Self-confidence is an important core support and driving force behind our teens' ability to move forward in building their lives; however, it's too easy for our kids to focus on their failures, to be afraid to try, to compare themselves to others and feel like they'll never measure up. Shari Medini, author and co-owner of AdoreThemParenting.com, joins Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy [...]
The teen years can be challenging for both teens and parents. Letting our kids make more choices, do more on their own, and follow the beat of their internal drummer can be scary. And feeling them pull away to spend more time with their friends can be painful. But our teens do still need us. They need to feel loved and supported to help them through the ups and downs of these years. And connecting[...]
Stress. Climbing rates of anxiety. Huge pressure. This is life for teens and twenty somethings today. And our kids don’t have the tools they need to avoid it and create emotional wellness. A large part of creating emotional wellness is self-care for teens and twenty somethings—actually, for all of us. We all need self-care. If it’s something you don’t truly understand or make time for then[...]
We love our kids. We want them to be happy. We want to have a good relationship with them and oftentimes we believe we do. But what do we do if we find out we didn’t know them as well as we thought? What if we discover our teen is transgender—the daughter we thought we had is really a son, or the son is a daughter? This is what Paria Hassouri experienced when she discovered she had a [...]
Believe it or not, our kids do love us and do still want to talk to us--even when the most common response to our questions is a put-upon sigh and an eye-roll. Even when just trying to start a conversation feels impossible. Mother and parenting life coach Deborah Ann Davis knows how that feels, and today joins Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy Fowler to discuss why our teens behave this way, [...]
Leadership. If you have a teen who has filled out college applications or scholarship applications then you know the role leadership in teens plays in higher education. Why leadership though? Why are colleges so focused on this? And what does it really mean? Is it really about your teen being the president of every organization they participate in? Umbreen Bhatti has some unique thoughts on [...]
What do you do when the teacher tells you your child is acting out or exhibiting other teen behavior problems? Or your teen is melting down or lighting things up at home? Behavior problems in teenagers can leave parents scratching their heads or on the verge of a meltdown themselves. The response is often to go into discipline mode. Lauren Spigelmyer is talking to Mighty Parenting podcast host [...]
We all have ideas about what addiction looks like in a person: that the outward appearance should match the inward mental and emotional state, that if you don't look and feel like you've hit rock bottom, that you can't be addicted. That you're just having a little mental trouble. And we apply these ideas not just to others, but to ourselves as well. Mother and son Laura and Tom Boldt join Mighty [...]
Parenting teenagers is quite different from parenting toddlers and young children. We want our teens to have a successful academic journey, to be happy and healthy. Yet, many parenting practices prevent that. In fact, they can stress our teens out and push them toward anxiety. And in an effort to see our kids on the road to success, even well-intentioned parents are behaving badly and exacerbating[...]
Shame. Such a small and innocuous word that carries so much baggage and can cause so much damage to our psyches, emotions, and relationships—wittingly or unwittingly. Inward Bound Mindfulness Education meditation instructors Sara Shapouri and JoAnna Hardy meet with Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy Fowler to unpack the concept of shame, how that influences our views of our kids and their [...]