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What's a "Tough" Parenting Moment?

Bottom line is, whether or not a parenting moment is "TOUGH" or not is based on your thoughts about the moment. 

Tough parenting moments can be anything from a fight with your teen, to broken rules, to letting go and letting your teen make their own mistakes. 

If you're like most parents, you've experienced tons of "tough" parenting moments. 

You know the frustration, disappointment, anger, and even sorrow that can come with tough parenting moments. 

What you might not know is that these tough parenting moments are actually HUGE opportunities!

These moments are opportunities for growth, for both you and your teen, and for powerful connection.

Most Parents Want "Tough" Parenting Moment to Go Away

Most parents simply want these tough parenting moments to go away. 

Tough parenting moments can be super uncomfortable, but that's not the answer. 

When it comes to tough parenting moments, most parents spend tons of energy trying to make the problem go away or trying to change their teen, hoping that will make it go away. 

If you're like most parents, you're probably guilty of avoiding tough parenting moments. 

The bottom line is, tough parenting moments aren't the problem. 

If you're trying to avoid tough parenting moments, you are missing out on powerful parenting moments. 

"Tough" Parenting Moments are Actually HUGE Opportunities 

If you're like most parents and trying to skip, change, or avoid tough parenting moments, you're going to miss these huge opportunities. 

Instead, I want to invite you to start looking at this "tough" parenting moments as opportunities. 

I want you to start looking for opportunities in two areas, growth and connection. 

Growth 

If you're experiencing tough parenting moments, these are nothing more than opportunities to grow. 

It's only tough because it's challenging. 

Challenges force us to grow. 

Commit to learning whatever lessons are there to be learned. Not only will this help you grow as a parent, but this is part of the process of continual development. 

Don't pass up the opportunities for growth because you're trying to avoid these "tough" parenting moments. 

Connection

This was one of my secrets as a high school principal and one of the reasons I was so successful. 

"Tough" parenting moments are an opportunity to build and improve your connection with your teen. 

I learned this as a principal. I noticed that often, when I had to discipline my students because they had gotten in trouble, afterward we had a way better relationship than we had had before. 

I had the power to turn these moments of students being in trouble into powerful moments of connection and friendship. 

All I had to do was stay calm, listen, treat the student with kindness and fairness, and do my best to let them know that I wasn't mad and that I cared about them. 

And here's the best part.

This made those "tough" principaling moments even easier. 

You can do the exact same thing and make tough parenting moments powerful opportunities for connection. 

These are nothing more than opportunities to stay c

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