Parenting

We need time with our children, and they need time with us. One way to develop an intimate connection with our children is to be alone with them, and our connection needs to be regular. If we have something to talk to our kids about, we need to know what is happening in their lives.

Sometimes I overwork, so I volunteer at my child’s school as a lunch monitor. Not only did I get to know the teachers, but also I met her friends and classmates; and I still draw from those experiences as I help my child go through her school years.

Family Counselling can also bring up marital issues. Many men struggle with wanting to be more involved yet when they do, their partners get anxious and suddenly undercut their efforts.

Learning

I help parents learn that children need to learn from us

That parents need to be patient

That they must lead their children to the next step

To listen carefully to what they find interesting, and to what they find difficult

Parents need to know about child development

They need to anticipate the stages in their children’s lives

The Adolescent Years

The majority of teenagers will be found to be seriously stressed at some time during adolescence. Some of this unhappiness is created by the hormonal changes in their bodies, and sometimes it’s anxiety about facing the world outside the family. And sometimes it is caused by the parents. We fail our children in many ways, and the “hostile” atmosphere in the home – when parents become “the enemy” is so common. The parental tasks of remaining calm, adult, and flexible seem impossible;

• Should you hold firm on a rule or make an exception?
  
• Should you intervene or let your adolescent learn from their mistakes?
  
• Should you confront with force? Or, wait?
  

Even if our adolescents don’t have really stormy rebellions, this period of life is difficult for every family and marriage. My work is to help families learn how to be more of a team and a mutual source of strength and enjoyment for each other.