PARENTING TEENAGERS: Please Stop the Rollercoaster!

About Us - Sue Blaney

	Sue Blaney empowers, educates and connects parents of teenagers. She is the author of Please Stop the Rollercoaster! How Parents of Teenagers Can Smooth Out the Ride, a guide for parents and a parent discussion group program. Thousands of parents around the country have improved communication with their teenagers by participating in her “Rollercoaster!” discussion group program. Her popular blog and website (www.PleaseStoptheRollercoaster.com) features valuable content including free parenting articles, podcasts and newsletters. She is a frequent speaker and is a national media expert on parenting teenagers. With a background as a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, Sue is a communications expert and has spent 30 years in training, marketing and sales. She is the founder of Changeworks Publishing and the proud parent of two college students.
Watch a short video about the Please Stop the Rollercoaster Program

A Personal note from Sue Blaney...

Welcome to Please Stop the Rollercoaster! If you're parenting teenagers, you already know why I named this site, book, and program by this name. Parenting teenagers is an exciting ride, full of twists and turns that make parents wonder what's coming next. Teens' behavior at home can be very different than their behavior at school, confusing parents and leaving them in the dark.

Teenagers are, by definition, on a rollercoaster ride. All too often we parents ride it along with them...the UPs are exciting and wonderful, the DOWNs can be devastating. And you know what? Parents who ride the rollercoaster's ups and downs are less able to help their teens, support their teens, and enjoy this dynamic time of life.

I know; I've been there. I started out on the rollercoaster and learned there is a better way.

Parents of teens are too often isolated, unaware that their experiences mirror those of most other parents, and that support may only be as far away as your nearest neighbor. In my Rollercoaster program I've provided the framework that enables parents to learn together and engage in the supportive, helpful discourse they yearn for in their living rooms, schools and faith communities.

I believe in parents of teenagers. I believe all parents have the qualities necessary to do this job well....but we need to step back from the rollercoaster and learn a bit about what "normal" teenage behavior and development looks like, what the implications are of our changing role as parent of a soon-to-be adult, and our role in keeping our kids safe from risky behavior.

This stage in our family's life is a time of tremendous development for parents as well as our teenagers. It is wise to invest some time in exploring our kids' development, and our own.

About me: I received my degree in Communications from Northwestern University. After spending 25 years in training, advertising, marketing and sales, I've directed the last 6+ years to applying these skills to bettering the life of parents with teenagers.

My kids are both now in college (see photo below), and I can reflect back on the challenges and pain of raising teens and the share the joy of the mature, respectful relationships that families grow into.

Groton Family Picture 2007 As a communications expert, I take great pains to understand the experiences and needs of parents so that I can provide tools, tips and resources that can help them ease their journey. I also see the misunderstandings that occur between secondary educators and parents of teens and I provide helpful communication tactics that bridge the gap.