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Updates on The Family Alchemists

Hi Friends, When I created The Family Alchemists in 2018, I had a really big vision and mission of connecting people to the resources they need to grow. I have so many amazing professionals in the Conscious Parenting space as friends and was determined to help them...

How Recovery Principles Pave the Way to Conscious Parenting

Applying the 12 steps to my parenting helped me practice boundaries, communicate with integrity and ultimately BE loving and tolerant.

Conscious Communication Skills

In times of great social change, we look for the things we can control. We may not be able to predict the future for ourselves or our teens, but we can control how we communicate. The way we communicate reveals what we value and how we value it. I longed to connect...

How to Save a Marriage

So, you’re an empath married to a guy that treats you like a queen – most of the time. But those times he’s angry? You question if you’re more like your mother than you thought. You worry that his behavior is going to hurt your kids and that you’re being irresponsible...

WHAT DOES SPIRITUALITY MEAN TO YOU?

When I have a chance to actually discuss the topic with clients, it is very simple to explain my view of spirituality, understand my clients’ perspective, and come to a common ground semantically (and often philosophically). I notice I regularly attract people who...

Helping Your Kids During Coronavirus Social Distancing

Dear Brave Ones: Of course, we’re scared. That means it’s the time to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves and others. Can you imagine how scared our kids are? Their routines have been disrupted and they miss their teachers and friends. They have less control...

Out of the race

From the moment we are born, we are part of a race we never wanted to be in, we are measured by milestones and compared endlessly with any peers we share our life with. We are numbers in charts and checkmarks in lists of accomplishments, in other words, we are what we...

Mindful Parenting Through the Everyday Stresses

In the fast paced world of parenting where decisions are made in between spilled cereal, constant questioning and smartphone apps, it is no wonder the word mindfulness is becoming as necessary in a parent’s vocabulary as the word nap-time. And yet, for many,...

What our children ask of us

Our children ask so little really. Listen to my discoveries and ideas. Look through my eyes to understand my world. Feel my love, joy, frustration, pain. Hold my hand, my heart and me close. Be careful with me and understand me. I may feel off sometimes, when the...

Elf on the shelf, Magic of well-behaved kids?

I was already familiar with conscious parenting when the Elf on the Shelf became popular a few years ago, I found out about it when my kids were toddlers and I heard stories about him moving every night and being a fun addition during Christmas time. I was excited to...

One of the hallmarks of conscious parenting is the tenet that our children are their own divine independent growing souls with their own agendas. They may need our love, guidance, support, and affirmation for their soul’s journeys; but they do not need our projections. That’s why we have to do our emotional work and be fully responsible for our own thoughts, actions, and feelings, so that they can be responsible for their thoughts, actions and feelings. Knowing how to communicate our thoughts and feelings may not come naturally which is why it helps to have some communication models.

 

Communicating consciously to build a happier, meaningful and more satisfying relationship with our tweens, teens and young adults means we must listen as non-judgmentally as possible. Listening this way affirms that our teens are own person. They occupy a different social location than adults which means they have a unique personal and cultural perspective. But many of us, did not grow up with healthy communication role models. Consciously practicing co-creation communication skills may help us honor our teens’ journeys. Co-creation communication is simply a mindset and skillset that engages teens and parents to be fully responsible for building the relationship.

 

To open this kind of communication the skill of open-ended questioning may be helpful. Sociologists and journalists use an interview technique called open-ended questions. This skill may help us get to know our teens in a different way. The following are a few open-ended questions you can use to start conversations. Remember the purpose of this exercise is to simply listen and learn.

 

Open Ended Question Examples

Open-ended questions, don’t direct the person being interviewed to answer any specific way. Open-ended questions are phrased in a way to require more than a yes or no answer. Each question is about a specific area of teen life and has a sample follow up question. As you practice open-ended questions, listen and learn conversation starters you will come up with your own natural follow up questions.

 

Social Life

1.) Who do you consider to be your best friend right now?

a.) What do you like best about ______ (name the best friend)?

b.) Do you hang out with ________ at lunch?

 

School

2.) Tell me about your favorite class today?  Or,

3.) Tell me about your least favorite class?

Tip: This is not a conversation about homework or grades. Teens are more likely to respond to coaching about homework if they believe you are interested in how they feel about school.

 

Leisure Time or Hobbies

4.) What do you like to do on weekends when you have alone time?

a.) Is there something you would like to do with your friends that you don’t have time or money to do?

5.) Who is your favorite artist, singer or band right now?

a.) What do you like about them? This may lead to an invitation to listen to music.

Tip:  Don’t by-pass this opportunity.

 

Family

6.) What would you like to do with the family this weekend?

a.) What bugs you the most about your little sister?

 

Tip: Be prepared for the answer without jumping into advice giving. This is the perfect opportunity to compliment your teen’s sibling relationship. You may want to say something like this, “Thank you for not yelling the other day when Ashley went into your room without permission.”

Personal Development, Health or Spirituality

7.) I have been trying to meditate, how do you best re-charge your batteries after a stressful day at school these days?

8.) I have been working on eating more vegetables, do you have a health goal to share?

Practice

If it feels awkward, try again. Then next time you are alone together, try again. Relationship building is hard work and it takes practice over time.

 

Tip: Ask these questions casually. Teens might feel put on the spot if they feel interrogated or think they will get in trouble for their answers. One mom shared she has these conversations in the car when traveling to school or after-school activity. When teens are not required to have eye contact, they don’t feel interrogated or threatened by open-ended questions.

Am I your Family Alchemist™?  Take our quiz and find out!

More conversation starters:

FREE: How To Finally Get Your Child To Listen And Act By Understanding Their Development And Getting The Best Behavior Out Of Them… Even In The Hour Before Bedtime. Yes, Really.

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