children, is getting to CALM, pointed out Dr. Kastner. Self-control is required when a teen confronts a parent, otherwise the situation usually heats up into a shouting and yelling match. Moms and dads have to find ways to preserve their own self-control to ensure that they can actually begin to model self-control for their teenagers.
CALM, she clarified, is an acronym for the steps a parent could use for self-control when in conflict with their adolescent. C is for cool down and focus on your breathing; A is for assessing your choices in the moment; L is for listening closely with compassion; and M is mapping your strategy.
In discussing why most teens behave in such a volatile way, the professor explained that at around the age of thirteen, kids were in the midst of a biological mental change that was hard wired through evolution. Their brains resembled a 'website that was under construction;' in other words, they were beginning the long climb to adulthood and independent living. How teenagers responded to this biological change really depended entirely on their personality. Some were quiet; some looked for trouble and danger; and others were prone to depression. Parents needed to quit acting from their own emotional states, and focus on creating a calm, clear, and assertive parenting style.
Lon Woodbury is the founder of Struggling Teens and Woodbury Reports and he has assisted families and struggling adolescents since 1984. Besides his work as an Educational Specialist, he is a prolific author, and his Parent Empowerment book series is available on amazon.
About Dr. Laura Kastner
Dr. Laura Kastner has actually authored four incredible books on parenting: The Seven Year Stretch, The Launching Years, Getting to Calm, and Wise-Minded Parenting. She is a psychologist with her own private practice, and also a clinical instructor, with positions in a large number of departments, namely Psychology, Psychiatry and the Sociology departments at the University of Washington.
The Secret of Parenting Children, Getting from CALM to WISE
One of the most vital parenting skills a mother or father can learn when it comes to managing children, is getting to CALM, pointed out Dr. Kastner. Self-control is required when a teen confronts a parent, otherwise the situation usually heats up into a shouting and yelling match. Moms and dads have to find ways to preserve their own self-control to ensure that they can actually begin to model self-control for their teenagers.
CALM, she clarified, is an acronym for the steps a parent could use for self-control when in conflict with their adolescent. C is for cool down and focus on your breathing; A is for assessing your choices in the moment; L is for listening closely with compassion; and M is mapping your strategy.
In discussing why most teens behave in such a volatile way, the professor explained that at around the age of thirteen, kids were in the midst of a biological mental change that was hard wired through evolution. Their brains resembled a 'website that was under construction;' in other words, they were beginning the long climb to adulthood and independent living. How teenagers responded to this biological change really depended entirely on their personality. Some were quiet; some looked for trouble and danger; and others were prone to depression. Parents needed to quit acting from their own emotional states, and focus on creating a calm, clear, and assertive parenting style.
About the Author:
Learn more about Lon Woodbury on Struggling Teens. He has recorded the entire interview on his weekly L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at their convenience. show for people to listen to at any time.