http://www.jeaninemouchawar.com/

Jeanine Mouchawar Coaching, Laguna Beach, CA (2026)

01/01/2026

I wanted to start the year by saying thank you.

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for caring as deeply as you do about your kids, even on the days when it feels heavy or confusing or lonely.

Parenting teenagers asks so much of us.
Patience when we’re tired.
Steadiness when we’re worried.
Hope when we’re not sure what’s working.

And yet, you keep showing up.

If this past year held moments you wish had gone differently, I hope you’re gentle with yourself today. Parenting doesn’t come with a clean slate on January 1. It comes with real relationships. And those are built slowly, imperfectly, and with a lot of heart.

As this year begins, my wish for you is simple:
more ease in your home,
more moments of connection,
and a little more compassion for yourself along the way.

I’m really glad you’re here.

🧡 Jeanine

12/30/2025

Are you having the same conversations with your teen over and over?

“Where were you?”
“Are you lying to me?”
“Why won’t you talk to me anymore?”

And no matter how many times you ask, it feels like they hear you less, not more.

You ask again.
And again.

Until finally, you snap.
Not because you want to, but because nothing’s getting through.

Later, when the house is quiet,
you replay it all in your head,
wishing you’d handled it differently.

Here’s what’s actually happening:

The harder you push to fix what you’re worried about, the more your teen pulls away.
And that distance only makes you worry more.

So instead of pressing harder,
you pause and ask:

“What’s going on? Help me understand.”

Will they open up right away?
Not always.

Sometimes you’ll get “I don’t know,”
silence, or an eye roll.

But when you keep showing up curious instead of controlling, teens start to trust that you actually want to understand, not interrogate or fix them.

If this feels familiar and you’re ready to break the cycle, you can learn more about my Parenting Breakthrough Calls through the link in my bio.

🧡 Jeanine

12/25/2025

Warm wishes to everyone! 🕎🎄❤️

12/18/2025

There’s a fear I hear from parents all the time… but almost no one says it out loud.

“What if we’re past the point of fixing this?”
“What if the damage is already done?”
“What if my teen never wants a close relationship with me again?”

If you’ve had these thoughts, nothing is wrong with you.

You’re overwhelmed.

And you’ve been trying everything you can think of — the way every caring parent does when they don’t yet understand what’s actually driving the tension.

—

Here’s the part that’s almost impossible to see when you’re living it every day:

Your teen isn’t pulling away because it’s too late.

They’re pulling away because they feel overwhelmed, embarrassed, or misunderstood — and they don’t have the skills to say any of that out loud.

It looks like disrespect.
It sounds like attitude.
It feels personal.

But underneath?
It’s a nervous system trying to protect itself.

And when we don’t know that, it’s easy to jump to:

“I ruined this.”
“I’ve missed my window.”
“They don’t even like me anymore.”

You’re not alone in thinking these things.
And you’re not stuck with them either.

Because this isn’t permanent damage.
It’s a pattern — and patterns can be changed.

—

A mom told me recently:

“I was sure I’d messed things up for good. Then you helped me see I wasn’t losing her — I was just approaching it all wrong. For the first time in months, I felt hopeful instead of helpless.”

You don’t need a new personality.
You just need a new map.

—

✨ You’re not past the point of repair.
✨ Your teen is not too far gone.
✨ You’re just stuck in a cycle — and cycles can shift.

—

If this hit home… you’re not alone. 🧡

💭 What’s one thought you’ve been carrying quietly? Or just drop a heart if this resonated.

Link in bio if you want support navigating this.

12/16/2025

A mom I’m working with told me something that stopped me in my tracks.

She said:
“I hate that I’m starting to avoid my own kid.”

Her daughter is 16.
A good kid.
But lately… every interaction felt loaded.

Not explosive.
Just tense. Snappy.
Like the smallest question might set something off.

She told me she dreaded hearing her daughter’s footsteps because it usually meant another argument.

And I know she’s not the only one who feels this way — even if nobody says it out loud.

What we worked on wasn’t a script or a strategy.
It was a shift:

👉 Responding to what’s underneath the attitude… instead of reacting to the attitude itself.

Not perfectly.
Not all at once.

But enough.

Her daughter shared more.
The meltdowns were shorter.
The recoveries were quicker.

And one random Tuesday, her daughter wandered into the kitchen, and just… talked.

About school. Friends.
Nothing dramatic.
Just real.

And this mom thought:

“This is nice. This is normal.”

If you’re in that on-edge stage right now — you’re not alone.

What’s one tiny moment lately where things felt a little softer with your teen?

(And if you’re not seeing those yet, that’s okay too.)

🧡

12/10/2025

If your teen avoids homework, procrastinates, or “forgets” assignments… it’s probably not laziness.

It might be fear.

A mom I work with has a 12th grader.
Smart. Funny. Athletic.
Diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety.

And drowning in procrastination.

Not because he didn’t care.
But because trying felt terrifying.

He kept saying, “I’m locking in tonight.”
(translation: “I swear I’ll get my act together.”)

But night would come… overwhelm would hit… and his brain would go:

“I can’t. What if I fail?”

So he’d avoid.
Then feel awful.
Then avoid more.

And his mom did what good parents do when they’re scared:

✅ Reminded him
✅ Checked the school portal
✅ Tried to organize everything
✅ Pep talks + tough talks

And none of it worked.

Not because she was doing it wrong.
But because he wasn’t unmotivated.
He was scared.

A few weeks in, she said:

“I need to stop trying to save him from every possible bad outcome.”

And she tried something different.

One night he was behind (again) and panicking.
She took a breath and said:

“Go fail with honor.”

Not sarcastic.
Not dismissive.
Just permission:

To try.
To mess up.
To recover.
To be human.

There were still hard nights.

But…

He started asking for help sooner.
Admitting when he was overwhelmed.
Doing the work… without the panic.

And then…
he turned in a big assignment he’d been terrified of.
And got the best grade he’d gotten all semester.

He texted her a screenshot of his grade with one word:

“Mom.”

No cheering.
Just acknowledgment.

Like he was saying:
I tried.
You trusted me.
It worked.

If your teen says “I’ll do it tonight” and doesn’t…

It’s not laziness.
It’s fear of failure.

And it doesn’t change with pressure.

It changes when the message shifts from:
“Get it done.”
to
“Do what you can, even if it’s not perfect.”

Because when kids believe they’re allowed to try—and fail—they actually start trying.

🧡 Jeanine

What does fear look like for your teen? Tell me below ⬇️

12/05/2025

“Is this going to feel awkward?”

That’s what a mom said before our call.

Not because she didn’t want help.
But because she didn’t know what she was walking into.
And she was afraid it would feel like judgment.

She told me,
“I’m trying so hard. And I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this alone.”

She wasn’t dramatic.
She wasn’t failing.

She was tired.
Worried.
Tapped out from carrying so much.

And she didn’t want another lecture.
Or another expert telling her everything she was doing wrong.

She just wanted someone to understand what it felt like to be in her home right now.

When we sat down, we didn’t start with strategy.

We started with what’s been happening
and how it’s all been feeling.

Not the polished version.
The real one.

She said things she hadn’t said out loud before:

“I’m afraid I’m losing them.”
“I don’t know how to reach them anymore.”
“I’m exhausted from trying so hard.”

And instead of telling her to “stay calm” or “pick her battles,” we looked at something deeper:

How to stay connected in the hard moments while holding firm, calm boundaries.

Not perfectly.
Not overnight.

But enough for her to feel like she wasn’t fighting a war every time she opened her mouth.

And you know what she said at the end?

“I’ve never heard it explained like this before. This helps so much.”

Not because she got a complicated system…
but because she finally understood why things keep blowing up,
and what would actually help.

Things aren’t perfect now. They’re teens.

But there’s:
less tension in the house,
less defensiveness,
more soft moments she didn’t realize she had been craving.

And most importantly…

She doesn’t feel like she’s carrying all of it alone anymore.

If you’re reading this and thinking,

“This is us,”

I want you to know something:

It doesn’t have to stay this way.
This kind of change is possible.
And sometimes faster than you think.

🧡 Jeanine

Tell me… what do you wish someone understood about what’s happening with your teen right now?

The exhaustion?
The tension?
The emotional landmines?

👇 Share below. I’m listening.

12/03/2025

“Quit your yapping.”

That’s what her teenage son said when she asked him to walk the dog.

Not the first time.
Not the worst thing he’d said.
But this time… it stung.

She told me,

“He’s a good kid… but he argues about everything. And I don’t like the mom I become around him.”

Dog walks.
Dishes.
Turning off the video game.
Getting off his phone.

No matter how small the request, there was always:
a sigh,
a comment,
a “hang on,”
a disrespectful “I said I will.”

And she hated how fast her annoyance turned into words she didn’t like.
Because afterward?
The guilt hit hard.

When we started working together, we focused on one thing:

Catching herself in that split second between being annoyed and saying something she’d regret.

And something shifted.

The calmer she got,
the more he listened.

Not perfectly.
Not instantly.

Around week three, he pushed back harder. Almost testing her to see if she’d snap like before.

She held steady.

And then… the night that changed everything.

Driving home from practice, he said,

“I’m sorry I’ve been kind of a jerk lately.”

She blinked fast so she wouldn’t cry at the stoplight.

Things aren’t perfect now. They’re teens.

But there’s:
less edge when she asks him to do something,
fewer arguments over getting off his phone,
more lingering,
more warmth.

And most importantly…
she doesn’t feel like she’s bracing for a blow-up every time she opens her mouth.

If you’re reading this and thinking,

“This is us,”

I want you to know:

It doesn’t have to stay this way.
This kind of change is possible.
And often faster than parents expect.

🧡 jeanine

Tell me… what’s the hardest part of arguments in your house right now?
The tone?
The pushback?
The emotional aftermath?

👇 Share below. I’d love to hear.

10/29/2025

😫 why every rule turns into a fight…

When your teen feels controlled, they resist.
When they feel understood, they listen.

The more we focus on connection, the more influence we actually gain.

🧡 Jeanine

10/07/2025

I used to think my job as a mom was to fix everything.

If my son’s grades slipped, I jumped into problem-solving.
If his attitude was off, I tried to push him to “snap out of it.”
If he struggled socially, I worried and looked for answers.

But the harder I tried to fix him, the more he pulled away.

What finally changed everything was realizing he didn’t need fixing.
He needed me to show up differently.

He needed:

👂 A good listener — someone who could hear “I bombed my math test” without saying, “Well, maybe if you got off YouTube you’d have time to study.”

💛 Compassion — when he said, “I’m not good at anything,” not me saying, “That’s not true! You’re good at lots of things.”

🙏 Understanding — noticing his “bad attitude” was really anxiety, not disrespect.

🌱 Belief — to know I had faith in him even when he couldn’t find it in himself.

🛟 Safety — to say “I think I’m failing chemistry” without worrying he’d disappoint me or that I’d freak out.

When I made that shift, everything changed.

✅ Arguments subsided
✅ Communication opened up
✅ He started sharing what was really going on inside
✅ We could work through issues together

I became his go-to person.

And the best part? His confidence grew — and I felt close to him again.

Just like punishments don’t create cooperation, trying to fix our kids only creates distance.

Understanding builds connection.

👉 What’s one way you try to show your teen understanding when they’re struggling?

If this resonates and you’d like more support, check out the links in the comments.

10/02/2025

Your teen walks in the door after school, clearly grumpy.

You say, “You seem out of sorts. What’s going on?”
They snap, “School was awful. I bombed my math test.”

Instead of jumping in with advice, you take a breath and say:
“Well, it stinks to feel that way. What happened?”

And this time, they keep talking.

They tell you about the test, the teacher, the stress. Their mood shifts just a little as they let it out.

Instead of disappearing to their room, they hang around the kitchen for a few extra minutes. You laugh together about something a classmate said. You exhale — relieved to finally know what’s going on.

That’s the feeling you’ve been missing: being their safe place again.

And it doesn’t take a perfect script. Just presence. Curiosity. A willingness to listen without fixing.

This is possible for you. I’ve seen it happen over and over with the parents I coach.

And it starts with small moments like these.

What's one moment when your teen surprised you by opening up?

09/30/2025

Does this conversation sound familiar?

You: “How was your day?”
Your teen: “Fine.”
You: “What did you do?”
Your teen: “Nothing.”

And that’s it. They grab a snack, disappear into their room, and you’re left feeling like you don’t really know what’s going on in their world.

If this is happening in your home, you are not alone.

Part of this is just being a teen. But part of it is the kind of questions we ask.

Here are a few that almost always spark more:

“What’s the most annoying thing about being a teen?”
“What’s the most boring part of your day?”
“If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?”

Different questions get different answers.

👉 Instead of “Fine,” you might hear, “Ugh, math is the worst. The teacher talks so fast.”
👉 Instead of silence, you might get, “Actually, something funny happened at lunch today…”
👉 Instead of irritation, you might see a smile, a laugh, or even a moment where they linger a little longer before heading upstairs.

That’s the gold. Those little moments when your teen lets you into their world.

And when they do, your job isn’t to fix or lecture. Just listen. Nod. Say, “That makes sense.”

Because when your teen feels understood, they’ll come back again. And that’s how ordinary afternoons turn into those “Hey Mom, guess what happened today?” moments you’ve been missing.

What’s a question that’s actually gotten your teen talking?

Jeanine Mouchawar Coaching