Olde Dominion Counseling Associates

05/06/2022

We will be closing our door May 14th. Thank you for your support!

04/21/2022

02/05/2022

💛

01/08/2022

Middle School Parent PSA

1 - Say no to Snapchat. They will send or receive a n**e picture eventually. They probably already have. They will also lie about this when you ask them. Many middle school kids do not have Snapchat - just in case, they try to argue with your rule. (You’ll notice that the rest of these aren’t numbered. Right.)

Tik Tok is full of nasty stuff and the f word.

Parenting preteens/teens is not for the lazy. You cannot leave them for hours behind closed doors with phones, TVs, computers, or friends.

If you’re not going to go through their texts, please don’t give them a phone.

Screen Time on their iPhone should be enabled with a passcode before you ever hand it to them. It’s so easy to use.

You can turn the internet off - even on a smartphone. If you find inappropriate garbage, turn it off. They cannot handle it.

Friends in their grade are having s*x. More than one friend. Talk to your kids.

Stop bailing them out. Stop it. Let them fail. They will all mess up.

Don’t freak out when they do - especially if they tried.

Many middle schoolers are addicted to p**n. Loads of them. CHECK THEIR PHONES. They are so desensitized to things that we thought were taboo.

Tell them no.

They lie. All kids. Yours and mine.

They’ve already experienced peer pressure in some form, like that kind. Ask them to be honest about it.

JUULs. NO. Google it.

They need coping skills. If stress and anxiety are controlling their thoughts, figure out how to help. This shouldn’t be their 24/7 way.

Know their friends. This is everything. “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” It’s true.

Hold them accountable. Make them own up to their mistakes.

Be involved in their schoolwork. Know their teachers. Know when they have tests. They are 12. They still need your guidance.

I mostly see two kinds of kids in middle school: naive and far from it. Try to equip your kid to be somewhere in the middle. This happens by having the right kinds of conversations.

Teach them to respect authority. All authority. They will love some adults and some they won’t. That’s life. Learn to deal with everyone in a kind and respectful way.

Love them through the weird. They need love now - maybe more than ever.

❤,
Mrs. Phillips
A Middle School Teacher

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Thank you soo much for sharing this with A JOYFUL ROAR

These are some wise words! Some of it is hard to hear but it's better to plan ahead than pretend our kids won't be faced with these things.

-Suzanne and Addison

12/22/2021

Grieving is a form of learning, says a scientist who studies the brain's response to loss. When someone you love dies, you have to learn new rules for navigating the world and your brain has to adapt.