Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam

Helping Your Teen Navigate Sex, Relationships, and Growing Up Without Shame Talking to your teen about sex is one of the conversations many parents dread—but avoiding it can leave teens turning to friends, social media, or pornography for answers. So how do you have honest conversations without making everyone want to disappear? In this episode, Dr. Cam sits down with Amy Lang, M.A., sexuality edu...

Does it feel like you're constantly competing with your teen's phone for their attention? Many parents worry that endless scrolling is replacing curiosity, conversation, and meaningful family connection. But what if getting your teen off their phone isn't about taking technology away—it's about giving them something more engaging to move toward? In this episode, Dr. Cam sits down with award-winnin...

Co-parenting is challenging enough when both parents are working together. But when you're dealing with a narcissistic co-parent—or someone who constantly turns parenting into a competition—it can leave you feeling exhausted, second-guessing yourself, and worried about your child's well-being. In this episode, Dr. Cam sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Kibby McMahon, CEO of Kula Mind and exp...

Grief in teens rarely looks the way parents expect. Instead of tears and open conversations, it often shows up as irritability, withdrawal, risk-taking, or emotional distance. That can leave parents wondering whether their teen is grieving at all—or how to help if they are. In this episode, Dr. Cam sits down with grief expert and Master Certified Life Coach Krista St. Germain to unpack what grief...

Are today’s teens experiencing a true mental health crisis—or are parents being encouraged to label normal adolescent struggles as disorders? In this thought-provoking episode of the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam Podcast, adolescent psychologist sits down with renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist, author of Searching for Normal , to unpack the rising diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, depression, an...

If your teenager suddenly seems distant, emotional, or wants nothing to do with you, you’re not failing as a parent — and you’re definitely not alone. In this eye-opening episode of the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam Podcast , Dr. Cam Caswell sits down with Aliyah Singh, Hannah Ticajo, and Caitlin Severin from CultivaTeen Roots to unpack the real reason teens push parents away — and why it’s actuall...

What does it actually take to raise a confident, resilient, successful teen? In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, I sit down with Sheinelle Jones, co-host of Today with Jenna and Sheinelle and author of Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans , to unpack what she learned from interviewing the moms behind some of the most extraordinary humans, incl...

If your teen is hiding things or not telling you the full truth, it can feel like you’re losing them. And your instinct? Tighten the rules. Ask more questions. Stay on top of everything. But here’s the part most parents aren’t told: Teen secrecy isn’t usually about rebellion or disrespect. It’s about development. In this episode, I’m breaking down why teens keep secrets, what’s actually going on i...

What would you do if your teen told you a classmate was making threats? Most parents freeze — unsure whether to panic, dismiss it, or act. In this episode, Dr. Cam sits down with Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise and mother who lost her six-year-old son Dylan in the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy, to talk about one of the most important skills a parent can develop: knowing when something i...

If consequences used to work… and now they just lead to more attitude, shutdowns, or the same fights on repeat—this episode will explain why. If you’re parenting a teen and struggling with defiance, power struggles, or constant pushback… you’re not alone. Because it’s not that your teen suddenly stopped caring. It’s that their brain has changed—and the tools that worked before don’t work the same...

Are you constantly worried your teen is making bad choices—and feel like consequences are the only way to “teach them a lesson”? You’re not alone. And you’re not wrong to care. But what if the very thing you’re doing to prevent bad decisions is actually making them worse? In this episode, we’re digging into one of the biggest parenting traps: punishing behavior instead of teaching the skills behin...

Teaching your teen to drive can feel terrifying. If your teen is nervous behind the wheel—or keeps delaying getting their license—you’re not alone. Many teens today feel anxious about driving, and the way parents approach practice can either build confidence… or make that anxiety worse. In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, Dr. Cam talks with Nigel Tunnacliffe, CEO and co-founder of Coa...

Is your teen acting entitled, ungrateful, or selfish — no matter how much you do for them? You’re not alone. And it may not mean what you think. In this episode, Dr. Cam explains why teen entitlement is often a normal part of adolescent development — rooted in brain changes, identity formation, and intense self-focus — not bad character. You’ll learn: • Why lectures and guilt trips about gratitude...

Teen boys shutting down can feel like rejection, but it’s usually self-protection. If your teen son won’t talk, gives one-word answers, or avoids conversations completely, this episode will help you understand what’s going on—and what actually works. Dr. Cam Caswell (adolescent psychologist + certified parenting coach) and licensed professional counselor Jarrod Hoffman break down teen communicatio...

If it feels like every conversation with your teen turns into a debate… you’re not alone. In this episode, Dr. Cam flips the script on what “talking back” really means. What if your teen’s arguing isn’t disrespect… but development? What if those debates are actually signs of growing critical thinking, identity formation, and moral reasoning? You’ll learn why shutting down arguments with “because I...

Fighting with your teen about screens doesn’t mean you’re failing. It usually means you’re focusing on the wrong thing. In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, I’m joined by Stephen Balkam, Founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, who brings 30 years of experience helping families navigate online safety without fear or power struggles. We break down why traditional screen ti...

If you’ve asked your teen to do a chore and they responded like you just requested a kidney… welcome. 🫠 Because here’s the thing: the chore battle usually isn’t about the chore. It’s about what happens after you ask—the stalling, the eye rolls, the “in a minute,” the sudden deep commitment to scrolling, and you repeating yourself until your voice hits a pitch only dogs can hear. In this episode o...

A lot of parents see the hours, hear the headphones, and picture the worst: strangers, predators, secret chats, and “Is my kid addicted to this?!” So in this episode, I brought in someone who actually knows what’s happening behind the scenes at Roblox: Tami Bhaumik, Vice President of Civility and Partnerships at Roblox. And let me tell you—this conversation will either calm your nervous system… or...

Eye rolls. Heavy sighs. That sharp, snarky tone that flips your nervous system in half a second. If your teen’s “nasty attitude” instantly makes you think disrespect, defiance, or this needs to stop now, this episode will change how you see everything. In Episode #269 of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, I kick off a brand-new series unpacking teen behaviors parents punish — even though they’re often...

Generative AI like ChatGPT is now woven into nearly every part of teen life, and many parents feel unsettled by how fast it all happened. Are teens using AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to learn, to cheat, or something in between? Are they turning to AI for emotional support? And what should parents actually be worried about versus reacting out of fear? In this episode, Dr. Cam pulls back t...

Struggling with your teen’s late nights, groggy mornings, and endless battles over bedtime? You’re not alone—and you’re not imagining it. In this powerful episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, certified Ayurvedic practitioner Nidhi Pandya breaks down why traditional sleep rules fail with teenagers and reveals a compassionate, science-backed approach that finally works. She explains how teen cir...

Is your teen’s bathroom counter starting to look like a Sephora exploded? You’re not imagining it—the teen skincare craze is real, and TikTok is fueling it. But here’s what most parents don’t realize: all those trendy products, harsh ingredients, and 10-step routines can actually damage teen skin. In this must-hear episode, Dr. Cam sits down with Dr. Angela Casey, double board-certified dermatolog...

If homework has turned into an exhausting nightly standoff, this episode is for you. Dr. Cam and neurodivergent therapist Holly Blanc Moses reveal why ADHD teens aren’t “stubborn” or “unmotivated”—they’re stuck due to executive functioning challenges like task initiation, time blindness, working memory, and overwhelm. You’ll learn how shame and the expectation–capacity gap make starting feel impos...

Struggling to connect with your teenager? You’re not alone. In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart shares transformative, brain-based strategies to help parents rebuild connection with defiant, distant, or disconnected teens. Learn why the phrase “I love my teen, but I don’t like them right now” resonates so deeply with parents—and how to mo...

Ever wonder why your teen’s backtalk or eye roll hits you harder than it should? 🧠 In this powerful episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, adolescent psychologist Dr. Cam Caswell sits down with Shelly Robinson, certified conscious parenting coach and founder of Raising Yourself, to uncover why your child’s behavior often activates your deepest wounds—and how healing your own past can completely...