While teenagers are notoriously labeled as being difficult for parents to interact with, parenting expert Mary Eschen explained various methods to break down barriers at a PTSO-sponsored talk on Oct. 23 in the cafeteria.
Roughly 40 parents attending the event. Eschen, who has a podcast called Parenting Decoded, told The Falcon, “Usually, parents of teenagers feel that their kids aren’t talking to them anymore. They’re either always fighting with their kids, or their kids are just closed off.”
Eschen explained how some teenagers view their parents as “drill sergeants” who are always yelling, shutting down their children’s opinions and leaving no chance for discussion. She emphasized how constantly berating children can lead to them feeling incompetent.
“You need to evaluate yourself as a parent and ask yourself: “Are you helping or interfering?” Eschen said during the presentation.
Eschen then explored various methods of breaking down the barriers with teenagers, such as setting loving limits, giving choices to allow shared control and giving teens time to cool down after an argument.
“I think it’s important to give parents ideas, because they tend to resort to default parenting, which involves a lot of nagging,” Eschen said. “I want to help them open up channels with their teens so that they can build a healthy relationship.”
Nedda Ashjaee, the vice president of PTSO programs and chair of the Parent ED Panel Committee, was an organizer of the presentation. She said a main focus for the PTSO is helping parents improve their relationships with their children. She outlined the four main goals of the organization: understanding kids and their mental health, addressing the concept of toxic achievement culture pushed onto kids, working effectively with the school and teaching inclusion to parents in terms of connecting with their children.
“From this presentation, I hope that parents learn how to see their kids as individual people and communicate with them in that way,” Ashjaee said.
Eva Liu, the president of the PTSO Board, also played a key role in putting the workshop together. As a first-generation citizen from China, she recalls the difficulty of navigating through the American high school system as a student.
She highly recommends parents to join the PTSO, noting that it has been a valuable resource for her and her children through their high school journey. She finds that the organization has been effective in answering parents’ needs, and Eschen’s presentation was no exception.
“Through this organization, I found out that I love to volunteer and contribute more to the school and the community,” Liu said.
