Speaking of Teens

Today's episode has been a long time coming. Getting your teen to do what they're supposed to do (or not do what they're not supposed to do) is a sticking point for so many parents. You probably feel like a broken record most days and then still can't get the cooperation you want (and many times end up in arguments and power struggles). Well, in this episode I review a) the bas...

Today's episode is a "feed drop"! Lauren Wolfe , host of Your Zen Friend , is dropping into our podcast feed to bring you a special episode of her podcast, addressing an issue you likely know all too well; attitude, disrespect, eye rolls, etc. Lauren has graciously agreed to let me air this fabulous episode as I am still dealing with my ailing mother this week. So, listen up because...

Today’s episode is an interview with Dr. Mercedes Oromendia , the clinical director of Manatee , an online therapy and parent coaching platform. Dr. Oromendia does a great job of explaining typical adolescent behavior and how, as parents, we need to respond to them for the best possible outcomes. See Show Notes for other resources and sources Transcript Find our FREE Parenting Guides Here "I...

3-Session Coaching Package - 3, hour-long one-to-one coaching sessions with me, Ann Coleman to help you through whatever issues you are currently expereincing with your teenager.  1-hour of One-to-One Coaching - If you just need a quick, 1-hour coaching session to figure out a specific issue with your teen, book a call with me. Check out PARENT CAMP - a cohort-based, 10-week experience that includ...

If your teen is experimenting with weed, alcohol, or other substances, it’s a very scary feeling. For some of us it’s downright terrifying and triggering. Well today’s guest went through it all with her son and it was as bad as it gets. Brenda Zane almost saw her son die from his drug abuse. Thankfully, he is now drug free, in college and helping others with their struggles. Brenda shares so much...

Neurotypical teens, teens without any mental health disorders at all, experience emotional dysregulation from time to time (some more than others). This is simply a product of their changing brain and an oversensitive threat detector (the brain's amygdala). But teens with ADHD, certain mood disorders and personality disorders are much more likely to experience intense mood swings and even mor...

I talked about parenting out of fear in the very first episode of this podcast. Because my own fear is what led me down such a long hard path with my son, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the issues it causes. Now that I've been able to work for a couple of years on refining this message, I'm back to share again why we must not let our anxious thoughts derail our parenting. This i...

When someone hurts your child, physically or emotionally, no matter if they're 10 or 25, you want it to stop immediately.   And bullying is one of those things you may not even be aware of.  You won't see it and you won't likely even know about it unless your teen or tween tells you. In this episode, I'll tell you what to watch out for, how to talk to your teen about their bull...

Whether you’re married, divorced, or happily cohabitating with your partner, if you have teenagers, you’re not only dealing with them but with your coparent’s (and possibly your partner’s) opinion on how to parent them. Why do we all bring such differing views into our parenting and what can we do when we don’t agree? And, by the way, what role does your new partner play in it all? Join me for a c...

If you're like every other parent of a teen or tween, you've dealt with your share of attitude, disrespect, snarky comments, and maybe even a hefty does of mean digs. Why do teens and tweens act this way and what should you do in response? Well, that's what I'm talking about today. And the answers may actually surprise you. Show Notes and Transcript Find our FREE Parenting Guid...

I don't believe there are many parents of a teen or tween who hasn't dealt with some struggle over getting their kid to go to school. School refusal happens for all sorts of reasons, from mental health disorders like anxiety or depression to dealing with a bully or learning issues. But whatever the reason your teenager refuses or avoids going to school, you must come up with a solution....

Your teen's autonomy, the level to which they are allowed to make their own decisions, their ability to handle mistakes and the natural consequences from those mistakes - all of this has a huge impact on their later independence, and ability to cope as an emerging adult. Today I’m going to talk to you about how, despite your best intentions to protect your child from all the bad stuff, keep t...

Today, in the final instalment in this series on vaping, I discuss how to talk to your teen or tween about vaping, how to help them avoid it if they haven't started, and how to help them quit if they already have.  I highlight refusal skills that can work for almost any situation where they need to avoid a negative or risky activity. I also explain the reward system, the adolescent decision m...

Today's episode is a bit of a bonus. I've been really confused as to why there are still all these fruity, desert-flavored vaping products, vape pens and e-cigarettes on the shelves in the US, when I thought Juul was told to remove theirs the market. So I did some major digging into the backstory of vaping regulations and where things stand today. I actually think this is an important ep...

How "up in your teen's business" do you get? How much is too much monitoring, snooping, digging and tracking? Do you let them know you're going to be doing checking on them up front? Or, are you more of a covert operator? Do you know what difference it all makes? A lot. One of the most important things to a teenager (or a tween) is their autonomy. And if you threaten that, you&...

Today, I continue the series on vaping that we started last week with my interview with Daniel Ament in episode #109 . I hope you shared Daniel's episode with your teen (and maybe even gave his information to someone at your school so he could speak to all the students.) Vaping is ubiquitous in high school and more and more middle schoolers are taking up the habit every single day. Just becau...

You have to admit that you never knew another human being could evoke such a broad range of emotions from you. You love your teenager more than anything on the planet, you'd go to the ends of the earth for them (you pretty much already have) but...good God can they ever make you mad! It's like they know just the right amount of tone and attitude to throw in with their emotional meltdown,...

Today’s episode will be as significant for your teen’s to hear as it will be for you so please share. It may even be more important to share it with your younger kids who’ve not considered vaping yet.  21-year-old Daniel Ament shares some much-needed insight into the world of teens and vaping (whether it’s nicotine or THC.) You’ll learn how easy it is for them to vape without you ever knowing, why...

This is the 3rd episode in a series on connecting with your teen. First episode in the series #104 Second episode in the series #106 This question comes up all the time, "I know I'm supposed to connect with my teenager, but how do I do it when they don't talk to me and ignore everything I say?" Teenagers aren't usually that keen on talking to their parents on a regular bas...

Of course, the way we were raised influences the way we parent our own kids. Did you know it also has a major impact on our romantic relationships? Even friendships and work relationships?  The way our parents interacted with us, beginning in infancy, (specifically, the way in which they did or did not meet our physical and emotional needs) forms the template for all of our relationships. It'...

This is the 2nd episode in a series on connecting with your teen. First episode in the series #104 If the relationship with your teen or tween is suffering, I want you to consider something. How close would you feel to someone who you believe treats you like a child, constantly reminds you to do things you already know to do, complains about every tiny infraction, and makes no attempt to understan...

In today's episode I'm talking with ​Lainie Liberti​ about the concept of "partnership parenting." Lainie's parenting philosophy is that parenting, especially during the teen years, should be a collaboration between you and your teen, based on a set of core values ; both the parents' and the teens'. The point of this effort is to build a strong connection, mutual...

This is the 1st episode in a series on connecting with your teen. Second episode in the series #106 Third episode in the series #108 Connecting with your teens is not just a nice sentiment - it's critically necessary to have any influence in their lives. Without connection, it will be extremely difficult to keep them physically safe or mentally healthy. Connection might not be what you think...

Today, I’m joined by Aly Pain to discuss how most of us are still parenting using an outdated model from several generations ago , which is derailing the connection with our teenagers and fueling their misbehavior. Unfortunately, we don't even realize how we’ve simply accepted many of these parenting myths and attitudes as truth , despite the mounds of scientific evidence to the contrary. And...

Most of us sail on through life without ever stopping to examine our own thoughts, emotions and behavior...without doing some deep introspection to discover why we think and feel the way we do about things. But if you want to change, you want to bring more calm into your life, you have to truly know yourself. You need to know the why behind your behavior (which lies in your thoughts and emotions!)...