Podcast

Today we are going to talk about how to help your teen figure out what’s next after High School. Are there any moms out there that have teens who have no idea what they want to do after High School? I’m sure a lot of......

Okay, in this podcast we are going to get real. Is it possible to be happy and be a mom of a preteen or teenager? And when I say happy, I mean are you truly happy? One definition of happy says, “feeling pleasure and enjoyment......

It’s hard to say “no” to an angry, upset, or demanding teen. Moms often feel pushed in the corner and begrudgingly say “yes.” But when we do that it’s not in the best interest of your teen or you. How do you feel when you......

Often moms are told to “not take things personally,” which could be said by a well-meaning spouse. Sometimes those words are said to shut down the conversation that mom desperately needs to have. Well, that’s not helpful. However in this episode we are going to......

Do you ever wake up and wonder, “How good can the teenage years get?” or do you think, “How am I going to survive the teenage years?” Many moms just wonder how they are going to survive the teenage years. And that’s no surprise since......

Does your teen stress you out? If you have a normal teenager then the answer should be yes and the reason for that is where they are developmentally and I talk about the science behind that in the podcast. So yes your teen will stress......

Today we are going to talk about the “4 Steps to Creating the Routine You Want”. This is crucial to establish routines that work for you and your family this new school year. It’s easy to think that you are starting your year off with......

The new school year is starting soon or may have already started. Before the year takes off at full time speed, I want to discuss why intentional downtime is a big deal. With our busy schedules downtime is not going to happen naturally, you have......

Has your teen ever said anything like, “Mom you are the only one who won’t let me . . .” or “Everyone else is doing it so why can’t I . . .?” If they have, congratulations you have a normal teenager. Teens from all......

In this episode we’ll discuss why curiosity makes you a better human being and parent. You’ll learn how healthy curiosity dials down the drama, and improves your relationship with your teen. Healthy curiosity is the secret ingredient to a well-lived life. Curiosity makes us feel......

I hope that Mothers’ Day was all that you hoped it would be. But if you ended up disappointed, you are definitely not the only one. Heres the problem with Mother’s day. I think you come to that day with huge expectations that your kids......

Whenever I speak to moms I tell them, “This is one of the most challenging times to raise a teen.” A huge reason for this is navigating through the treacherous waters of cell phones, social media, and internet with teenagers. Most parents are blind sided......

I think what’s challenging and perplexing about parenting is that your child/ teen can feel like a moving target—or you could say a growing target. You feel like you finally have mastered one stage and then your teen grows out of it and you are......

I hear parents second guess themselves saying things like, “I wasn’t hard enough on him,” or ” I was too soft on her.” And what they are really talking about is their parenting approach in regards to discipline. The challenge about parenting is “one approach......

How do you foster your child/teen’s creativity? Expressing your creativity through art, dance, writing, film and music is an excellent way to develop the teenage brain. The brain is having a major growth spurt during the teenage years. It is a season where you use......

My friend sent me a post that said, “Check on your friends with strong willed daughters. We are not ok.” I laughed but what really struck me is how many thousands of moms had shared it. Obviously it struck a chord. A strong willed daughter......

You need to be prepared when your teen has their first big break up. Parents see the worst version of their teen after a breakup. This makes it hard for you to help your teen and console them. They are angry and shut down. They......

Why is it that you can be a CEO of a company and feel on top of the world and yet a sassy teenager can bring you to your knees. Why is it that moms of middle school and high school teens rarely wake up......

In this episode I interview my friend and colleague Angela Caughlin, MA. Angela is an expert on how journaling can help you find your inner parenting wisdom. She has lived her message. When recently widowed she had to raise three children by herself. Angela has......

What do I mean by a hard conversation? Basically it’s any conversation your teen doesn’t want to have with you—and there are a-lot of those. In this episode I give you 5 key elements to help you have a (successful) hard conversation with your teen.......

Every mom worries. You can’t eliminate worry. Parenting a teen gives you endless things to worry about. Worry can be useful if it leads to effective action. But too often worry is just wasted energy. It doesn’t lead to solutions it just leads to more......

Power Your Parenting: Moms with Teens is back. This is going to be an exciting year. I have lined up some great guests and of course I will be sharing some practical parenting tips and sharing current research on teens. One of my primary goals......

Do your teens need better communication skills—especially when they are wanting something from you? In this podcast I interview Laura Lyles Reagan who is a family sociologist with more than 30 years of experience in practical youth development and parenting coaching. She holds a Masters......

Do you feel like you worry about your teen 24/7? Does your son and daughter seem to always be stressed? Ready to dial down the worry and the stress! In this episode I interview Jodi Aman, who has been a psychotherapist for over 20 years. Jodi......

Has your daughter ever eaten a big bag of Cheetos and then fifteen minutes later run out of the room and screamed, “I’m so fat.” Monitoring teenage girls and their food choices can be tough for moms. You can tell your daughter is struggling with......

Why do you need a long-term perspective when parenting a teenager? The answer comes from the final Chapter in my book, Dial Down the Drama: Reducing Conflict and Reconnecting with Your Teenage Daughter. It’s important to remember that we were once teenagers and we did......

“How to be your daughter’s (or son’s) dream maker” is a complicated question.  Your daughter or son may not know what they want to be when they grow up. Your son is set to get a scholarship for baseball in college but he decides his......

Have you ever felt like everyone in your family is driving your life? I had one mom tell me, “I feel like I’m my daughter’s personal assistant. I wish I had one!” This episode is the practical “how to’s” on how to recapture your life which......

What does your son or daughter need to thrive? This is an important question for both you and your teen. The answer is sometimes personal to your own taste, but often it is applicable to all of us. This is especially true for teens. One......

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Let’s face it disciplining a defiant teen is challenging. Because parents often feel powerless when it’s two hours past curfew,  we can be flooded with a whole array of emotions. At this point we are not thinking clearly.......