Should you trust your teen? Has your teen ever said to you, Why don’t you trust me? I’ve seen so many moms come into my practice reeling from that question. Why would moms be so bothered by that question? It can make us feel like we are doing something wrong, like we are supposed to love our kids, believe in them, and trust them. When you teen asks you why don’t you trust me we need to see the question in context. We need to rewind the video a bit. I am guessing that question is being thrown at ...
Jun 07, 2021•31 min•Ep. 117
Have you ever picked your teen up after school and said, "How's your day?" and they tell you. "fine." Then when you ask him another questions they tell you, "I don’t want to talk about it." I already know the answer to that question. Of course this has happened to you. Our teens are guarded like castles ,surrounded with a moat of crocodiles and sharks. And you do your best to get them to lower the drawbridge, but it seems whatever you do they just retreat deeper and deeper into their castle. How...
May 31, 2021•32 min•Ep. 116
In this episode I want to show you the power of acceptance and how that is different than resignation. When you hear, "You just need to accept . . .", it can feel like resignation, like you are giving up and you're losing the battle with your teen.. Actually the definition of resignation is the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable. I'm not talking about resignation. I'm talking about accepting your teen. If you want to influence your teen and change negative behavior you need to ac...
May 24, 2021•21 min•Ep. 115
You are going to love this conversation. "I believe that parenthood is like a bungee jump. It’s scary and fun, it makes you fly and often lets you down. This book isn’t so much a parenting guide as an exploration of the complex emotional journey of being a parent, reminding us of the courage and energy it requires as well as acknowledging that no parent is perfect and at the end of the day, this relationship is about connection." Einat Nathan Einat Nathan is a parenting expert, public speaker, a...
May 17, 2021•49 min•Ep. 114
Every parent wants to keep their teen safe online. But we can fall into the trap of spending most of our time fighting over screen time while spending minimal time on educating our teens and raising their awareness of the dangers online. We need to intentionally focus on having informative conversations with our teens. Every time your child logs onto social media they are at risk from a number of social media-related dangers like cyberbullying, depression and suicide, hate speech, sexting, and h...
May 10, 2021•38 min
As you know we have a lot of stressed out teens. Because of stress our teens are having tension headaches. And though stress doesn’t cause migraines; it can trigger one. Today I have invited a special guest Dr. Alexander Feoktistov MD. This was a really informative interview for me. Here are some things that I didn’t know: Over 10% of our teens are suffering from migraines. The symptoms in teens are different from how they appear in adults. Migraines often first appear during puberty. If migrain...
May 03, 2021•39 min•Ep. 112
If you are stressed out because your teen doesn't know what they want to be when they grow up. You are not the only one. Moms spend a great deal of time thinking/worrying about their teens future and so are teens. What are their interests, skills, and passions? What should they major in? What career are they going to pursue? Teens are under more pressure than ever before to know their life plan when they have had limited life experience. This pressure isn’t helpful. Today we are going to talk ab...
Apr 26, 2021•48 min•Ep. 111
In a culture of perfectionism and pressure we need ways to release the stress. I can think of no better way than healthy humor. There is so much fodder for humor while parenting teens and living in these middle years. Today's episode is on the lighter and even fun side. Our guest today helps us take ourselves and our situations lightly. In this episode I interview Kristen van Ogtrop. Kristin is the author of Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom. The former longti...
Apr 12, 2021•42 min•Ep. 110
In this episode I interview Jessica Lahey. Her latest book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence, published by Harper Collins will be released April 6th, 2021 every where books are sold. Jessica writes about education, parenting, and child welfare for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and the New York Times. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. Lahe...
Apr 05, 2021•48 min•Ep. 109
In this episode we are going to talk about space and why we all need it: you, your teen, and your partner. We'll also talk about how to use space well and finally six ways moms can reclaim their space. I think out of your whole family moms have the hardest time getting space and we probably need it the most so we have to be strategic to make sure we get it. Everyone in your family needs space, its not a nice to have; it is a core need of every human being. For a family to be healthy you need spa...
Mar 29, 2021•24 min•Ep. 108
In this episode I interview Dr. Kenneth Bock the author of "Brain Inflamed: Uncovering the Hidden Causes of Anxiety, Depression and Other Mood Disorders in Adolescents and Teens." This book is literally fresh off the press. Over the past decade the number of 12 to 17 years olds suffering from mental health disorders has more than doubled. Which leaves all of us asking what is causing this epidemic. And I know many of you listening have teens who struggle with anxiety, depression,ADHD, and other ...
Mar 22, 2021•53 min
In this episode we are going to talk about where to see and discover signs of growth in ourselves and in our teens. Recognizing signs of growth is so important to a moms well being. Signs of growth motivate us to get back in the parenting game because it reinforces that what we do matters. But signs of growth are rarely like blockbuster movies, they are not flashy. It's easy to miss them especially when it comes to our teens. Unfortunately one little negative word from our teen can set off a fiv...
Mar 15, 2021•24 min•Ep. 106
In this episode I interview Michelle Icard about her new book, "Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School." Michelle draws from her decades of experience working with families to focus not only on those big, thorny topics—like friendship, sexuality, impulsivity, and technology—but on conversations about creativity, hygiene, money, privilege, and contributing to the family. She outlines her family-tested formula for b...
Mar 08, 2021•39 min•Ep. 105
Between ages 8 and 14 girls confidence levels drop by 30%. Half of teen girls feel the pressure to be perfect. Girls are 22% less likely than boys to describe themselves as confident. Nearly 8 in 10 girls want to feel more confident in themselves. Katty Kay and Claire Shipman are on a mission to change this. Each of them have incredible experiences as journalists and both are mothers of fifteen-year-old daughters. They wrote New York Times Bestseller, "The Confidence Code for Girls" in 2018. Rec...
Mar 01, 2021•46 min•Ep. 104
In this episode we are going to talk about all things control. I think there can be a lot of confusion for parents around control. You hear phrases like keep your teens under control because you don’t want them to be out of control and then you hear don’t be too controlling or over controlling, or you need to exercise self control And then you have parental controls for everything social media. So I think it's easy to get confused about where you should stand on the whole control issue. In this ...
Feb 15, 2021•26 min•Ep. 103
Parenting is hard. So what do we do with that reality? I’m definitely not going to give you 5 tips to easy parenting. It's going to be hard. So what do we do with that emotionally? It's easy to get angry about it, or bitter or resentful. It's easy to want to numb on great wines and Netflix. It's easy to fantasize about escaping the hard and going to a remote tropical island. It’s easy to get discouraged and frustrated. It's easy to feel trapped and cornered, and swim in the waters of, "it's just...
Feb 08, 2021•24 min•Ep. 102
Do you have a hard time saying no to your teen? Do you have a hard time saying yes to your teen? You may say no frequently because you are scared of letting your teen have more independence and freedom? You may yes frequently because you are scared of your teen's reaction. What you want to shoot for is saying yes and saying no from a clear place instead of scared place.. Today we are going to talk about why it's hard to say no to your teen and what you can do about it. We will explore the top 7 ...
Feb 01, 2021•26 min•Ep. 101
This is the 100th episode of Power Your Parenting: Moms with Teens Podcast. Woo Hoo. This is because of all you amazing listeners. Does your teen feel accepted by you? Why is this important? A big part of your parenting job is to tell your teen what is unacceptable. Setting boundaries and consequences for unacceptable, unhealthy, risky or dangerous behaviors is the hard work of parenting and is desperately needed. Your teens behavior can be unacceptable, but who they are and their true essence s...
Jan 25, 2021•32 min•Ep. 100
After observing moms and teens for decades, I see predictable traps moms of juniors and seniors fall into . These traps dial up the drama, leave your relationship strained and you drained. This podcast will help you avoid these common pitfalls so you wont miss these precious years with your teen before they go off to college. With a little information, awareness and strategy you can avoid the traps and experience everything you hope for before your teen leaves home. This is a hard season. Legall...
Jan 18, 2021•31 min•Ep. 99
Would you like to feel like you're moving forward in 2021? This episode is the last in a 3-part series to help you successfully start 2021. I want to focus on how you and your family can move forward even in the midst of a global pandemic and the constant barrage of bad news. Experiencing moving forward is so important to our mental health. You see that clearly with your teen. You want to see your teen moving forward with their emotional maturity, friendships, academics, talents, and accomplishm...
Jan 11, 2021•32 min•Ep. 98
What do you want? This episode is the second in a three- part series. Think of this as your virtual retreat. My intention is to help you start the new year strong The previous episode we explored what you were tolerating. So that you can clean up the messes and irritations from 2020 and not drag them into the new year. When you dial down what you tolerate you free up attention for what you really want. In this episode we explore how moms tie themselves up in knots around what we want. Often we j...
Jan 04, 2021•35 min•Ep. 97
In the next several weeks I will lead you through a process to get you ready for the new year. Think of this as your personal retreat. What are you tolerating? Today we are going to explore tolerations, messes, and irritations. You know the things that annoy you on a daily basis and steal your I feel good energy. If I ask you the question what are you tolerating? What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe the first thing that comes to your mind is something about your teen, your boss, or y...
Dec 28, 2020•26 min•Ep. 96
Today we are going to talk about how mindfulness meditation can dial down the drama and help you be the best parent for your teens. Did you know that 47 different studies showed that mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety, reduces depression, increases well being , improves quality of sleep, and improves health outcomes? I have a special guest today that will help us explore mindfulness and parenting. Hunter Clarke-Fields, MSAE, RYT, is a mindful mama mentor. Hunter is the creator of the Mindful...
Dec 21, 2020•49 min•Ep. 95
Moms, as you know social media has created a whole new set of problems for parents of teens. I know trying to monitor screen time will bring out the beast in most teens. And that’s so draining to deal with that day after day. Today we are going to go deeper and explore the impact of how social media is impacting our teens. Specifically addressing this selfie generation. And how it's not just about posting selfies it's directly correlated with how many likes you get. This is a recipe for compulsi...
Dec 14, 2020•42 min•Ep. 94
Many teens are preoccupied with body image and girls especially can be obsessed with weight loss. In this episode we focus on health gain. A majority of weight and health issues are caused by unhealthy eating habits started in the teen years. Teens can get caught in that dieting and deprivation cycle, which can be extremely unhealthy. The goal is to interrupt those unhealthy habits as a teen so they don’t follow them into adulthood. Dr. D Nice or Dr Beaugelin, real name Denise Hunter, MD, is an ...
Dec 07, 2020•50 min•Ep. 93
In this episode we are going to talk about what to let in and what to keep out. Another way to say it is where to tune in and when to tune out. There is lots of drama, chaos, and fear swirling around our world right now. Therefore we are experiencing a lot of drama, chaos, and fear in our families. Just because the drama is swirling around you doesn't mean you have to let it in. You have a choice. You don't have to let the chaos, drama or fear inside of you. We can stay centered, grounded and ca...
Nov 30, 2020•23 min•Ep. 92
How do you raise money-wise teens? Is that really possible? To answer this question I invited Molly Ward to be my guest. Molly Ward, CFP® (Certified Financial Planner), CDFA® (Certified Divorce Financial Analyst) and Founder of Well Lived Wealth, LLC is a Financial Planner based in Houston with more than 20 years of professional experience. When she’s not helping clients take control of their lives through financial management, you can find her throwing a ball in the front yard with her 11-year-...
Nov 23, 2020•31 min•Ep. 91
I've been listening to moms for a long time. 99.9% of moms complain about their teens messy room. So if you struggle with your teen around cleaning their room you're not the only one. Yes this is not a life or death situation….but it is one of those damn dailies that can drain us and strain our relationship with our teens. So I have invited a very special guest who has personal experience with her own teens and also professional experience with organizing teens rooms. Amy Gardiner is a Professio...
Nov 16, 2020•39 min•Ep. 90
In this episode we're going to check in with your heart. How's your heart doing mom? Some of you may feel that your mothers heart is just fine. Others may feel that your heart has numbed out. Some of you may feel like you have a bleeding heart.? Some of you may describe your heart has gone cold or like it just feels tarnished. Parenting a teen is hard on our hearts. But too often moms suffer needlessly. WHY is that? Because we take things personally. In this episode we discuss how moms can guard...
Nov 09, 2020•23 min•Ep. 89
When your teen yells at you, "It's none of your business." Most likely it is your business! Today's episode we are going to get into your teen's personal business. We will address the question, "Whose business is it, your teens business, your business or our business? The way you define your teens business, your business or our business is by establishing boundaries. If you're unclear about whose business it is, you are unclear about the boundaries and your expectations. If you are unclear about...
Nov 02, 2020•25 min•Ep. 88
