Speaking of Teens

Are you mortified by your teen or tween's behavior these days? Are you worried that this behavior may be directed at other adults or worried that it might "stick"?  Come on in and let me explain what's going on and what you do about it. Show Notes   Find our FREE Parenting Guides Here "I just wanted to let you know that I'm so thankful for your podcast! ...I'm so...

ADHD is frustrating for parents, teachers, and teens and tweens themselves. But the issues with school and homework often pale in comparison to the social and emotional fallout related to this disorder. Not understanding all of the symptoms related to ADHD (and especially those that overlap with common mental health disorders) can lead to confusion and lots of conflict and disconnection with your...

You do not want to tangle with a teen or tween over their devices (if  you haven't noticed that yet). You also don't want to reach for the phone or game console every time your teen does something wrong or makes a mistake. One issue a lot of us parents misunderstand is DISCIPLINE. It's so much easier when they're little. But by the time you have a teen or tween, you'd bett...

There’s no struggle during adolescence quite like friendships and navigating social groups. It’s all encompassing. But this is simply the way it has to be - their brain is wired to seek acceptance. Because of this, to be shut out of the group feels like the end of the world. In this episode I explain what your teen or tween goes through in their fight for survival among friend groups, how girls an...

When our teens are not doing well (maybe they've made some poor choices or are experiencing mental health issues), we usually don't run out and seek support from friends with kids the same age. Although most of us struggle with parenting at some point, we somehow feel we're more at fault when our teens or tweens mess up. Why do we feel such shame? Is there a different way of looking...

If your teen has ADHD, a learning difference or a mental health disorder and they are planning on going to college, you need to listen up!  Today I talk to Dan Jordan of Accessing College , who gives some excellent advice about supporting your teens as they enter college and need to obtain accommodations.  Dan is a licensed therapist and former college accessibility professional (I didn’t even kno...

Screentime is the subject of so much parental anxiety and so many arguments for families around the globe. And in this episode we tackle it head-on with Emily Cherkin, MEd (aka: The Screentime Consultant ) and author of the fabulous book (and Amazon best seller), " The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family ". Emily is a former middle school Engl...

If you need help now, call the National Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 or go to loveisrespect.org to receive immediate confidential assistance. If you've not been in this situation yet, you've been lucky so far. It's a terrible position for the parent of a teenager to find themselves. It's hard to imagine but your teen may just have different tastes in romantic partner...

Who would your teen talk to if they were having issues with their mental health? Their friends? A trusted adult? You? If they're hesitant to reach out for help, why? Does stigma play a role? The Jed Foundation (JED) recently published a report called Exploring Barriers to Mental Health Support Among U.S. Teens  (see a summary here if you want a shorter read). The report outlines what young pe...

Today I'm talking to Beth Syverson , an adoptive mom, host of the podcast Unraveling Adoption and mother to a son who struggles with his mental health and substances. Beth discovered that her son's issues stem from trauma (which is quite common). His trauma however, is one many people don't think about; adoption relinquishment . What Beth and I discuss is relevant to you whether you...

As it turns out, teens and tweens across the globe feel there’s a lot that parents just don’t understand.  Today I’m bringing you the most common and often repeated of these issues that I’ve gathered from therapists, teachers, and various adults who've worked with teens for decades. Plus I’ve found much written by teens themselves including some very colorful comments from Quora and Reddit. S...

Today, I'm talking to you about your teens and alcohol. I'll answer LOTS of questions for you, including:  Does allowing your teen or tween to have a sip of wine or beer with you, prevent them from being problem drinkers? Does providing a place for your teens to drink with friends, keep them safer than they would be out partying elsewhere? Should you expect that your teens are going to d...

Did you know that 98% of teens lie about at least one issue or another? And guess what? The general consensus among researchers and mental health professionals is that this is not only normal, but it would be a little worrisome if they didn’t lie a bit.    The good news is, this is not a character flaw or a sign that they’re going to grow up to be a liar. By the time people reach adulthood, about...

Today is the final day - Day 8 - of my series explaining the foundational principles you need to understand about parenting teens (so you can spend less time arguing and more time enjoying them!) I’ve talked about the importance of maintaining the connection with your teen throughout this this series. And today, I’ll explain why that connection is critical to keeping your teen safe and mentally he...

There are some very clear mistakes that we make when it comes to disciplining our teenagers – not the least of which is understanding the general goal of discipline. If you’ve “consequnced” yourself into a corner with your teenager, tune in and listen to this episode to figure out how to get back to where you need to be. Managing behavior issues with teens is definitely an exercise is self-restrai...

What do you do when your teen or tween is acting like a toddler - when they're spewing their unpleasant emotions all over the place? Do you ignore them? Tell them to calm down? Get upset yourself? Well, today I want to talk to you about how you can use this opportunity to help your teenager develop their emotional intelligence - specifically, their emotional awareness and emotional regulation...

Understanding your own thoughts and emotions and how they impact your behavior, will help you manage your emotions so you can be the parent you want to be.  If you don’t know why you get so upset about certain things, and don’t know how to articulate your feelings, your emotions will consume you. And I’m guessing you’ve realized what happens when you allow your emotions to consume you.  In this ep...

Have you realized yet that you can't parent a teenager the way you parented them as a child? It's a hard truth. After your kid hits puberty, if you keep trying to manage them and parent them the way you did when they were a child, things will not go well. Parenting a teen or tween the way you parented them as a child, will guarantee years of power struggles and behavior problems. Instead...

Why? Why? Why? Why do teens do the things they do? As the Parent of a teenager, you're probably used to asking yourself this question. If your teen or tween has ever done anything they've always promised they'd never do, you're in good company. The way the adolescent brain works...well, let's just say, it can be baffling for parents. So, learning the "Why" behind...

This is Day 2 of an 8-part series to explain the foundational principles of parenting teens. These are the "basics" that you need to understand to parent your teenagers with less conflict and more connection (plus have more influence in their lives and even change their behavior). Today, I continue talking about the changes occurring  in your teenager's brain.  Today, I continue tal...

Do you ever think, "Why would they do that?" "Why are they so irrational?" "Why can't they just do what they're supposed to do when they're supposed to do it?" You and every other parent with a kid between the ages of 10 and 25 have, no doubt, had these thoughts several times a day, most days of the week! It's baffling and frustrating to think your...

The number of things we have to warn our teenagers and children about these days can be overwhelming. And when it comes to the wild, wild, west of the internet, it seems there's something new every few months. As much as we'd like to think these things can't happen to our teens, they can and do - everyday. There are many extremely depraved individuals online who make it their job to...

It seems that there's just no end to the things that parents of teens and tweens have to worry about these days. And technology seems to always be up there at the top of the list, somehow. Well, today I'm going to talk to you about something that's probably not even on your radar (but really should be); AI generated child pornography. Your teenager could literally be walking down th...

Thoughts lead to emotions, which lead to actions. If we don't take time to examine our thinking, we can become stuck in some very unproductive cycles in parenting our teenagers (and in other relationships). Just because we think something doesn't make it true or correct. And if our thoughts are untrue, what does that mean for our emotions and behavior? Today I talk about how cognitive bi...

What the heck is going on down at the convenience store or corner vape shop? They're selling something that looks a whole lot like marijuana, cannabis, or weed. And this stuff (otherwise known as "gas station weed") can get people even higher than the marijuana sold at the legal dispensaries that contain the high-producing, delta-9 THC. Even worse, this stuff is being sold legally t...