Good morning,

Part of my work involves presenting workshops to the parents of teenagers, and by far the most popular workshop is called What were you thinking?!? That's because it's typically the question parents ask when their teenager has done something wrong.

In the workshop we cover the fundamental problem with this question. Most of the time, especially for adolescent boys, when they are acting up, they aren't thinking at all. Their brains have been emotionally hijacked.

With everything that's going on at a physiological level in their brains, teaching our teenagers how to develop robust emotional health and high emotional IQs can be tricky.

I believe there are three keys to helping teens navigate this time and make the transition into emotionally mature adults (while helping their parents not to go stir crazy during the process).

First, it is useful to understand how the teenage brain works and why it works that way. Second, how we as adults can use tapping so that we show up as helpful, emotionally mature role models. Third, how our teenagers can use tapping to achieve better emotional health.

This week I have a conversation with Janey Downshire, an expert in the development of the adolescent brain and how parents can be most helpful to their teenagers.

In the conversation we talk about:

• The difference between the settled and the unsettled brain (for teens and parents)
• How the adolescent brain is a work in progress
• Why teenage boys struggle to talk about their emotions
• Why teenage boys are risk seekers
• Why teenage girls struggle with fallout from friend groups
• Why parents often think something is a small deal when teens think it is a big deal
• Why the teenage years are harder than the "terrible twos"
• The goal we want for our teens: not calm, but good mental health habits that will stand them in good stead in later life
• How parents can avoid escalating conflict with their teenagers
• The best thing you can provide for your children
• What to tap on and when to tap as a parent
• How to introduce tapping to kids

If you have a teenager, spend time with teenagers, or have children who will soon be teenagers, please listen to this one!

You can listen here: http://tappingqanda.com/373

Blessings,

Gene