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 respect and openness. If you don't know who Lainie is, she's a teen mentor , co-founder (with her 24-year-old son, Miro) of Project ...
Jan 23, 2024•47 min
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 but it's probably easier than you've imagined. Listen to this first episode in a continuing series on bui...
Jan 19, 2024•15 min
Today, I’m joined by Aly Pain to discuss how most of us are still parenting using an outdated model from several generations ago , which is derailing the connection with our teenagers and fueling their misbehavior.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 when we attempt to make the necessary changes with our teenagers, we’re often met with disapproval and p...
Jan 16, 2024•58 min
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!) We're talking about emotional awareness and emotional regulation today - how you can acquire a bit ...
Jan 12, 2024•22 min
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 dreaded application. The initial steps your teens need to take to get ready to pursue college and/or a career is much mo...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr
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 , and 57 For this episode, download the free guides, "Emotional Awareness Strategies" and "10 Keys to Unlock Your...
Jan 05, 2024•18 min
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 in just a couple if minutes per day that can change so much for your own mental health as well as the ...
Jan 02, 2024•33 min
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 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 ...
Dec 29, 2023•16 min
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 behavior will be for nothing - actually, they will totally backfire. Listen to this episode to understand how you can supp...
Dec 26, 2023•27 min
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 the platform where you are currently listening In less than 15 minutes you're going to understand what mindful...
Dec 22, 2023•15 min
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 taking place in their brain right now. The problem is, they have very little awareness of what they're actuall...
Dec 19, 2023•31 min
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 on the last star, then tap on “Write a Review” and let me know what you love about the show. If you’re listening in Spoti...
Dec 15, 2023•13 min
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 book, He’s Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe in Himself and it’s an eye-opening conversation...
Dec 12, 2023•57 min
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 teenagers are visibly causing issues? Is there a new way we can think about all of this? I believe there is. T...
Dec 08, 2023•12 min
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 adults to help them with their stress, anxiety, depression and ADHD. And she's not only a mom of 4 but ha...
Dec 05, 2023•55 min
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 monthly increase .” So, despite the fact that cannabis vaping products have also seen a major uptick,...
Dec 01, 2023•26 min
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 throughout adolescence is not only important for our relationship, but also critical in keeping them men...
Nov 28, 2023•41 min
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 out to everyone. Yes, manuals handed out at the hospital (maybe even a seminar and a test or perhaps a cer...
Nov 24, 2023•20 min
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 it arises may help you prevent it. My guest, Dr. JJ Kelly , literally wrote the book on self-harm an...
Nov 21, 2023•49 min
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? Washington Post article The Daily - New York Times podcast Everytown USA Sandy Hook Promise Moms Demand Action U.S. Youth Attitu...
Nov 17, 2023•24 min
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 up 90% since 2010!) What’s going on? Why, by age 13, have 70% of kids given up on sports altogether...
Nov 14, 2023•57 min
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'll be locked in never-ending power struggles. Find out how to navigate balancing your parental control with their need f...
Nov 10, 2023•16 min
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. What do you do? Well, today’s guest, Amy Lang , a sexual health education expert, podcaster, autho...
Nov 05, 2023•47 min
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 Parenting Guides Here "I just wanted to let you know that I'm so thankful for your podcast! ...I'm so happy I discovere...
Nov 03, 2023•34 min
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 do something to “straighten your teen out”. The problem is, you’re focused on the wrong thing. Liste...
Oct 31, 2023•53 min
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 taking property or privileges for long periods of time or for the slightest infraction), and psychological contr...
Oct 27, 2023•12 min
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 United Kingdom 116 123 Australia 13 11 14 International suicide hotlines Teen suicide is obviously n...
Oct 24, 2023•53 min
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. We're going to talk about gaining a little empathy for your teens that will, in turn, help you keep from l...
Oct 20, 2023•16 min
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" (if they even "dream" about college at all!) But that worrying and stressing and fussing and punishing - it's not doing yo...
Oct 17, 2023•28 min
It happens all too often. And it's scary for parents. Teenagers, in middle school and high school, are pretty likely, at one time or another, to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night. Yes, it's dangerous but try telling them that. How do you make sure your teen is not the one climbing out the window and down the gutter to go take a joy ride with a friend at 1 am? Well, there are actually several things you can do (and none of them involve surveillance cameras or bells on their bedroo...
Oct 13, 2023•22 min
