By Kelly Marquet-Bodio
It amazes me each time I chat with a young woman how often she refers to others to explain herself. "My boyfriend says I... My mom says that I should... "
I want all young women out there to be quiet for just a moment each day to reflect on yourself. Who are you today? How do you see yourself? What are your dreams? Who do you want to be in 5 years?
It's hard isn't it? All the mind chatter gets in the way and you start hearing the "others" voices of who you should be, what you should want...
Take 10 minutes each day. Set a time to be alone and reflect (meditate). Visualize who you want to be. The path will become clearer for you and decisions will be easier if you take the time to consider the possibilities.
Who do you admire? Who makes you look up if mentioned in the news or by a friend? What difference do you want to make? Don't worry about the how, just give yourself the time and make the effort to consider all the possibilities.
My challenge to all parents is to allow and be OK with your children thinking about themselves. What do they want? What is important to them? By doing this you validate them as a human being. Don't be frightened if it doesn't match up with your expectations. Be open to listening. This alone is a triumph if they share their thoughts with you. Understand you gave birth to an individual, not an addition to yourself. Sometimes this is the hardest concept for a parent to grasp. We are here to help these young people become the leaders of the next generation. It is our job to be the best human we can be and hope and pray they notice.
Mistakes, of course they will make them. So did we! Champion them when they move forward. Love them either way, but remember be the kind, loving decent parent they deserve.
They may not have the future you planned for them on the radar, but the key is to listen early to the future they see for themselves. You will learn a great deal about them and open up a huge amount of trust and communication by asking them about their thoughts, then quickly shutting up. If they don't engage immediately, they will...just give them the space to contemplate. Don't badger, simply listen. Sometimes the silence you hear can be deafening!
Kelly Marquet-Bodio often plays the role of counselor, coach, and advocate. She is a Career Counselor, NLP Practitioner and Certified Domestic Violence Counselor (CDVC). At any point in time she is working with a number of young women and their parents counseling them in regard to their self-esteem, careers, coaching them on life challenges, and advocating for pregnant teens as they try to make smart choices.
If you are a parent of a young woman facing some challenges, we are here to help.
To schedule an FREE Confidential 30 minute session with Kelly please visit http://www.Legacy4Kids.com
It amazes me each time I chat with a young woman how often she refers to others to explain herself. "My boyfriend says I... My mom says that I should... "
I want all young women out there to be quiet for just a moment each day to reflect on yourself. Who are you today? How do you see yourself? What are your dreams? Who do you want to be in 5 years?
It's hard isn't it? All the mind chatter gets in the way and you start hearing the "others" voices of who you should be, what you should want...
Take 10 minutes each day. Set a time to be alone and reflect (meditate). Visualize who you want to be. The path will become clearer for you and decisions will be easier if you take the time to consider the possibilities.
Who do you admire? Who makes you look up if mentioned in the news or by a friend? What difference do you want to make? Don't worry about the how, just give yourself the time and make the effort to consider all the possibilities.
My challenge to all parents is to allow and be OK with your children thinking about themselves. What do they want? What is important to them? By doing this you validate them as a human being. Don't be frightened if it doesn't match up with your expectations. Be open to listening. This alone is a triumph if they share their thoughts with you. Understand you gave birth to an individual, not an addition to yourself. Sometimes this is the hardest concept for a parent to grasp. We are here to help these young people become the leaders of the next generation. It is our job to be the best human we can be and hope and pray they notice.
Mistakes, of course they will make them. So did we! Champion them when they move forward. Love them either way, but remember be the kind, loving decent parent they deserve.
They may not have the future you planned for them on the radar, but the key is to listen early to the future they see for themselves. You will learn a great deal about them and open up a huge amount of trust and communication by asking them about their thoughts, then quickly shutting up. If they don't engage immediately, they will...just give them the space to contemplate. Don't badger, simply listen. Sometimes the silence you hear can be deafening!
Kelly Marquet-Bodio often plays the role of counselor, coach, and advocate. She is a Career Counselor, NLP Practitioner and Certified Domestic Violence Counselor (CDVC). At any point in time she is working with a number of young women and their parents counseling them in regard to their self-esteem, careers, coaching them on life challenges, and advocating for pregnant teens as they try to make smart choices.
If you are a parent of a young woman facing some challenges, we are here to help.
To schedule an FREE Confidential 30 minute session with Kelly please visit http://www.Legacy4Kids.com
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