Talking To Teens: Expert Tips for Parenting Teenagers

Paul Podolsky, author of Raising a Thief , goes in depth on his journey raising a traumatized daughter. Paul describes how to spot the signs and tells us what parents can do to help troubled teens heal and transition into adulthood. Full show notes With teens dangling somewhere between childhood and adulthood, it can be hard to negotiate control as a parent–control over how late they can stay out,...

John Beede, author of The Warrior Challenge , sheds light on how to help instill values of kindness, courage, and grit in our young people. Plus, how to approach masculinity in a healthy way that benefits everyone. Full show notes When your kids have moved out and are facing the world every day on their own, you won’t be there to tell them how to act–they’ll have to rely on their values. As a pare...

Leslie Josel, author of How To Do It Now Because It’s Not Going Away and global time management expert, shares her passion for planners, productivity, and practicing. Find out the tricks for helping teens get more homework done (on time) and retain more information! Full show notes When kids are tired from a long day of classes and basketball practice and it’s time to get cracking on some calculus...

Richard Capriola, author of The Addicted Child and a seasoned addiction counselor, gives us the details on vaping, marijuana use, and drug abuse in teens. Together Andy and Richard go in depth on what to do if you suspect substance abuse and how to start a successful recovery. Full show notes As more states legalize marijuana and vape companies continue to pander to young people with “fun” flavors...

Dr. Pamela Ellis, author of What to Know Before They Go , shares key insights on how to best prepare for college. Whether your teen is a senior or seventh grader, Dr. Ellis has tips for how to catch up and how to get ahead. Full show notes For parents and students alike, the road to college can be full of twists, turns and unpredictable roadblocks...it sometimes feels like you’ll never cross the f...

Jeremy Bhandari, author of Trust the Grind , interviewed the world’s most elite athletes to figure out what young people can do to be just as successful in their own pursuits. Full show notes You know your teen is capable of more than binging Netflix, but helping teens sort out their own goals and motivate them to take action is hard work! Kids these days encounter distractions at every turn, and...

Leah Plunkett, author of Sharenthood , joins Andy for a discussion on the consequences and benefits of our teens’ extensive digital footprint. We leave more data behind us than we think--who is using it and for what purposes? Full show notes It’s not always easy to know what to share about your kids online. You might want to celebrate how cute they look in a Winnie the Pooh Halloween costume by po...

John G. Miller, author of five books including Raising Accountable Kids and QBQ! , shares his expertise on how to get your teenager to be responsible for their own actions. Plus, the ultimate question to ask when it feels like nothing is working. Full show notes When your kids are refusing to listen, staying out past curfew and ignoring your repeated attempts to establish control, some serious que...

Dr. Margaret Rutherford, author of Perfectly Hidden Depression and psychologist, chats with Andy about the symptoms--some intuitive and some counterintuitive--of depression. According to Dr. Rutherford many young people hide feelings of depression behind a constant state of achieving. Full show notes We know our teenagers better than anybody else, so we’d definitely know when they were feeling dep...

Cindy Otis, author of True or False and former CIA analyst, joins Andy to discuss how misinformation snowballs (and how to spot it), the long history of fake news, and how emotion can blind teens (and adults) to the truth. Full show notes With kids these days having 24/7 access to the internet on a million different devices, free to browse endless content and information, it can be frightening to...

Jonathan Cristall, author of What They Don’t Teach Teens and a career prosecutor, gives Andy the insider scoop on what teens should know to stay calm and collected during any police or criminal encounter. Does your teen know their rights? Full show notes   When it comes to raising teens, most of us know how important it it to have conversations about things like safe sex, drugs, and alcohol...but...

Megan Maas, PhD, award-winning researcher at Michigan State University, leads us through the latest reports on pornography use among adolescents. Andy learns only 7% of parents have talked to their teens about porn. Full show notes When it comes to having hard conversations with teenagers, talking about pornography is often one of the most awkward and unprecedented topics to cover. It feels so pri...

Malin Gutestam, author of Brain Tools for Teens , shares what she has learned from decades of working in education. There are a few simple tactics that every teen can employ to make their brain work for them--and Malin tells us what parents can do to help. Full show notes When your teen is cranky, rude, anxious, or just stressed out, it’s hard not to ask yourself, what’s making them act this way?...

Dr. Larry J. Young, author of The Chemistry Between Us and researcher at Emory, joins Andy to discuss the hormones that drive humans (and animals!) to form deep bonds with each other. Plus, how increasing your teen’s oxytocin could be the key to creating a sociable adult. Full show notes It can sometimes be worrying when our teenagers struggle to form bonds with other teens. As our kids get older,...

Dr. Richard Lerner, author of The Good Teen and academic at Tufts University, shares his research on “good” teens and “bad” teens. The key to raising a good one? Strong, nurturing, and trusting relationships. Richard shows us how! Full show notes Creating a strong relationship with your teen doesn’t always come easy. It can be hard to interest them in shooting hoops or watching old movies with you...

Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, authors of the new book Wildhood (and bestseller Zoobiquity ), explain the four needs of every adolescent as they transition to healthy adults. Plus, the surprising biology behind teen risk-taking behavior, particularly in groups! Full show notes Watching teens gobble down five plates of food, grow six inches in one night and flock in groups to the ma...

Dr. Shimi Kang, author of The Tech Solution and Dolphin Parenting , spreads the word on the three types of tech use (toxic, junk, & healthy) and the consequences of each. Plus how to manage any new apps that teens might get into. Full show notes Technology is not going away, but it can feel like our teens have been looking at a screen for half their lives. With so many new distracting gadgets...

Kari Kampakis, author of Love Her Well , joins Andy for a heartfelt discussion on parenting mistakes and repairing hurt relationships with our teens. Cat’s out of the bag: out teens know we’re not perfect! Full show notes It’s not always easy to be pleasant as a parent, especially when your teens push your buttons, blow off curfew, or “forget” to unload the dishwasher, no matter how many times you...

Bill Deresiewicz, bestselling author and our first ever guest on the show, re-joins us for our 100th episode to talk about his latest book The Death of the Artist . We discuss if art is even a worthy pursuit for young people today and if so, what can young people expect. Full show notes When our kid says they want to pursue art as a career, we can sometimes be hesitant to support them. We have no...

Chris Farrell, co-author of ReThink Money for Children and Teens and co-founder of FUNancial Freedom, shares his passion for teaching teens money management. Say goodbye to the days of allowance and hello to a future with a financially independent teen! Full show notes Talking to our kids about finances can be a chore: terms like “good debt,” “credit score,” and “interests rates” tend to make most...

Shanterra McBride, author of Love Your Jiggle and founder of Marvelous University, joins Andy for a talk on how to help our teens through their most awkward years and what to do to prepare them for the big world ahead. Full show notes Being a tween and becoming an adult is an awkward time not just for tweens, but for their parents! Bodies are changing, friendships are growing more complicated, and...

Brooklyn Raney, author of One Trusted Adult , shares with Andy what she’s seen works with teens as a mentor, high school dean, camp director, and parent herself. Having support at home is important for teens, but having just one trusted adult outside the home can be even more impactful. Full show notes Helping your teenager approach independence is hard. You want to make sure they know how to make...

Cindy Pierce, author of Sexploitation and Sex, College, and Social Media , brings her immense knowledge and humorous vibes to this week’s episode. Porn is wreaking havoc on our teens’ sexual development, but, fortunately, Cindy has ways parents can help undo the deleterious effects. Full show notes Talking to teens about sex is one of the hardest things to do as a parent. Initiation discussion abo...

Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind and The Alcohol Experiment , dispels myths around alcohol with Andy and reveals her number one method for talking to teens about drinking. Full show notes   Drinking alcohol is a significant part of Western culture. Of Americans over 18, 86.3% say that they’ve tried alcohol and 55.3% report that they drink regularly. Nowhere is alcohol more culturally expecte...

Dr. Jess Shatkin, author of Born to be Wild and expert in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, clues us into why teens run wild and how we can help keep them safe. A still-developing brain and high levels of hormones mean parents have their work cut out for them! Full show notes We have the “talk” with our teens and make sure they at least attend health class. We push our teens to get ade...