Trading Control & Punishment for Respect & Emotional Intelligence, with Ann Coleman

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
After watching her brother's life cut short by substance use, Ann Coleman was intimately familiar with its dangers. So when her son - who already suffered from anxiety and depression - started using marijuana, hallucinogens and opiates, her trauma and instincts of fear and control kicked in hard. Looking back, Ann recognizes that at the time she believed her son was solely to blame for the unraveling of the relationship. Now, she knows better. 

"There were things I screwed up," Ann shares, "but it was mainly in the way that I reacted to and thought about the things he was doing." 

As her son began his healing process, Ann herself undertook a two year, self-directed study of every parenting-related topic she could get her hands on: from neurobiology to therapeutic mindfulness. In this episode, she explains how her life as a lawyer was gradually upended by the realization of just how many parents are going into this difficult chapter of life blind and without much guidance at all.

Over the course of the conversation we discuss the control-rebellion cycle (undoubtedly familiar to you), the extra complications of ADHD and anxiety, why the only thing that matters to adolescents is peer acceptance, and so much more. This episode is your opportunity to learn from Ann's mistakes -- and her knowledge -- in everyday language, with practical instruction.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• No Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind 
• Speaking of Teens website & podcast (https://speakingofteens.com/)

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