In my office I see parents who are frustrated with their child's poor behavior.  Their child may be getting bad grades, making poor decisions, being disrespectful, etc.  Learning how to discipline a child specifically a teen can be very frustrating.  I rely on Scott Sell's book, "Parenting Your Out-of-Control Teenager" for sound advice.  You do not need to have an "out-of-control" teen to read this book.  My favorite piece of advice from this book is spending time with your child.  Every child (even a teen) wants to feel special.  Spending quality time with your teen will help to build a better relationship with him/her.  Yes, the teen may balk at the idea of spending time with a parent, but you'll see that eventually he/she will look forward to this time.  Schedule a time every week to do something one-on-one with your teen.  Choose activities you can engage in and have fun together.  You do not need to spend money on these activities.  Taking a walk in the park, watching a movie together or even shooting hoops at the nearby school are easy activities any family can participate in.  Once you start doing this, you'll find that your teen will be less defiant and engaging with you more. 

Yesterday, I posted a blog on giving thanks.  I'd like to take that one step further and give thanks to those in your life.  We get so caught up in life and a lot of times we forget to give thanks to those around us.  Take a momemt today and see who makes an impact on your life and thank him/her for that.  Today, I thank YOU for reading my blog and supporting my efforts. 

Take a moment today and look at your life.  Give thanks for all that you have.  In a tough economy, it's easy to focus on the negative.  When we focus on the negative, we attract additional negative to come our way.  Look at the positive aspects of your life and be thankful for them.  You may have to play detective to find them, but you will.  Today, I'm thankful for being me!