In today's episode I talk about the things I find myself repeating most in live sessions with parents of teens. These are changes you can make that will make an enormous difference in much influence you can maintain in their life.

I'll talk to you about:

a) remembering that your teen doesn’t think like you do,

b) staying calm when you engage with them, and

c) discussing issues with them rather than making unilateral declarations.

I focus on these ideas because I know if you can make positive changes in these areas, you’ll decrease animosity between you and your teen and give them the opportunity to trust you and let you into their life.

And be sure to check out today's Substack post (5-20-25) where I give you a bit more insight into these issues.

Access TRANSCRIPT here.

Thank you so much for listening to the show! If you found it helpful in some way, please share it with someone who could also benefit from it. And if you prefer listening on a podcast app, please be sure and follow the show so new episodes will automatically pop up in your que.

I make this show for you, and I really appreciate and value your feedback. I’d love your suggestions for how I make the show better. And if you’d like me to cover a specific topic or you have a parenting question that I could discuss in a future episode, please reach out, I’d love to hear from you!

You may be interested in one or more of my FREE Parenting Guides.

Resources:

130, 131, 132 (episodes on the teen brain)

15, 108, 133, and 211 (episodes on teen autonomy)

8, 30, 102, 107, 120, and 127 (episodes on your emotions)

151, 153, 155, and 157 (our behavior makes theirs worse)

"The Challenging Adolescent Brain" (free parenting guide)

"Emotional Awareness Strategies" (free parenting guide)

130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 (foundational teen parenting series)