Be a Lighthouse Parent

How do you help your child weather life’s storms? Be a Lighthouse Parent

Lighthouse Parent

Have you heard of a lighthouse parent before? It’s new to me, and I love this visual!

We’ve all heard of:

  • The tiger parent.
    The free range parent.
    The helicopter parent.
    The lawnmower parent.

My challenge to you is to be a Lighthouse Parent. Those have mostly negative connotations, but I love the positive description of The lighthouse parent and how we can help our children be COMPETENT and CONFIDENT by shining our light ☀️ onto the waves while allowing them to navigate.

We can be a stable force, lighting the rocks, and looking into the waves as they learn to ride them. 🔦

I’m so excited to share with you the confidence cards on Monday that I’ve been spending weeks and weeks creating. There are scenarios in there that we can help our teens think through and plan ahead how they would respond in the future, (shining our light on the rocks and waves ahead) to allow them to hold their head a little higher, to be more confident.

👉What rocks have you had to shine your light on lately in order to protect your kids from crashing? Have you heard of lighthouse parenting before? Help me too expound on this analogy by adding your thoughts on being a lighthouse parent.
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(Found at parent and teen.com)

Here’s what the community had to say:

  • “Never heard of it before but totally agree. I encourage parents to be the lighthouse parents when it comes to teaching teens about money as well.”
  • “Yes!!! So much of my confidence coaching for mothers of teens is based in this! All things nautical work. They need us to be anchored. They are thrashing about as they learn and grow. We give them safe rope and boundaries to struggle, learn. If we are calm, grounded, they feel so much more secure. The safety of our quiet, dependable and steady light is critical to their safety and development. They know our light is there. They don’t always tell us, or like never will😁, but they feel safe with our light. Lighthouse mothers don’t go around fixing or calming waves. Lighthouse mothers know the waves are part of the ocean. The waves aren’t a problem. The lighthouse is strengthened by standing firm. The lighthouse doesn’t use energy telling the waves they shouldn’t be there. Totally useless energy. Lighthouses all have distinct patterns, shapes, sizes. Just like mothers. All suited to the terrain and landscape. All unique. As the world gets dark, the lights shine… just as teens need our lights when their world gets dark. Our light becomes so distinct and what guides them.”
  • “I love this. I wish more parents would embrace this idea. I deal with the other types on a regular basis and they can be so exhausting. I totally understand wanting to help your kids avoid hard things. But, it’s not helping when they are unable to do anything without a parent’s input.”

The new Consider This: Confidence Building for Teens cards are here!

Conversation cards for kids and teens

Want more help parenting your teen? Check this out:

The TRUSTED Mom Reset

A quick video to help you stop feeling like a failure as a mom and
start feeling confident in your parenting—without needing to be perfect.

Welcome Friend!

I'm Kristen Duke!

If your teen is pulling away from you,
I want you to know that you don’t have to lose them.
There’s hope.
I have a message you need to hear:

Other Blog Posts:

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Kristen Duke

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I’m thrilled to invite you to Trusted Academy LIVE—
—a transformative two-day workshop designed to help you rebuild trust, enhance communication, and lead your teen with confidence.

Day 1: SEE Differently

​You’ll uncover hidden connection crushers and learn to spot key moments when your teen needs you most, ensuring you seize vital opportunities to connect—so you can be the mom they turn to, not pull away from.

Day 2: DO Differently

​​You’ll ​master having tough conversations without power struggles, repairing mistakes while maintaining respect, and shift from reactive parenting to confident leadership.—so your teen listens and actually wants to talk to you.
This LIVE Pareting Lab is hands-on. You’ll receive coaching, apply lessons in real-time, and leave with actionable strategies.
No fluff—just practical results.

Here is how to LOCK IN Your Spot:

I’m serious about getting real results for every mom who attends AND we refuse to charge for this event. Instead, we ask all potential attendees to schedule a quick, 10-minute confirmation call with Kristen.

This conversation allows her to understand your unique challenges and aspirations, ensuring the workshop content is tailored for you. It also confirms your commitment to attending and engaging fully in both days of the event. THIS IS NOT A SALES CALL; it’s my way of tailoring the experience to you. Upon confirming your call, I’ll provide the workshop access link.​​

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Right now, it might feel like your teen is shutting you out—but the next video will show you how to turn that around. Enter your info below to get immediate access to the video where you’ll learn the exact steps you can take to start repairing and rebuilding your relationship today.
(I’ll also email you a summary of the video you just watched 😉 – I’ve got you!)

The TRUSTED Mom Reset

A quick video to help you stop feeling like a failure as a mom and
start feeling confident in your parenting—without needing to be perfect.

Welcome Friend!

I'm Kristen Duke!

If your teen is pulling away from you,
I want you to know that you don’t have to lose them.
There’s hope.
I have a message you need to hear: