Speaking of Teens

Even if your kid is still in middle school, you'll want to tune in to today's episode to help ease your mind a bit. I'm talking with my friend and fellow podcaster, Sonia Cacique , of the ​College and Career Ready podcast​ about some of the most important steps in career and college planning. Hint: we're not talking about grades, college and university tours, or working on the...

Warning: I say Sh*t a few times in this episode (and there may even be an a$$ here and there.)🤭  In this one hundredth episode I'm just telling you straight up what I wish someone had told me when I was struggling to figure out why my teenager was acting out in a hundred different ways and wouldn't listen to a word I said! See also episodes: 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 22 , 26 ,...

Since it’s the start of a new year I thought I’d do a show about change; how you can make 10 specific “little changes” that will go a long way in improving the communication and the relationship with your teenager.   These are very simple modifications in how you say things, how often you say things, and how you respond to things they do or say. I also discuss a couple of little things you can do...

This is a re-share of Episode #84 and I didn't even have time to record an introduction to tell you that! But this is important and worth hearing again. So plug in and listen. 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...

Once adolescence "sets in" if you don't adjust your mindset and your parenting you're setting yourself up for years of conflict, lying, trust issues, rebellion and heartache. Parenting a child is much different from parenting a teen or tween and if you fail to understand that or refuse to make these adjustments, all of your efforts to gain compliance and cooperation and good be...

This is a quick episode that will hopefully blow your mind a little and set you on a path of greater emotional awareness and regulation (and all sorts of other positives.) And who doesn't need that? I'm talking about mindfulness today and my very Zen friend and fellow podcaster, Lauren Wolfe of the * Your Zen Friend podcast , is going to bring you a 5 minute guided meditation! * also on...

This is one of the first things I learned when I was trying to get things "right" with my adolescent son. When your teenager is having an emotional tirade or a meltdown or is just stomping around the house and seems out of sorts, you need to know what to do and what to say to help them calm down and regulate their emotions. Teens are naturally emotionally reactive because of the changes...

See also, episodes 22 and 26 "I just wanted to let you know that I'm so thankful for your podcast! ...I'm so happy I discovered it!" Speaking of Teens Listener ^If you feel the same way, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps people know the show is worth their time to listen. Tap here , to go to Apple podcasts, and scroll down until you see the STARS to tap o...

If you’ve ever had the thought, “Why can’t he/she just put forth the tiniest bit of effort in school?”, then today’s episode is for you. You are not the only one dealing with this – actually, quite far from it. And there’s a really good reason for this phenomenon, which usually occurs more with boys than girls. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Adam Price , clinical psychologist and author of the...

When our teens "misbehave" or make mistakes (as the vast majority of teenagers do), why do we feel the need to keep that information such a secret? Most of us struggle at some point in our role as a parent. But why does it feel so catastrophic when we see our teens messing up? Why do we feel such shame, clam up, and not want anyone to know? And what do we think about other parents whose...

Officially counting down to the 100th episode...coming in at #91, I'm bringing you an episode full of practical and therapeutic wisdom from ​Keri Cooper, LCSW, NBCCH​ (Licensed Clinical Social Worker and National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists). She can be reached at keri@kericooperholistictherapy.com and on Instagram at @kericooperholistictherapy Keri works with teens and young...

According to a study published last year , between 2000 and 2020, the U.S. Poison Control Centers (the 24-hour-a-day hotline staffed by toxicology experts) have seen a 245% rise in cases involving marijuana in 6 to 18-year-olds! Over 80% of those calls were kids 13 to 18. And although since 2014 cannabis cases in general have exceeded alcohol poisoning cases, edibles “ showed the highest average m...

As soon as our kid reaches puberty, we’re no longer the center of their universe and we no longer have as much direct control over their life. Our influence now lies in our emotional connection with them - in the way they give credence to what we say, trust us with their secrets, ask for our opinion, align themselves with our values, etc. Maintaining a deep emotional connection with our child thro...

Parenting Teens isn't that radically different from parenting children...if you learned a few key components of parenting early on. Unfortunately, so many of us learned parenting from our own parents, who learned from their parents and so forth and so forth...and well, researchers have learned a lot about parenting since 8-year-olds were working in factories! The problem is getting the word o...

Warning – you’ll get a few “colorful” words in this episode. Self-harm is such a scary topic and one that understandably freaks parents completely out. So, if your teen’s been self-harming/cutting, has anxiety or depression, has experienced trauma, has a difficult time managing their emotions…basically, if you have a teenager you need to listen to today’s episode. Being aware of this issue before...

Do you realize how many guns are confiscated at schools all over the country every day? I certainly didn't. Teens and tweens are going to school every day feeling like they're entering a prison, complete with major security protocols, police officers, etc. and being urged to keep their eyes and ears open for "threats." Are laws the answer? Additional security measures? Washingt...

Do you have an athlete at home? A soccer player? Hockey player? Runner? Maybe your kid’s not into sports or maybe it’s not been their thing yet. Whatever the case, you’ll want to hear my conversation with Linda Flanagan , author of Take Back The Game: How Money and Mania are Ruining Kids’ Sports - and Why it Matters . The youth sports industry is worth over $19 billion dollars and counting (that’s...

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&...

Internet PORN. Yep, that cell phone your kid has in their hand at all times – it’s where they’re getting their sex education. By the time your kid is 9, 10, maybe 11, they’ve either accidentally or intentionally seen some sort of pornography online. And we’re not talking the innocent porn of a few decades ago. Nope, some of this stuff is nightmare-inducing and can be very damaging to kid and teens...

Has your teenage son or daughter asked you to let their boyfriend or girlfriend sleep over all night? In their bedroom? No? Well, it might just happen yet. And if it does, you don't want to be caught off guard. You want to know what to consider before giving your answer - no matter what side of the  fence you're learning towards right now. Show Notes and Transcript Find our FREE Parentin...

When you’re struggling with your teenager’s behavior (they’re acting out, angry, sneaking out, smoking weed, drinking, getting in trouble at school, etc.) you just want it to stop. So, you try consequences, you yell, you lecture, you punish, you take their cell phone away, over, and over and over again. And at some point you may reach out to a therapist, an organization or a treatment facility to...

Full transparency:  This important episode, aired first on August 11, 2023. It's worth hearing again if you've heard it before! If you’ve never heard the term authoritarian parenting, it’s just a way of parenting where the parent generally insists on blind obedience to strict rules. It may involve physical punishment like spanking or hitting, usually harsh non-physical punishment (like t...

This episode deals with suicide and suicide prevention but contains no specific stories of suicide. It’s a crucial topic for parents but, of course, please listen with care. Suicide Hotlines: USA Lifeline 988 USA Crisis Text  741-741 USA Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Chat for the Deaf or Hearing impaired . Or use your preferred relay service, or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255 Canada 1-833-456-4566...

Oh, we've all been there. Those giant explosions of teenage emotion. Those moments when you want to run out the door, get in your car (alone) and head to a country with no extradition treaty.  Well, either that OR you want to body slam your kid (just kidding of course...), maybe scream at them though, cry or take that dang phone away like forever! Let me help you with this just a little bit....

Okay, don't say you don't. Well, maybe you don't if you have one of those teenagers you never have to remind about homework or studying because they just love school and love reading and love studying... count yourself lucky! The rest of us out here are worried our unmotivated or uninterested teen will be lucky to get into any college, much less the "college of their dreams&quo...