The Cat Years

About 30 years ago, I was working for my aunt in an embroidery shop she managed. I was newly married and had no kids. She had three kids, one of whom was a teen.

One day she handed me an article that she had torn out of a parenting magazine. It was titled “The Cat Years.”

I read the article on the bus on my way home from my shift at work. It was interesting, but as a college student with no kids, I couldn’t figure out why it should be important to me.

Looking back on that event, I believe she was giving me wise words of advice for my future.

Interestingly enough, during the hardest days of parenting my five teens, that article has come to mind on every occasion. And likely the advice in it saved my sanity almost every time.

The basic idea is that little kids are like loyal puppy dogs, but teens are like temperamental cats. Most parents continue trying to parent their teens as if they are still loyal and affectionate puppies, instead of unpredictable cats.

Successful parenting requires changes in approach to rules and boundaries as our children grow and develop.

But many times our human brains do not want to change. So we inadvertently create more problems for ourselves by continuing to do what we have always done.

Join me and let’s take a look inside your brain to see how you are parenting your teen, if your tactics are working or not, and what to do about it.

Coaching your brain may solve loads of stress with your teen!

Just A Thought

P.S. - To read a version of “The Cat Years” please visit - https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/adair-lara-when-children-turn-into-cats-2988639.php

(This is not the original article I read, but it is a great alternative.)