The time I eroded my son’s self-worth.

I discovered a voice memo from 12 years ago between me and my son.

I don’t know why I recorded the conversation, but I want to share it with you.

He was 13 at the time, and I let him stay home alone periodically because he wanted more independence.

After a few weeks, I discovered he had broken the rules:

👎 He biked to the grocery store with no one knowing.

👎 He agreed to eat more nutritiously, yet he spent over $20 on junk food.

👎 And it was unclear how he paid for it.

At the beginning of the conversation, I was calm.

But I got frustrated as he repeatedly lied.

I finally said tensely, “I don’t trust you, and I don’t believe you.”

Shame poured over him. 💔

He couldn’t see a way out of the conversation.

Listening to this, I started crying.

My heart broke for my son because I eroded his self-worth.

And I felt compassion for my younger self struggling to navigate this conversation without effective tools.

Do you see yourself in me?

😩 Maybe you discovered your son hasn’t turned in homework for a month.

😩 Perhaps you found a promiscuous selfie on your daughter’s phone.

😩 Maybe you smelled pot in your son’s bedroom.

What did you do?

Why do you think it didn’t work?

What I know now that I didn’t realize then is that nothing gets solved when the conversation is about stopping their behavior.

It completely misses uncovering what’s happening inside them that caused the problem.

In parent coaching, I teach you strategies that get to the root cause of their action so that the behavior stops.

They feel relieved, and you become their go-to person. 🌈

Let’s make this happen for you.

♥️ Jeanine

➡️ P.S. Take the first step and book a consultation call. At the end of our conversation, you’ll be clear on what to do and feel hopeful that the problem is fixable.