These days it seems like every time you turn around, your teen has their face in their phone—or tablet, or laptop, or GameBoy...you get the picture. Our lives revolve around electronics and we can't imagine being without them. Fun interaction with your family becomes a chore to arrange. How can we get ourselves and our teens to take a break from screen time without simply banning tech use [...]
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[...]
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 [...]
Seeing our kids struggle is heart breaking for parents. In fact, it can be one of the hardest things for parents to do. It’s why they jump in where they shouldn’t and do more for their kids than is healthy. Parents want to protect their kids, to simply wave a magic wand to give them a perfectly wonderful life. While there isn’t a magic wand, there are important lessons that give kids a leg [...]
Are you dealing with a teen who’s slamming doors and having big emotional outbursts, who’s angry or endlessly scrolling their phone? Or a child who is indecisive, even about basic decisions? These are common behaviors for an anxious teenager. If you are parenting an anxious child, you are far from alone. You are part of a very big and growing club! If you feel guilty because you did things[...]
Parents often talk about behavior problems or strained relationships with their teenager. While there are many potential contributing factors for those issues, if your teen is stressed, tired, or worn out then anything they are struggling with will be exacerbated. If you are stressed, tired, or worn out then it can strain your relationship with your child. On the Mighty Parenting podcast, Sandy [...]
Teens can be difficult, withdrawn, or moody during the best of times and these are not the best of times. Our teens and twenty somethings are dealing with a lot and it’s taking a toll. John MacPhee from the JED Foundation and Janis Whitlock of Cornell University join Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy Fowler to understand what’s happening to our teens during Covid. They are shining a light on[...]
There is so much pressure for families to achieve, to be the best in whatever we do. Kids face this in school, sports, and activities. Parents feel pressured to be perfect parents. But what if there isn’t one right way to raise kids? What if we opt out of the pressure to do it all perfectly? Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy Fowler has a conversation with Kristen Howerton about her concept of [...]
Managing food allergies is exhausting and emotionally draining. While parents of are the keepers of the box when it comes to their children's food, when that food can be life threatening it's terrifying. We often handle that fear through vigilance. However, the older kids get the more often they'll be away from us and the more food choices they'll make on their own. They need, and want, to take [...]
Say the word budget and watch people cringe. Why is that? Why are budgets so difficult? Why don’t we stick to them? And how can we help our kids stay out of debt while still living a good life? Certified financial planner Christina Gatteri joins Mighty Parenting Podcast host Sandy Fowler to help us understand personal and financial self care and how it impacts our lives. She shares insights [...]