How can I get my teen to do what they need to do? If they would only: turn in their assignments, get to sleep on time, get off their phone, take a break from those video games, talk to me, listen to me….you get it.

We get so frustrated. We see so clearly what needs to be done. We see clearly how they can do it. And yet they don’t. Why?

Why don’t they want their life to be better? Why don’t they want the grades they deserve? Why don’t they want to feel better?

The answer is: They do. But more importantly, WE do! We want to feel better, when our teens are struggling, we feel bad. We feel like we should be doing something, or that we have made some grand mistake along the way.

We want to see change. We see them suffering. We love them and know they deserve better.

It’s like there’s a log in the middle of the road blocking their way. Only they can move it, only they can want to move it. We want to pick up that log with our bare hands and muscle it out of the way.  WE want to clear their path.  We can’t. Not until they want to.

Our brains are complicated. A teen’s brain will control what it can. A teen’s brain will revert to safety and pleasure whenever it senses danger. What is danger? A complicated assignment, chores, hygiene, even getting out of bed can be seen by the brain as a primitive danger. Their brains say no thanks. Sometimes it’s easier in the short term to take the easy way out and do nothing.

How do we move that log blocking the road? How do we help our teens re-wire their brains to experience completing tasks and chores, how do we help them get back on track to finish assignments?

By doing just that. When we get help for our teens from an outside person, our teens pay a little more attention. It takes the parent out of the frustrating cycle, and into a support role. The Coach can help your teen see their strengths and obstacles in a different way. Your teen can start with small successes that create new pathways in the brain. The new behaviors begin translating to other areas.

With coaching, competence becomes confidence. Teens see their moods and energy improve. They start to see their futures differently. They start to take their own action. You stop asking yourself, “How can I get my teen to do…”

I help teens move their logs out of the middle of the road to keep moving on the path to further success.  Parents have been relieved and are able to create more positive relationships with their teens.

If you are interested in working together to get coaching for your teen, let’s go! Let’s get moving. Contact me for your free first session. We’ll meet, talk about goals, and get started. The only way to really move that log for good, is to have your teen learn to move it themselves. You get to stand by and celebrate with them.

If this sounds pretty good, contact me.