Posts filed under ‘growing up’
đ What Do You Do When Your Teen Breaks Your Trust?
Rebuilding trust with your teen requires time and intentionality. Address one issue at a time, stay calm, and listen without judgment. Consistency and reassurance are crucial, as trust is rebuilt through open conversations, not just rules. Remember, honest dialogue strengthens connections even amidst challenges. Parenting isnât about perfection, but presence.
Continue Reading October 23, 2025 at 1:01 pm Leave a comment
Raising Sons: 3 Essential Tips for Building Strong Bonds
Raising sons is a journey filled with challenges, triumphs, and lessonsânot just for them but for you as a parent. From stomping around like dinosaurs to weathering teenage moods and learning about relationships, your influence helps shape who they become.
In my upcoming book, Fathers Raising Sons Through Dinosaurs, Testosterone & Girls, I explore the unique dynamics of father-son relationships. Here are three powerful tips to help you raise emotionally healthy, confident, and compassionate boys.
1. Teach Emotional Intelligence: Let Them Feel
Society often tells boys to “man up” or “stop crying,” which can cause them to suppress their emotions instead of processing them. This emotional suppression can lead to struggles with vulnerability and connection later in life.
Tip:
Encourage your son to talk about his feelings and assure him that itâs okay to feel sad, scared, or frustrated. Share your own â moments of joy, times you felt overwhelmed, or even mistakes youâve made. When you model openness, your son learns that emotions are a strength, not a weakness.
Actionable Idea:
Create a “feelings check-in” routine. At the end of the day, ask your son to share one thing that made him happy, one thing that frustrated him, and one thing heâs grateful for.
2. Discipline with Compassion: Be the Guide, Not the Judge
As parents, itâs easy to fall into the trap of correcting every misstep. But discipline should be more about teaching than punishing. The goal is to help your son understand the âwhyâ behind your rules, not just enforce compliance.
Tip:
- Set clear expectations and consequences, but always take the time to explain your reasoning.
- Balance discipline with encouragement – when your son succeeds, acknowledge his effort and growth.
Actionable Idea:
Instead of saying, âI told you to clean your room because I said so,â try explaining, âKeeping your space clean helps you stay organized and responsibleâitâs a life skill youâll thank yourself for later.â
3. Spend Quality Time: Presence Over Perfection
Boys thrive on connection, and nothing builds a stronger bond than spending intentional, distraction-free time together. Whether itâs tossing a ball in the backyard, building something together, or simply talking over a meal, your presence matters more than your words.
Tip:
- Make time for activities that your son lovesâeven if they stretch you outside your comfort zone.
- Create small traditions that give your son something to look forward to and cherish.
Actionable Idea:
Establish a weekly “Dad & Son Day” or “Parent-Son Day” where you dedicate time to an activity of his choice. It could be as simple as going for ice cream or as adventurous as a hike.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the lessons I unpack more deeply in Fathers Raising Sons Through Dinosaurs, Testosterone & Girls. If youâd like early access, bonus tips, and updates when pre-orders open, join my insider list click here. Together, we can raise the next generation of strong, kind, and emotionally healthy men.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentGuru
Parent Coach & Author
Helping parents care for themselves while raising strong, confident kids.
đ© Email: clynn@clynnwilliams.com
đ Website: http://www.clynnwilliams.com
đ± Follow me: @MsParentguru
Teaching Your Child to Respond Instead of Reacting
Temper tantrums in young children is expected, until that child grows up and still throws tantrums. Here are tips to help them respond instead of reacting.
Continue Reading January 12, 2024 at 2:33 pm Leave a comment
Give Them Something To Believe In
Life is funny, you leave one crisis, and move into a second or third one.Â
This week Iâm thinking about boys⊠yes, our sons. And the challenges some of them face growing up.
For the last several years, we have experienced a number of young men losing their life to gun violence. Violence of being shot by rivals and violence due to police shootings. Last year (2020), not only did we experience over 600,000 people who died from COVID-19, we also watched as the number of black boys and men who were shot and killed by police, increased.
Toward the end of 2020, many cities noticed a rash of crimes where people were being carjacked and robbed or killed. Many of these crimes were committed by young men, some as young as 11 or 12. It makes you wonder what kind of direction or guidance they are receiving at home?
I had firsthand knowledge of guidance for a young boy.
My little brotherâŠ
I think back to my brother and how he responded to my mom and dad’s divorce. He was young, about 11 years old and missed having Dad at home. He was angry and felt alone.
He started getting into trouble.
A lot. Getting into trouble in those days, meant being disrespectful, destroying somebodyâs property, or stealing. Our dad wasnât coming by for regular visits, but if my mother called about my brother, Dad would come and discipline him.
My brother was so unhappy that he began trying to take his life. (Thank God he was unsuccessful.) He also began hanging out with the âbad boysâ in the neighborhood.
My mother sold our house and moved to a different neighborhood.
Who can say what kind of stress these boys are undergoing at home?
- It could be due to financial issues.
- Maybe the stress is verbal or physical.
- Your son could be dealing with depression.
- Perhaps he is reacting to deaths of people he knows due to COVID-19, domestic or gun violence. If his family has gang affiliation and the violence is orchestrated by gang leaders, imagine how stressful that could be.
How do you help your son if he is facing any of these (or other issues)? What do you do if heâs going through male teen angst? Maybe heâs exhibiting disrespectful, aggressive, violent behavior or mood swings.
What happens if you can’t change neighborhoods?
Try these five things before giving up or seeking professional help:
- Schedule Time With Your Son – talk frequently and spend regularly scheduled time with him and keep his schedule jam-packed with school, sports, clubs, time with friends, and after-school jobs.
- Set a Sleep Routine â itâs easier being a teen if heâs getting enough sleep.
- Get Moving â the last thing a moody teen wants to do is get up and move, but itâs one of the best ways he can feel better.
- Listen Without Lecturing – resist the urge to lecture your son. Listen with an open mind.
- Keep Your Cool â take a deep breath, keep your cool and find a way to communicate without lashing out.
Find an honorable, trustworthy male mentor that he can talk to, when he can’t talk to you. Remember to model healthy ways to handle stress. Take good care yourself.
I help parents build the kind of communication and trust that allows parent-child relationships to grow and feel better through coaching and parent classes. Email me for more information: info@clynnwilliams.com đ
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Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
Hey Parents What Are You Wearing?
When I was growing up, there were certain things that I could wear while playing outside (like shorts) that I couldn’t wear off the block. My mom and dad were really particular about how we looked and the impressions we would make on other people.
Not only was my mother specific about what we wore or didnât wear, she and dad had a specific way they dressed as well. One of the family rules was no rollers out of the house. which simply meant that your hair was combed and you had on appropriate clothes and shoes. My father was formal (old school) and wore a shirt, usually a tie and pants. Depending on where he was going, he had on a brim. The only time he had on house slippers was in the house.
There was no way my mother wouldâve come out of the house with her house slippers or anything that looked like pajamas either. As she put it, she would never want to embarrass her familyâs name or ours.
Fast forward to todayâs times where some parents show up to their childâs school dressed really bad! So I wasnât surprised to read the article yesterday where the Houston principal, Carlotta Brown gave her parents a dress code when coming to school. She was tired of them showing up inappropriately dressed and setting bad examples for her students.
To all of the haters who disagreed with the principalâs rules, saying that it was discrimination against those parents who had low income. I disagree! Have one dress or shirt (blouse) and pair of pants that looks respectable. And wear that – even if you wear the same outfit every time you attend a school event.
Itâs really about the kids and the role that you play in your childâs life. It is completely inappropriate to wear see-through clothing around adolescents – your childâs or someone elseâs. Talk about early sex education! âHey John, I could see through your Momâs blouse! Sheâs hot!â How embarrassing is that? Also leave the hair bonnets at home too. They are just to protect the hair while you sleep.
I know you believe that as an adult you can do whatever you want.
You can!Â
Just remember that everything you do reflects back on your children and sets an example (for the rest of their lives) whether you like it or not.
Just my two cents worth.
Learn more about your familyâs dynamics. Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and their Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to be a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Author & Speaker
www.clynnwilliams.com
When Growing Up Is Hard To Do
I am sharing a sad but heartfelt response from a mother who cannot get her 19 year old son to go to school or get a job. Thank you Jennifer Perez.Â
“Drive him to a homeless shelter and help him get on the waiting list. Then, on the way home, while heâs waiting for his name to come up on the list, discuss what homelessness will be like.
This way, you wonât find him in the streets when you kick him outâŠheâll be on the list for shelter. No guilt! No worries! Itâs all in his hands! And heâs already on a path to correction.
Then, give him a 30-day notice to either find a job, go to school or move. And have him pack while waiting to leave. Tell him, since heâs on the homeless list, heâll be okay, EVENTUALLY, but he can sleep in the streets like other âbumsâ until then.
Stop giving him any more money. Make him earn it. And tell him he can collect cans and save to get a place. Let him learn how to get money when heâs homeless. Also, stop allowing him to use the washer and dryer at home. Let him figure out another way to get his clothing clean.
Put him in the life and let him see what heâs about to lose. He may change his mind and if he doesnât? Youâve already prepared him for homelessness.”
This is tough love, and not something that is easy to do. At some point, when our young adult wonât move forward with their life, they need our help. We experienced this with our youngest son, who wouldnât go to school and couldnât (wouldnât) work. For mothers, it is particularly hard to put your son out. We love our sons so much, and feel that putting them out is giving up on them.
Just remember that if you practice tough love at 19 years old, you wonât still support him financially at 35 years old.
Interested in learning more about mother-son dynamics? Read my book: The Pampered Prince: Momâs Create A GREAT Relationship With Your Son.  Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Author & Speaker
Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens 
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