Why We Created Raising Executive Function
A free community for parents who want practical ways to support their teen’s executive function skills and greater independence.
A lot of my conversations with parents start like this:
“My teen knows what they need to do, but they aren’t doing it.”
“I’m constantly reminding them.”
“I feel like I’m doing everything for them.”
Parents may be checking assignments, keeping track of deadlines, reminding their teen what needs to happen, or stepping in when something gets missed.
After a while, it can be difficult to figure out which pieces your teen can begin taking on themselves, and what support they still need from you.
That’s one of the reasons I’m excited to help lead Raising Executive Function, a free community for parents of middle and high school students.
There Can Be a Gap Between Knowing and Doing
One thing I come back to often in my work is the gap between knowing what to do and being able to consistently do it.
A teen might know an assignment is due Friday and still have difficulty figuring out when to start.
They might understand how to use a planner but stop checking it after a few days.
They might know they need to get ready for school and still rely on a parent to keep the morning moving.
That’s where executive function skills come in.
Skills like planning, task initiation, working memory, time awareness, and self-monitoring help us turn intentions into action. When some of those skills are still developing, parents can end up providing a lot of the structure their teen isn’t yet providing for themselves.
Understanding where the process is breaking down can help us think differently about what support might be useful.
What Does Greater Independence Look Like?
Independence doesn’t have to mean that a teen suddenly handles everything on their own.
I’m more interested in questions like:
What can they already do independently?
Where are they getting stuck?
What part could they begin taking more ownership of?
For one teen, that might mean checking their own assignments while a parent still helps them prioritize.
For another, it might mean setting their own alarm but still needing support developing a morning routine that works.
The amount and type of support can change as teens practice these skills in real situations.
Over time, a parent might move from reminding to asking, or from tracking everything themselves to checking in on a system their teen is learning to manage.
Those shifts can be small, but they matter.
Why Raising Executive Function?
Parents deserve a place to work through these questions without feeling like they need to have all the answers.
That’s what we’re building with Raising Executive Function.
It’s a free community for parents of middle and high school students who struggle with things like organization, planning, time management, emotional regulation, and independence.
Inside, we’re exploring topics including the gap between knowing and doing, motivation and ownership, defining success for your individual teen, and ways parents can support the development of greater independence.
There are short lessons, practical tools and action steps, along with a community where parents can ask questions and learn from one another.
And because executive function looks different from one teen to another, there’s room to think about what support makes sense for your teen, rather than trying to follow one catch all formula.
Come Join Us
If you’ve found yourself thinking, I feel like I’m doing everything for them, this community was created with families like yours in mind.
[Join Raising Executive Function — it’s free.]
You can start with the Start Here section, explore the resources that feel most relevant to your family, and join the conversations when you’re ready.
I’d love to have you there.
