Mindful Living

I use sarcasm and think it can be quite funny at times, especially when I poke fun at myself. I have seen sarcasm hurt though, both myself and others, and I have certainly hurt others by using sarcasm. In relationships, if we rely on sarcasm a lot, it can hurt our loved ones. Sarcasm can be funny, but you need to be careful with it. If you use sarcasm exclusively to express your feelings, it's probably not so healthy. Sometimes people use sarcasm to express how they feel because they aren't comfortable expressing how they feel directly, and practicing saying how you feel without sarcasm will be difficult at first, but better for you in the long run.

Tips for talking to your teen I have teens, so I understand how easily what seems like an innocent question/inquiry turns into your teen stomping off to their room and refusing to speak! So here are some tips I have that can help reduce the chances of a defensive response. 1. Think before you ask! Teens often see questions by parents as “snooping” and some can get defensive before the parent even asks anything! So know that how you word the question is important- sound curious, not confrontational. It’s imperative to reduce/get rid of sarcasm in your voice because many teens are very sensitive to sarcasm from parents. 2. Any time your teen wants to talk, stop what you are doing and listen. For many parents, these moments don’t happen often enough, so when they do want to talk, take advantage, even if it means delaying cooking, cleaning or chores. Will your teen say I want to talk? Probably not, but if they start talking to you about stuff, listen. 3. Try not to give advice unless as...