AIRED: August 29, 2016– 11 am PST
TITLE: “How to Raise a Happy Teen: From One Parent in the Trenches to Another”
SPECIAL GUEST: Christie Halverson
When Christie Halverson became a mother, she was determined this was going to be her children’s fate. Together, she and her husband began the journey to creating a better way of parenting that required their attitudes and actions shift out of old paradigm they were raised in.
According to Christie, it takes great self-introspection, patience, and an entirely new view based on the fact that teenagers are absolutely amazing creatures, who love fiercely and are incredibly funny. From this new viewpoint, time and time again they found three simple commonsense principals, Empowerment, Validation, and Love, were all they needed to guide their teens into becoming self-confident, compassionate, and functional adults.
Goal One: Empowerment. Teenagers are on the verge of adulthood and desperately want to be in control of their own life. They want to learn how to make good decisions. They want to be responsible. Parents need to empower teens with opportunities to make choices, albeit choices with guidance, then sit back and watch them grow.
Goal Two: Validation. Teenagers need to feel valued and recognized. All of us need that. They are facing a harsh world which declares them inferior at every turn. Social media, television, magazines – are mediums which cause teenagers to measure themselves against and feel inferior, whether the bar is to be prettier, smarter, more popular, stronger, or have more friends. Parents need to be their child’s biggest cheerleader. They need to help them see that what and who they are, is enough.
Goal Three: Unconditional Love. What teens need most from parents is unconditional love. They need to know that they are here for them, no matter what. They don’t want to disappoint us; they want to make us proud. As parents, our mission is to assure them that our affection is not conditional and they need to go to sleep every night secure in our love for them.
From one parent in the trenches, join us as Christie gives hope and shares her successes in raising healthy, happy teens
ABOUT CHRISTIE HALVERSON
Our Guest today, Christie Halverson is a freelance writer/blogger on family and raising children. She is also a contributing author to the online blog/magazine, Ruby Girl (www.rubygirl.org), a website geared to teenage girls. A professional portrait photographer, her work has been featured in Parents Magazine.
Most importantly, Christie is a mom raising three incredible teenagers. A parent ‘in the trenches” that other parents easily related to, her entertaining and wisdom-filled articles are a source of inspiration and guidance for moms and dads around the count
