Do you suffer from POS—Police Officer Syndrome?

When your teen was a child, you had control over their decisions: who to play with, what to eat, where to go, and when to sleep.

It was exciting to watch them discover the world. You were rewarded for helping them with cuteness and cuddles. 

Parenting habits were created as you kept them safe and healthy.

Now you are challenged to change what worked for the last decade.

Change is hard.

When you resist changing how you parent, you can experience POS—Police Officer Syndrome.

You yell to get in the car so they are not late for school.
You nag them to bring their backpack, lunch, and sport clothes.
You remind them it’s their night to do the dishes and take the trash out.

Policing them makes you feel annoyed, frustrated, and angry.

Instead, when your teen is not behaving the way you want,

Focus on what you can control.

Here’s an exercise proven to be incredibly effective for my clients who experience POS:

Grab paper and draw a circle like the one in the image above. Imagine yourself inside the circle. Write down everything in your control.

Now, outside your circle write everything that is NOT in your control. 

Let everything outside your circle melt away. If you are thinking about something that is not in your control—LET. IT. GO. 

Instead, focus on what you can control like your thoughts about your teen, your emotional reaction when triggered, or the boundaries you set.

My clients love to do this exercise with their teen, too. 

It gives both of you clarity about your responsibilities.
It reduces conflict and tension. 
No more POS. 

How would that feel?

Your Coach,
Jeanine

P.S. Mastering effective parenting tools is what we do in coaching so you can have a better relationship with your teen. Book a complimentary call HERE and I will share how coaching can help you.