Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:
“Me and my mom have our days.”
(Continued)
Hey Terra,
You are right. I could try a little harder to listen to my mother. You see, we went to Mother & Daughter counseling for a few months, every week. I told her that we both didn't have good communication, as she goes out with her friends more often than spending time with her family. She didn't agree because that's not what she wanted to hear, or so she told me. I'll try my best to do better.Parentally Controlled
Dear Parentally Controlled,
It's challenging to improve communication if both people aren't willing to work at it. But you can only do you own part of it, and I have great respect for your willingness to "try a little harder" to listen to what your mom has to say.
Read this, it will help you understand better what "Active Listening" is all about. It was written for parents, but everything applies to teens as well.
In friendship,
Terra
Need some advice? Write to Terra.
She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.
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