There are no perfect parents, we all make mistakes along the way.
Like many moms, Kari had to learn the hard way that we cannot parent our teens in the same way we parented our younger children. “Our daughters are growing up, and our parenting has to grow too.”
I welcomed back one of our favorite speakers, Kari Kampakis, to my ‘Ohana Mother-Daughter Program. On our call she shared her many years of experience of parenting in today’s culture.
Kari is the host of the popular Girl Mom Podcast, a nationally recognized speaker, and a mom of four teenage girls. She has also authored the books:
More Than a Mom: How Prioritizing Your Wellness Helps You (and Your Family) Thrive
10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know
Love Her Well: 10 Ways to Find Joy and Connection with Your Teenage Daughter
Kari says the teenage years are PRIME TIME for girls to develop a strong and healthy bond with both their mothers and their friends.
Discouraged by the message that the teen years are miserable, Kari has spent years encouraging women to rewrite that narrative. She wants them to find joy in their relationships.
In the clip below, Kari talks about having to shift our parenting from a place of control, to a person of influence. Girls today have a hundred different voices, a hundred different messages coming at them everyday. The voice they choose to listen to will be the one they respect the most.
I know first-hand what a blessing it is to have a beautiful lifelong relationship with my own mom. As an adult, and now a mom myself, I can look back and appreciate how intentional my mom was in parenting me. Kari encouraged us to look for moments to intentionally grow our relationship. Go for a walk, grab a special drink, make a meal together….and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t go well at first. Your loving persistence will pay off eventually!
Kari also talked openly with the girls about finding lasting friendships that will make a difference in their life. This generation is facing more challenges and pressures than those before them. In our social media saturated culture, “friending” and “unfriending” have become a part of our girls’ everyday lives. Kari tells us that good friends are not disposable. There may be times that friends grow apart, but a good friend is worth fighting for.
Her advice for finding lasting friendships is to “cast a wide net”. Be kind to everyone and intentionally make friendships with a variety of people. Check out this clip below as Kari shares why cliques can be harmful.
Kari’s best advice is to HAVE GRACE for the people in your life. Be gentle with your mom when she’s having a bad day. Be forgiving of your friends that are learning through their own mistakes.
Ultimately, turn to God to lead you in all of your relationships. He wants us to come to HIM with all of our cares and concerns. He will lead you through all of the seasons of your life.
Cheering you on to be more intentional in your own relationships!
