DR. MEG MEEKER with guests JON ACUFFName something you want to do and then write down your first thoughts… Are they positive and encouraging? Or negative and self-critical? How we speak to and about ourselves is vitally important – not only to ourselves, but also to future generations. Our teenagers are watching us, listening to us – What we do, what we say, what we believe, how we act. A parent’s view of anything, and how we speak about it, can instill either positivity or negativity in our teens. The good news is that we get to choose our thoughts, and our words! We can choose to think and speak positively about ourselves, overcoming self-defeating thoughts, and we can teach our teenagers to do the same.  Don’t miss this encouraging episode, where Jon Acuff discusses:Watching out for absolutes (Asking yourself 3 questions about what you’re telling yourself)Disbelieving lies and embracing truthBeing brave enough to be “bad” at something newPerformance & Teens: Reinforcing character strengths over performanceIndividual and Family “Soundtracks”How speaking the truth about yourself will help you speak the truth about othersLearning to be the best version of yourself – Don’t tell your teen that they can be anything they want to be.. Kids are smarter than we think and they know that’s not really true. Instead, tell them, “You can be the best You that there is.. Be the very best version of yourself!” FROM THE PRODUCERThanks for listening to Episode #179, Helping Teens Overcome Self-Defeating Thoughts, and for helping Dr. Meg’s parenting revolution reach more than SEVEN MILLION downloads! Please subscribe, rate and leave a review for us on iTunes! Get Social with Dr. Meg on Facebook & Instagram @MegMeekerMDCheck out Dr. Meg’s parenting resources and tools! www.meekerparenting.com