Most parents I know tell me to "savor the little years because the teenage years are the WORST!"  I always grimmace a bit at these dooms-dayers.  Why?  Why should I need to hate the teen years? I want to enjoy my kids even as teens.  So, I began paying attention, even before I had kids, trying to figure out why the teen years were so difficult for parents.  In this episode I share some things I've learned as a youth pastor, Pastor and now a mom of a couple teens and tweens, and I believe there is one magic key that can make ALLLL the difference.  Spoiler: my mom LOVED having all four of us as teens, and she was good at this... LISTENING. Let's dive into this simple, but powerful tool! Don't forget to come follow me on Instagram for all the latest updates, and to say hey! I love hearing from and interacting with you guys over there, so don't be a stranger!

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I pulled from a few sources when creating today's episode, and wanted to list them below:

Scriptures about Listening

Julian Treasure's Blog- see his Ted Talk on Listening Better

Harvard article: Listening in Leadership

If this has been interesting to you, consider doing more learning! There are many articles, podcasts, books on the topic, and it will only enrich your life... and your family relationships.

More podcasts on the topic: (I can't vouch for these shows, I just loved what I saw about the topic. Listen with a healthy filter.) :)

Listening to your Teen

John Maxwell: Leaders Lead through Listening with Simon Sinek

Parenting Today's Teens: The importance of Listening

Communicating with Teens: Listening

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