You heard this would happen. Your little snuggler, your helper, your “mini-me” has become a teen. Attempting to engage with them now may elicit a series of grunts and groans, or seemingly thoughtless one-word answers. Try these techniques to help you reconnect with your teen and keep the lines of communication open.
If you or someone you know experiences painful memories this time of year, check out some of our blogs below to read different perspectives on relationships, learn ways to move past those difficult times, and learn how to continue to give and accept love from others.
Often the fun activities in life get pushed to the bottom of the priority list. When this happens, I encourage caregivers to take a few minutes to complete the following activity adapted from the “Together Facing the Challenge” curriculum.
My husband and I have always been devout Catholics and we have been very engaged in all aspects of our religious practices. My husband just recently announced that he does not want to be Catholic anymore and has started to attend a local non-denominational church. At first, I thought it was just a phase, but he is serious and wants nothing to do with Catholicism. We have two children, ages 6 and 8, and he wants all of us to attend his new church. I have no intent on denouncing my Catholicism and I am just heartbroken at this divide in my marriage and in our family. I am not doing well with this. I don’t know how our marriage will make it through this.
Some of my friends don’t believe in the vaccine. As a result, I feel like I am in a limbo when it comes to moving on to a new normal. How do I maneuver this situation?
I recently had a miscarriage and I am having a really hard time getting over it. People act like it’s not a big deal and don’t understand why I would be grieving. They ask me how many months I was pregnant and when they find out it was 12-weeks, they make it seem like I wasn’t that far along, and I should be fine. I’m starting to pull away from people because nobody understands. My husband is trying to be comforting, which is nice, but his family thinks I am just trying to seek attention. How do I help people understand the effect this is having on me?
My dad unexpectedly died. He left behind myself and my brother as well as his wife and an ex-wife, who is my stepmother. Everybody, including myself, is having such a hard time and nobody is taking charge of arrangements of his death. My brother is leaning on me for support, and my stepmother has strong opinions about just leaving everything up to my dad’s wife. The problem is that his wife is not used to taking charge and there are some key decisions that really need to get made. She has spent her whole marriage doing everything that my dad told her to do. Right or wrong, it’s what worked for them and now she does not have his support to rely on. I have been trying to stay back to be sensitive to what she is going through, and I don’t want to pressure her to deal with things that she cannot handle. Any advice on how to navigate this situation?
I moved to take care of my sisters and now I am finding out that they are lying to me about everything. They cost me every penny I make, then they lie to me and yell at me to stay out of their business. I’m about to lose my mind.
I currently live with my parents who haven't been taking the COVID-19 virus too seriously this past year and it has caused me lots of stress and worry. Now that they have been vaccinated, I’m afraid they are going to take it even less seriously. Over the past year, I have talked to them about my concerns and shared pertinent information with them regarding the virus but to no avail. I’m feeling very stressed and anxious for my own safety. Thank you. PS. I have generalized and social anxiety.