Lessening Parent-Teen Tensions with an EF Coach

We parents love our children and want them to succeed. When we see our child struggling with homework, not managing his or her time, procrastinating, floundering--we often err on the side of hovering, badgering, and trying to manage the situation. And that usually ends badly with tension mounting between our teenager and us.

Weaknesses in Executive Function (EF) skills tend to become pronounced as students enter middle school and high school. Click here to learn what Executive Function is all about. Workloads increase, complexity of work intensifies, and more academic independence is expected of students.

And, despite an above-average intelligence, most kids with EF weaknesses have low self-confidence and feel some anxiety regarding schoolwork. Once your teen gets into the cycle of procrastinating, rushing, missing school assignments, not performing as well as he would like, etc., then tension and anxiety increase. Kids feel badly about their abilities, confidence plummets, and the cycle continues.

An EF coach can help your teen learn specific strategies to become a successful student and take the onus off the parents in the battle with their kids. EF coaches get buy-in from students to try new routines and habits, teach students how our brain works (to understand how to strengthen our neural pathways and our executive skills), and help kids see the benefits of working to establish new routines (less anxiety, better grades, higher confidence).

Once students get a taste of success and understand the link between the strategies they’re using and improved grades/less anxiety/increased confidence, they’re motivated to continue practicing these strategies and develop them as habits. Over time, students internalize these strategies and find they need less coaching and support as they transition to becoming independent successful students.

So, if your teen or young adult is not managing her academic workload as well as she (or you) would like, and your interventions as a parent are falling short, it might be a good time to consider an EF coach to teach the strategies that will help your student find success in both academics and life.

Achievement Academics is a professional firm that helps teens and adults improve Executive Function skills. Contact Ann Fox for your free consultation today!