When School is Scary

I am an Invisalign Teen® brand spokesperson and all opinions expressed are my own.

Growing up, my family moved a lot, which meant there was a lot of new-school experiences.

Even non-new school experiences can be intimidating especially for tweens and teens with the ever-changing clique dynamics, emotions running high and the constant struggle to sustain self-confidence.

Support Confidence in Teens

One way we, as parents, can support confidence through those school jitters is to let them know that we love and adore them.  Having that solid foundation at home can be a source of strength on even the scariest of days.

At home that is easy – a hug, a conversation, a special treat.

At school it can be more challenging, since my teen is embarrassed by my presence.  I have learned that I am completely "uncool"!

I try not to take it personally and create situations where I am not horrifying him in public in front of his friends, yet letting him know that his mom loves him.

Ways to Connect with Your Tween/Teen

With all of the multitasking parents do, simple conversations tend to be forgotten, especially with all of our tech devices—from snazzy smart phones, watches and tablets—it's getting in the way of having a real eye-to-eye convo with our kids.

One way I like to truly connect with my son is by using the drive time to find out how he's feeling, what's important to him and what's he's worried about. It really works great!

I actually read about this idea from parenting expert Erika Katz who recently developed an Unbrace Teen Condience Guide for one of my partners, Invisalign Teen^® clear aligners, to help parents deal with important tween and teen issues and also help them to build a foundation of self-confidence in their kids.

In this guide—which has been so helpful to me—suggests to make daily chats a habitual part of your relationship, so it can continue as your kids' problems become more complex. She writes:

"Break the ice by engaging them with their interests. You may not know much about fashion or football, but if that's what they love, then that's your way into their world. Their favorite topics can lead to bigger conversations, which will allow you the chance to impact your thoughts and values. If you do not tell them what you think, they will not know."

If you are looking for ways to help your tween or teen with peer pressure, body changes, insecurity, communication and more, click here to find out more practical tips from Erika Katz that will help you help your child.

Send a Secret Note

One way to support confidence in our tweens/teens is through a quick text message, direct IG or direct SnapChat.  What was once a note in his lunchbox has gone secret and digital!

We thought it would be fun to create some secret message graphics that can be sent covertly to support the teens we love without embarrassment!

You can save these images from your desktop and email them to yourself or place them in a cloud location like Dropbox to be accessed from your phone.  Then they can easily be saved to your photo roll for messaging.

If you are on mobile already, then saving or screen-shotting will make it quick and easy to send it.

Send a virtual hug today!

Kids Activities Blog is excited to be working with the maker's of Invisalign Teen clear aligners again this year.  Holly Homer is an Invisalign Teen brand spokesperson and thrilled to be talking about her Invisalign treatment experience as well as starting a new Invisalign Teen clear aligners journey with one of her boys.  This is a paid position.  All opinions expressed are her own.  Full disclosure.

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