• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Family MattersPractical Parenting Blog

  • Home
  • Series
  • About Ronit Baras
  • Books by Ronit Baras
    • Motivating Kids
    • Be Special, Be Yourself for Teenagers
    • Reflections
    • In the Outback with Jasmine Banks
    • The Will
    • * Your Cart
    • * Secure Checkout
  • Contact
    • Join Us

Home » teens / teenagers

teens / teenagers Tag

Posts tagged 'teens / teenagers'

How to Motivate Your Stepchildren: A Stepparent’s Guide

Woman and little boy blowing bubbles

Being a parent is one of the biggest challenges a person ever experiences. Being a stepparent is even harder. If every family needs goals, blended families need them even more.

Think of a family like a ship. Parents are the captains of the ship, and as captains, we need to make sure our family arrives at its destination safely. In every sea, there are storms and calm waters, and we need to prepare ourselves for every ride.

What do ships need in order to move? They need two coordinates. They need to know where they are and where they are going. Without them, we don’t know how much supplies to take, what direction to take, what to avoid and where to stop on the way to have some fun.

Read How to Motivate Your Stepchildren: A Stepparent’s Guide »

Published: September 2, 2020 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: September 2, 2020In: Parenting Tags: books, motivation, kids / children, teens / teenagers, parenting teens, practical parenting / parents, how to

Why You Need to Support Your Kids’ Career Choice

Noff Baras

Many parents stress about what their children choose to study and/or their career. So much so, that they fail to support their children in making the right career choice.

I didn’t know this was such an issue until my friends heard that my daughter wanted to be an actor. Almost immediately, everyone told me I should talk her out of it. I then realized that what children chose to study was an issue for many parents.

I guess I was lucky. I chose to study something my parents approved of, so no one ever said anything about it. Neither one of my parents had gone to higher education, so I was the first one to study. Everyone was just thrilled about it.

Read Why You Need to Support Your Kids’ Career Choice »

Published: August 26, 2020 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: August 26, 2020In: Parenting Tags: choice, control, purpose, motivation, poll, career, teens / teenagers, parenting teens, practical parenting / parents, success, emotional intelligence

Resilient Teens: Bend or Break!

Teenage girl in devil costume peeking shyly behind a post

“Teens today have an easy life” is a very common phrase. I tend to think that grownups say it because they have forgotten what it means to be a teenager. They say that teens need more discipline, more structure, more rules, more determination and more motivation. I say they need to be more resilient, because teens today have it tough and need to be able to bounce back quickly and very often. They need to bend, so they do not break.

It is easy to look at your own teenage years in retrospect, with the “creative dementia” that comes with age, and say that they were fun. People forget. We are programmed to forget the tough things in order to survive, but expecting our kids to perform where we have failed ourselves is a double standard. The reason I have not forgotten my teenage experiences was that I have been working with so many teens since then. Even if I would have forgotten naturally, they have reminded me that this period brings with it many challenges. The physical-hormonal part of adolescence is a myth that grownups have created to help them forget that the social-emotional side is where they failed.

Read Resilient Teens: Bend or Break! »

Published: April 28, 2017 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: September 4, 2023In: Teens / Teenagers, Parenting Tags: flexibility, k-12 education, teens / teenagers, parenting teens, self confidence / self esteem / self worth, practical parenting / parents, social media, emotional intelligence, how to, empowerment

No More Disappointment: The Biggest Loser Leads the Dance

Teenage boy looking away

Many forms of therapy try to help the client overcome pain. One big source of pain starts during childhood, when kids, with their lack of life experience, feel that they are a disappointment to their parents. Here is the story of Simon, who believed he was the biggest loser in his parent’s eyes.

Simon was an angry and frustrated teenager when he came to sit with me on my life coaching deck. I read what he and his parents had written to me and felt frustrated to see how yet another whole family was a victim of circumstances. Parents’ love can be overwhelming sometimes and being unaware of feelings and lacking the ability to manage them sabotages the relationships at home.

Parents need courage to realize that they are the most powerful in this dysfunctional dynamic, but most of them feel helpless and send their kids to be “fixed”. A relationship with a child is a dance. Some parents do not understand that they need to lead.

This post is part 17 of 19 in the series From the Life Coaching Deck

Read No More Disappointment: The Biggest Loser Leads the Dance »

Published: March 15, 2017 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 26, 2019In: Parenting, Teens / Teenagers, Beautiful people Tags: acceptance / judgment / tolerance, behavior / discipline, emotional intelligence, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, beliefs, expectation, change, practical parenting / parents, Life Coaching, perception, interpretation, positive attitude tips, teens / teenagers

When Your Teen’s Friends are Bad Influence

A group of teenagers on Halloween costumes

As parents, we put all our heart and energy into raising our children to be the best they can be. We want them to be as healthy, friendly, successful and happy as possible. In their teen years, most of us are afraid that their friends will become the most important people in our teenager’s life. So we want to make sure those friends do not have bad influence over them.

Our investment in our children, both material and emotional, is tested several times during their life. Their social connections are one big test of parenting, because as parents, we try to pass our philosophy and values to our children. If they spend their time with friends who tell them the opposite, this may weaken their belief in our philosophy and our values.

Read When Your Teen’s Friends are Bad Influence »

Published: March 1, 2017 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 26, 2019In: Teens / Teenagers, Parenting Tags: choice, beliefs, rules, social skills, attitude, teens / teenagers, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, behavior / discipline, emotional development, practical parenting / parents, how to

Disrespectful Behavior is a Mirror: Talk With Kids, Not At Them

A handshake surrounded by the word respect

“Kids today are very disrespectful” is a common phrase I have heard a lot lately. Parents and teachers are very frustrated about this issue of respect. When children exhibit disrespectful behavior, they get into lots of conflicts and trouble and their ability to learn and absorb information is limited.

Respect is a very popular topic at home and at school. Most parents and teachers demand respect and by that, they do not understand that respect is earned and works like a mirror. When your behavior is disrespectful towards children, they will have no respect for you either.

Read Disrespectful Behavior is a Mirror: Talk With Kids, Not At Them »

Published: November 10, 2016 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: November 9, 2021In: Parenting, Education / Learning Tags: kids / children, teens / teenagers, acceptance / judgment / tolerance, behavior / discipline, school, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, role model, education / learning, relationships / marriage, practical parenting / parents, conflict, teaching / teachers, k-12 education, compassion, video

Tips for Teens: How to Make Good Career Choices

Wrench and a note saying "job search" in the back pocket of jeans

Teens have a bad reputation. Many people believe that they generally make bad choices, misbehave and lash out in ways that hurt them (and others) later. Among other things, they think that teens do not know how to make good career choices.

I have had the honor of working with many teens. This has given me a chance to prove to many of them, and to their families, that the bad reputation teens have is wrong. There are always teens who choose well, behave well and do well. And if they can do it, so can other teens!

Many of my clients share teen horror stories, like “You know teens. They never have any money”. I do not know what they are talking about. My own teens have always had money, and it was their own money.

Another common belief is “You know teens. They don’t want to work”. No, I do not know, because my own teens have always wanted to work. My kids also have friends who started working as soon as they could and are doing very well.

Read Tips for Teens: How to Make Good Career Choices »

Published: July 19, 2016 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 26, 2019In: Parenting, Success / Wealth, Teens / Teenagers Tags: tips, how to, practical parenting / parents, choice, beliefs, decision making, career, academic performance, attitude, teens / teenagers, parenting teens, focus

There Are No Hopeless Teens

Noff making faces with Tsoof's glasses

As a teen, I faced many challenges with how the system viewed my abilities. Since then, I got a degree in Special Education and promised myself that no teen that crossed my path would ever be hopeless. Over the last 30 years, I have had the honor of working with many teens who were given up by the system and have done my best to act on my promise.

A young boy (let’s call him Aaron) came to see me 3 years ago. He was a tall and handsome young teen in a big body. He was in 10th grade and his mom was very worried about him. She raised him by herself, together with his youngest brother after a very challenging breakup.

Aaron attended one of the most prestigious private high schools, located over an hour and half’s drive from his home and his academic scores were low. He was failing in most of the subjects. He also got in trouble with every teacher possible and had no friends.

Every day was a challenge. In the morning, Aaron refused to go to school. In the afternoon, he refused to do his homework. The school told his mom that Aaron was hopeless. But he was just was a smart kid that was lost in the system.

This post is part 15 of 19 in the series From the Life Coaching Deck

Read There Are No Hopeless Teens »

Published: March 15, 2016 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: August 28, 2018In: Education / Learning, Beautiful people Tags: story, k-12 education, attitude, teens / teenagers, parenting teens, special education, education / learning, school, practical parenting / parents, success, beliefs, hope

Distracted Drivers Kill and Die

Driver holding a mobile phone

Yes, it’s a harsh thing to say, but distracted drivers kill people and distracted drivers die unnecessarily.

My nephew is dead. He was a young man, just starting his adult life, and he did nothing wrong. He was riding his motorcycle, having had zero accidents and zero fines for 4 years, when a distracted driver in a car driver failed to stop at a stop sign, smashed into him and killed him on the spot.

Any life lost is not only lost by the person who died. This accident, caused by a tiny distraction, cost many people’s lives. My nephew is dead, but his family, and many people he was connected too, lost something that will never be returned. The pain of his close family is something that will never heal. Death and injuries due to distracted drivers leave scar that never heal.

My nephew and our family cannot change the past, even though we’ve tried. But we can prevent other families from experiencing the pain and devastation that comes with such accidents.

It is important to understand that every accident is a mistake. No one causes it intentionally. No one wants to injure or kill anyone else. No one wants to live with the massive pain and guilt on their conscience and ruin their own life. This is why it is called an accident, but many accidents happen due to some form of distraction.

Read Distracted Drivers Kill and Die »

Published: October 13, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: October 13, 2015In: Parenting, Teens / Teenagers, Health / Wellbeing Tags: loss, teens / teenagers, mobile phone, practical parenting / parents, focus, responsibility, how to, lifestyle, technology

What to Say When You Hear that Teen Life Sucks

Homeless teen life sucks

Sometimes, when I talk to teens, they tell me that teen life sucks.

It is sad to hear them say that at a time in their lives that is supposed to be wonderful, interesting and exciting. The teenage years are when they form their identity and it is sad to hear that they came to the conclusion that teen life sucks.

It is sad because if they believe it sucks, they are more likely to feel that it sucks. If they think teen life sucks, their subconscious will create a self-fulfilling prophecy, and their life will actually “suck”. It is not the thought that makes it true, it is that subconsciously, the thought will lead to action that will make it true. Whatever you believe, this is your reality.

Read What to Say When You Hear that Teen Life Sucks »

Published: July 14, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: August 31, 2020In: Personal Development, Teens / Teenagers Tags: success, attitude, list, how to, questions, teaching / teachers, choice, kids / children, action, teens / teenagers, beliefs, parenting teens, control, tips, change, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, happiness, emotions, hope, education / learning, self-fulfilling prophecy, feeling, focus, positive, thought

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 18
  • Go to Next Page »

Get Happiness by Email

Sign up to receive posts by email and get my free mini-course Seven Emails with Seven Secrets for Seven Weeks to boost your personal development




    Join Us on Social Media

    Facebook logo Twitter logo Linkedin logo Pinterest logo RSS feed icon

    Books by Ronit Baras

    • What motivates your child? Read Motivating Kids by Ronit Baras Motivating Kids From: $9.95
    • Reflections by Ronit Baras Reflections From: $5.99
    • Be Special Be Yourself for Teenagers by Ronit Baras Be Special, Be Yourself for Teenagers From: $5.99
    • In the Outback with Jasmine Banks by Ronit Baras In the Outback with Jasmine Banks From: $5.99
    • The Will by Ronit Baras The Will From: $5.99

    Be Happy in LIFE logo
    Book your private life coaching with Ronit Baras and learn how to be happy in life

    Girl speaking at student leadership programLeaders are not born. They are made. Bring this Student Leadership Program to your primary school or high school and you will create a community of empowered, inspired student leaders, parents and teachers.

    Related Links

    • Be Happy in LIFE – Life Coaching
    • Noff Baras – Screen Actor & Model
    • Personal Growth Web
    • The Motivational Speaker
    • Tsoof Baras – percussionist, composer and producer

    Primary Sidebar

    Your Cart

    Speaker Bookings

    Ronit Baras - Practical Parenting Blogger
    Book Ronit as a Speaker for Your event »

    Ready to be happy?

    Happy woman holding a cup in the snow
    Be empowered and set your spirit free!

    Engage Ronit as Your Life Coach »

    Give to Receive

    Kiva - loans that change lives

    Contact Us · Subscribe · Terms of Use / Privacy Statement · Return & Refund Policy · Sitemap

    Copyright © 2025 Be Happy in LIFE · Built and powered by Get Business Online

    Secure HTTPS

    • Home
    • Series
    • About Ronit Baras
    • Books by Ronit Baras
      ▼
      • Motivating Kids
      • Be Special, Be Yourself for Teenagers
      • Reflections
      • In the Outback with Jasmine Banks
      • The Will
      • * Your Cart
      • * Secure Checkout
    • Contact
      ▼
      • Join Us