Send us a text

Navigating the tumultuous waters of parenting teenagers leaves many of us feeling adrift and questioning our effectiveness. This raw, unfiltered conversation with parenting expert Mihaela Plugarasu offers a lifeline to parents struggling with children of all ages, particularly those weathering the storm of adolescence.

Mihaela reveals the profound truth that our teenagers serve as mirrors, reflecting our unresolved issues back to us with startling clarity. "By the time they're 13, they're our product," she explains, highlighting how our parenting choices during the first seven years establish the foundation for all future interactions. This perspective shift helps explain why even parents doing significant personal growth work may still struggle with their teens—the relationship patterns were established long before our own awakening began.

The most transformative insight emerges around the concept of self-parenting. Mihaela compassionately describes how parents often unconsciously regress to childlike emotional states when triggered by their children's behavior. This creates an impossible dynamic where "a child is trying to parent a child." Through practical techniques like strategic timeouts, conscious breathing, and physical grounding, parents can recognize these regressions and return to their regulated adult selves.

Rather than focusing on what to say to our children, Mihaela emphasizes the critical importance of listening. A dysregulated child physically cannot process parental wisdom because their prefrontal cortex temporarily goes "offline" during emotional flooding. The parent's primary responsibility becomes providing a regulated nervous system that can co-regulate with the child's, creating safety for authentic connection.

Whether you're parenting toddlers, teens, or any age between, this episode offers both validation for your struggles and practical tools to transform your approach. Discover how to break generational patterns and create the connected, conscious relationship with your child that you've always wanted. Visit parentingmadeconscious.com to access Mihaela's free weekly newsletter and additional resources to support your parenting journey.

For more information call (305) 433-0769 or visit https://www.mihaelaplugarasu.com/