Teenagers are awesome, and wholly misunderstood. Their moods and behaviours are blamed on hormones and are often blamed for misdemeanours, because they are experimenting with life, often for all to see. They are expected to still conform to a structure set out for them educationally as they have had to throughout their childhood years, but at the same time, are grappling with emerging independence as adulthood looms. Our teens have rapid changes going on in their brains which makes decision making tricky, emotional regulation an impossibility at times and so much going on in their minds sometimes it all gets a bit too much.
Add a global pandemic to the mix and it’s a recipe for even more complexity and challenges which are wholly and completely not their fault.
Those of us who have teens can see it, we are living it, every.single.day.
Those of us who have younger children see those years with some kind of dread and fear, worrying that their lovely, kind and easy-going child will morph into this unreasonable monster.
And those of us who have been through it, wish the others well and maybe forget the tough years as their teens emerge into adulthood.
When I talk about teenagers to parents, I ask them to remember what it was like being one. Most of us don’t like to go there, some have fond memories but others would rather not remember those years.
I wrote my book because I wanted to share some of the challenges of my own teen years, and use them to inform the mum I am today to my own teen boys. I believe we have to look at ourselves, our own previous challenges and triggers to help us understand the rocky paths our children may go down, and how we can best help and guide them.
I didn’t want to write a parents instruction manual, as no two young people are the same, with the same paths and the same aspirations. I wanted, however, to write something which hopefully gives a new perspective on old and long-standing issues and also to remind parents that you are wholly and completely not alone feeling the way you do about parenting teens.
Teenagers are tricky, they are trying their best but sometimes it all falls apart and they don’t know how to put it back together. It’s their chance to learn about life and our chance to guide them as best we can. We don’t always get it right, and sometimes get it spectacularly wrong, but the one thing I want you to know is that we are all in the same boat, the challenges may be different, as may be the outcomes, but the journey to navigate is so much easier when you know you have others supporting you along the way.
So think of my book as your paper parent support group, something you can pick up and remind yourself that you are not alone, you are doing your best and we are right there with you, us parents of teenagers.
Buy your copy here. Please do get in touch if you need my support, I am hear to talk through any worries and help you however I can.
“Reopening the “Slammed” Door is packed full of insights from the author, based on her own experiences and from working with teenagers. You get a real sense of her calm personality shining through to make you feel that you are really not alone with how your teenager behaves. It reminds you why they act the way they do and reassures you that you are not alone. She breaks down some of the more complicated concepts with useful analogies and stories to give helpful examples and insights. It is a book that provides the reader with awareness of the issues our teenagers face, which then enables us to address them in reality and provide support. Useful to dip in and out of and invaluable in helping to connect with teenagers.”