Mari Stevens, M.Ed. LMHCA Counseling

05/29/2025

Big emotions are hard - even for adults!

12/04/2024

12/04/2024

Being a parent who came from an abusive childhood and trying to break that cycle with your own children has got to be one of the journeys that’s hardest to navigate. I see you💙

09/30/2024

“Will and Harper” on is totally worth the watch. So good. 💜

09/24/2024

An amazing educator has opened her coaching business that can support parents, teens, and schools. Jenell Kheriaty has been at Seattle Prep for over 20 years and has SO much knowledge!

Thrive Consulting and Coaching LLC empowers parents and teens to thrive in the high school years and beyond with individualized coaching for parents, group coaching for parents and teens, and parent and teen workshops. Thrive empowers P-12 educational institutions to thrive through leadership coachi...

06/19/2024

I have reached 200 followers! Thank you for your continued support. I could not have done it without each of you. 🙏🤗🎉

02/29/2024

This parent coach is an amazing writer. This post is so on point. I used to say that 90% of parenting was not saying what I actually wanted to say. We have to have impulse control as parents. Their inner voice starts with the words they hear from us.

This is from Meghan Leahy:

Sometimes, it is enough to NOT DO HARM.

Keeping your mouth shut...

Telling the voice that says, “you better teach that kid a lesson,” to HUSH....

It can feel like weakness. It can look like giving up. And it is not the way you want to parent all of the time...

But NOT destroying your child is a powerful parenting move.

You will never get accolades for this.

No one will congratulate you for NOT DOING HARM, but trust me: every time you kindly walk away or stop your sarcasm or decide to NOT dig in, you have made a non-violent choice.

You have chosen peace.

You have chosen maturity.

You have chosen non-reaction.

You have chosen love.

So, if you have done that today? I SEE YOU.

02/24/2024

This is a great piece on teens and the emotional side of romantic relationships!

02/21/2024

02/21/2024

When we have kids that don’t struggle with academics, it is easy to think that they don’t need extra support. THIS is an example of how to encourage that growth. So many highly intelligent folks have deficiencies with the social/emotional connections. It’s great to achieve - ask how can we support others in succeeding?

02/20/2024

Remember that we do not have to be perfect people to be great parents. Our kids learn through watching us struggle and persist. Communicate.

02/20/2024

I love this post. We want to remember to be excited about each version of our kids. We can remember them when they were little in our heads AND embrace them for who they are becoming out loud.

"I miss the old you."

"You used to follow me everywhere."

"When you were little you couldn't get enough of cheese, what do you mean you don't like cheese??"

Get to know THIS version of your child.

It won't be like the last version of your child.

You may see glimpses in their cheeks when they smile.

You may recognize the same furrow in their brow.

But make no mistake.....THIS version of your kid is not to be missed.

And if you keep reminding them of the last version.....they will internalize the message that this version is not welcome.

They will stop showing you this version.

They will hide what they feel is not acceptable.

They will silence the emerging voice they are finding.

If they sense....that you are still longing for that little one.... they will shut you out of getting to know THIS one.

They want you to hear how they speak up with confidence.

They want you to know there is no longer cheese on the burger....for this emerging young human.

They want you to see how they are growing and changing and to meet them there....in that place where they are safe to become this next version of themselves.

It's natural you know......

This change. This growth.

They weren't born to stay our babies.

They arrived to become.

So let's invite them into their becoming.

Let's welcome each version...salty or not.

When our minds begin to compare....let us remember.....who sits before us.

Let us embrace this body.

Let us welcome this emotion.

Let us see this teen.

This young adult.

In this human before us....let us welcome the becoming so fiercely that our child is eager to see what is there for them.

Let us set them free to not be held back by our memories of who they were but empowered by the strengths that began long ago.

Let's let unconditional belief be the fuel that allows us to hold the beauty of the past while reassuring our child that it's okay to become the next version of themselves....and the next version....and the next version.

We will not hold them to the first version.
We will not constantly remind them.
We will not handcuff them to the cheese.

*Written by the amazing Grounded w/ Kerry Foreman