I’m Ann Coleman, attorney turned podcaster and parent educator and you’re listening to Speaking of Teens.

I can’t remember now how this idea popped into my head last week but as soon as it did, I Googled it – I mean what else do you do with an idea or question right? A Teenager Bill of Rights. I wanted to see if someone had already put together such a thing, and after sifting through a lot of documents for a variety of residential facilities, I landed on a New York Times article entitled "A 'Teen-Age’ Bill of Rights".

This might not be so surprising except that the article was published in 1945 – the same year World War II ended. In 1945 the concept of “teen-ager” (with a hyphen) was fairly new – especially in print and this article, I soon realized, served as the term’s big coming out. And this Teen-age Bill of Rights had to seem extremely progressive to most parents of the day, because it’s completely relevant by today’s parenting standards.

So, in case you didn’t realize, here’s a 30-second history lesson: prior to World War II and during the industrial revolution, no one recognized this period between childhood and adulthood with a specific term - because there really was no period between childhood and adulthood. You got a little bit of an education as a child and then went to work as an adult…at a surprisingly young age. Actually, there were tons of kids working that should have been in kindergarten or 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grade.

It was only in 1938 that the Fair Labor Standards Act passed and put limits on the employment of kids under 16 in some industries and it just continued to spread over the years to most industries. At around the same time, many states started requiring longer school years, truancy enforcement or even more years of education for certain jobs. So, the late 30s and on through the late 40s there was a significant shift in the lifestyle of kids or “teenagers”.

Now there’s this period of years freed up - where kids used to be working – they’re now required to go to school – they used to be in the factories all day and now it’s all about education, and recreation - driving cars, smoking cigarettes, and dancing.

It was all new. So, really, the first teenagers are your grandparent’s generation – people in their 80’s and 90’s now. My mother, who got a late start with me, is 88 and in 1945 she was in the 5^th grade. In 1948 when she finished the 8^th grade at the little red brick school house in the Mountains of Alabama, my grandparents moved with her and her 2 younger siblings to the valley where they could all finish school through the 12^th grade. It was so important to my grandfather because he was only able to go through 8^th grade before going to work.

They were the first generation to actually have the time to contemplate rebellion or develop their own ideas about the world, to have fun, to be creative rather than just working. By 1950 when my mom was 16, they were jitterbugging and soda jerking and wearing bobby socks and listening to Fats Domino, Frankie Laine and Patti Page.

And I doubt their parents had any clue how to deal with it. They had gone to work in the factory or the field at least by age 12 or 13, they had no concept of being a modern teenager. And they’d been raised by authoritarian parents, and they’d become authoritarian parents.

It would be another year before Dr. Benjamin Spock would come out with his revolutionary book “Baby and Child Care” where he encouraged empathy, affection, and warmth in parenting...and another couple of years before the concept of secure attachment in children was “discovered”.

When many of these parents read this Bill of Rights in the Times, they must have been a bit bewildered. But they were written by experts of the Jewish Board of Guardians, an agency of the New York Federation of Jewish Philanthropies…which is to this day, a fabulous organization, now over a hundred years old – doing work both locally and globally. So, these folks got together the best of the best to plan a series of studies and papers. And this document, this Bill of Rights, was one of the byproducts, and I was lucky enough to stumble across it.

The reason I wanted to put together a Bill of Rights for teenagers – or actually, all adolescents (from 10 -25), is because they need one. When kids suddenly become adolescents, when they start puberty, their parenting requirements change pretty drastically…because they change pretty drastically thanks to biology – neurobiology. That’s been happening throughout the ages - whether they were busy inventing fire, discovering new worlds, working in a coal mine, or attending school.

Think about it this way: as parents you have sort of an unwritten “constitution” that governs raising children in general (provide them with love and affection, praise, and support, provide for their physical and emotional needs)- a baseline so to speak.

Then just like the US Bill of Rights to the US constitution, this Teenager Bill of Rights or “amendments” spell out your adolescent’s rights in relation to you – you’re like the federal government.

Instead of freedom of speech, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, this Teenage Bill of Rights details certain rights your adolescent is entitled to – the rights you should be honoring.

 

So, let this sink in. Let these be your parenting guidelines - the basic requirements for the parenting relationship to your teen, tween or “young adult” (referred to here as “teenagers”).

So, I give you the 1945 version of the Teen-age Bill of Rights with a few minor alterations for the 21^st century.

The FIRST Amendment is the Right to Leave Childhood in the Past

This really is an appropriate First amendment because it sort of sets the tone for all engagement with your teenagers.  You must understand and respect that they don’t want to be treated as children. They no longer consider themselves children. They think of themselves as every bit as knowledgeable and as sophisticated as you. They don’t want to talk about or be reminded of childish things (things they did as a “child”).

This is especially true of younger adolescents. In their mind, even if it was just yesterday, they were acting very much like a kid, they don’t want you making them feel that way. It’s humiliating, hurtful and infuriating for them to be talked down to, to be made fun of or talked about. Try talking to them in the same way you would a young adult – with more respect and deference. Don’t kid with them about being “grown up”, tease them about their romantic interests or roll your eyes when they make a “grown up” request.

It’s really hard for most parents to do this but it is so very important in the relationship with your teen. As pointed out of parents, in the Times article  “They overlook the fact that what is still cute to them is embarrassing to him, that he is as eager as they are reluctant to forget his childhood.” And yes, he and his are used as the generic pronoun for teenagers throughout the document with a couple of she/hers sprinkled in for good measure.

But you see the point? They’re ready to move on and as hard as it may be for you, unless you want to cause hard feelings between you and your child, you need to respect their First Amendment Right to Leave Childhood in the Past

The SECOND Amendment is their Right to Make Decisions About their Own Life

We just talked about this a couple of episodes ago – having a feeling of autonomy is so very important to adolescents. They need to feel they have some control over their own life. Allowing this is what will help solidify your relationship with them – reenforce their secure attachment. Being free to state their opinion without the fear of rejection of some kind, to be listened to, and not ignored. So, working with them on rules and consequences – negotiating is a big part of this.

To have some level of independence, to feel accomplished and in control at least in certain areas of one’s life – doing things on their own, being able to make certain decisions unilaterally without parental approval. Just last week we talked about allowing teens freedom within boundaries… and said that if it’s not dangerous, unhealthy, illegal, unethical, or likely to close some doors that are better left open…they should be allowed to do it – it should be within their personal jurisdiction to make such decisions. In 1945 they put it this way, “decisions affecting the teen-ager should be made largely by him – certainly with him – never for him.” That’s brilliantly put and still true over three quarters of a century later.

 

The THIRD Amendment – The Right to Make Mistakes and Learn for Oneself

Another critical part of parenting an adolescent is allowing them the room to make their own mistakes and learn from the natural consequences. Rescuing, jumping in to fix mistakes or make sure they never make them is not doing them a bit of good. Making mistakes is a natural part of being able to make decisions themselves. If they want to get better at making the right decision, they must sometimes make the wrong decisions first.

If they’re never allowed to make their own decisions, or never allowed to feel the consequences of a bad decision, (while you’re still there as their consultant)…they’ll have a truly rude awakening when, once out of your home, they make their first real decision and their first major mistake!

So, allow independent decisions and let them stand, using the standard enumerated in the Second Amendment (if it’s not illegal, etc.) and don’t fix or rescue - but if asked you can certainly provide guidance and advice – that’s your role now.

In true 1945 fashion, this is what they had to say about allowing mistakes, “When something goes wrong, he is not ludicrous – it is part of the process of learning. That’s as true of a boy who becomes ill smoking his first cigarette as it is of the 13-year-old girl who studies her first experiment with lipstick in the mirror.” Again, with the “he” and of course the girl is putting on makeup!

The FOURTH Amendment – The Right to Have Rules Explained, Not Imposed

Another very big deal to have been printed in 1945 as it’s so far removed from the general authoritarian parenting style that was still quite prominent at the time. And I have to read this example they used because it’s just priceless:

“Harry somehow can never get home by 10 p.m., his middle-of-the-week curfew hour. It’s not that he does anything unusual; he just kids around with the fellows; if there is some money, he may go into Joe’s for a soda. “What harm is there in that?”

The harm of course, is that his mother has trouble rousing him for school; he is sleepy and disgruntled. A few days of going to bed late, and Harry looks it. His body is growing; he needs lots of sleep and rest. But it is only to the extent that Harry understands this that the rule will cease being a restriction and become O.K. with him. And if, on a rare occasion, he does come in fifteen minutes late – well, it is hard sometimes to tear one’s self away.”

Now, I’m telling you, this is again, quite a departure from the “because I said so” parenting of the day. And it’s really close to the mark in 2022. Commanding and demanding, ordering, and punishing is not the way to go if you want to maintain a good relationship with your child, support their autonomy, keep the communication open and maintain cooperation. Simply setting a rule and then telling them how it is, will not cut it. We talked about this in episode 16 if you want a refresher. During adolescence you want to work as a team – you’ve moved into more of a consultant role rather than a manager role. At the very least, you tell them the reason for the rule and if it’s non-negotiable (it has to do with something dangerous, unhealthy, illegal, etc.) you can use the tactics we discussed in episode 16 to help soften it – say something positive, sort of give them a win.

Maybe it’s negotiable to some extent or perhaps it’s altogether in their personal jurisdiction (if it’s not dangerous, unhealthy, illegal, etc.) But the bottom line is – You should no longer consider yourself the “boss” – If you want their respect, if you want to maintain your influence with them, you’re going to have to show them respect. Discussion rather than unilateral implementation is the key.

The FIFTH Amendment is The Right to Have Fun

In the 1945 version, they were making the point that teenagers are going to make their own fun if it’s not provided in the home or in the community. And that’s when it can get dangerous. Just for kicks, this is what they gave as an example:

“Doris tells her mother, ‘It’s my turn to entertain the girls Thursday. Will you have cookies?’ From past experience, her mother knows what a nuisance this means: enough chatting and giggling to give her an all-day headache, crumbs, and shoeprints on all the furniture (she sometimes wonders what kind of homes these girls come from – except that Doris acts exactly the same).”

“If she says ‘No’, she can expect Doris’ hurt, ‘What can I tell the girls? I’ll never be able to go to their houses.’ If she’s wiser, she says, ‘Of course, dear, but just remember about the shopping, and the cleaning up afterward.’”

“This is equally true on a neighborhood level. Parents who dislike unsupervised cellar clubs and poolroom hangouts have a responsibility to help set up organized community centers. Youth will seek out social centers and their level depends on what society offers.”

Truly, in 2022, the same can be said. Teens are going to make their own fun, so we need to offer them as much as possible that will keep them safe. Studies show that teens who are supervised and involved in organized activities and extracurriculars after school are less likely to be involved in drugs, unprotected sex, and illegal activities. Unscheduled and unsupervised time is when teens find themselves in more trouble. If they’re involved in extracurricular activities or a hobby that they’re passionate about – they have less time and fewer opportunities to be involved in risky activities. Obviously, teenagers are going to “hang out” with friends when they can – every minute can’t be scheduled and supervised (you can’t really supervise them when they’re in a car or at a ball game or movie). But, if they’re at someone’s home, there should always be supervision – by a responsible adult.

Start by making an agreement with your teen that they cannot have guests when a responsible adult is not at home and that they cannot be at anyone else’s home without the same supervision. If you can - make your house the place they choose to hang out with their friends – but this only works as long as you or another adult is home to supervise. It’s always good to be the house where everyone congregates. Having them under your roof gives you so much more power to keep your child safe. You don’t have to be in the same room with them the whole time but make sure to have an open-door policy. If that open room is far removed from where you’ll be physically - then make excuses to pop in now and then (take them drinks or food or ask if they need anything, ask a quick question – just don’t make it totally obvious you’re checking up on them). Trust but verify!

Even if your house is the usual hang out, your teenager is, of course, going to end up at someone else’s house at some point as well. This is where their secure attachment with you is so important - that they feel comfortable talking to you about what’s going on in their life, that they hear your voice in their head when they’re out and about and making choices. But even with everything you do, you have to remember you’re dealing with an unfinished brain that has a hard time with those good decisions.

So, the extra layer of protection is getting to know the other parents of the kids yours hangs out with. You want to know what’s going on at these other kids’ homes. Do they have the same rule about no guests unless the adults are at home? Find out – if they don’t have that rule, tell them why it’s so important to you and should be for them. Find out if they have unlocked alcohol or even drugs in the home – do they allow their kids to drink or smoke weed under their supervision (yes, that’s a real thing). Do they have guns in the home? Who lives in the home with them? Ask these things outright – forget whether they think you’re nosey or rude - this is your kid’s safety we’re talking about. I know that you know this, but it doesn’t matter how well-off a family is or how they portray themselves to the world – bad stuff can happen anywhere. And I promise you some will not tell you the truth so ask around. It’s okay, it’s better to check them out thoroughly on the front end that regret it later. Make sure you know the truth.

 

The SIXTH Amendment is The Right to Question Ideas

This also falls under the larger realm of relatedness, which is an element of secure attachment and autonomy support that we discussed in episodes 15 and 16. Being able to state their own opinion without fear of repercussions, disagree with a parent’s opinions or beliefs, question a parent’s knowledge, or just simply ask questions and expect an answer…this is part of them individuating and figuring out who they are.

They no longer think you know everything like they used to. They now see a fallible human in place of the omnipotent being they once saw. And that’s okay – it actually might take a little pressure off you.

All that time they spend on their phone, they’re really not just watching makeup tutorials on Tic Toc and gaming on Twitch. Your kid is reading (or at least watching) and learning about politics, the environment, social justice, gender equality, bitcoin and so much more. They can likely hold their own in an adult conversation. Invite them in. Let them sit at the table and join in the conversation. It’s good practice and you might learn something.

Also, don’t be surprised if they’re suddenly unwilling to do things they once willingly complied with. They may no longer eat red meat (and there will be a good reason). They may question the religion they grew up in (there’ll be a good reason for that too). They may even disagree with your politics, the car you drive, the brands you shop…all with very well-thought-out reasons. There’s nothing wrong with some healthy debate but respect their opinions the same as you would respect anyone else and when appropriate, answer questions they have about “adult” things you consider too complicated or above their head. You might be surprised. Plus, how else will they learn?

And just for fun, this is what they said in 1945, “Parents seldom suspect that he talks with his friends about politics, sex, religion, and race relations perhaps as often as he does about Sinatra and the chances of the Dodgers. So, when he injects himself into a discussion and is told, ‘You don’t understand’ or ‘This is too deep for you , wait till you grow up,’ it’s natural for him to figure that ‘Maybe you don’t know’.”

 

 

 

The SEVENTH Amendment is the Right to be at the “Romantic Age”

This is how they put it in 1945. This is what they said, “To the teenager love is serious. He does not recognize the existence of ‘puppy love’ and resents adult misunderstanding and cynicism about his romances. When a teenager falls in love, he or she falls hard. There are no reservations.”

They go on to explain that kids have a right to think their love is “real” and going to last forever. Let them believe it will last forever even if you know that’s not going to happen. What’s the upside of telling them they’re being silly? Yeah, there’s not one.

Let’s expand on this romance idea a bit for 2022. This same right holds true not only for romance but also for any big ideas or dreams your teen may have. If they dream of being a fighter pilot, or a rapper or an NFL star, a model or Olympic gymnast…even if you think there’s not a chance a hell that’s going to happen – do not let your cynicism ruin their dream.

Yes, as an adult you have the life experience to know that what you dream about at their age is rarely what you still dream about when you’re older. But then again, maybe that’s because someone quashed your dream when you were a teenager. There are plenty of people who become what they dreamed of when they were younger. I wonder what the difference is between those people and the people who dreamt of being an astronaut but became an accountant instead…or dreamt of being a singer and became a sales rep.

Having someone encourage your dreams and support your goals and aspirations can make all the difference in actually fulfilling them. As parents we have to put aside our “adult” pessimism and doubt – maybe even suspend reality for the moment – what’s the harm in doing that really when the upside could be so great? What’s the harm in listening to their plans and telling them how wonderful they sound? You’re not setting them up for disappointment – they’ll probably change their mind next week – or maybe they won’t and maybe they’ll become the first person to colonize mars.

The important thing is not what happens in the future but how they feel in that moment when they’re excited about their future, and you have the option to either make them feel loved and supported and hopeful and happy – or make them feel stupid and belittled and humiliated. You may not be able to make sure their dreams come true, but you can damn sure make sure they don’t. No one should ever do that to another person – much less their own child.

When my 16-year-old son got in trouble in high school for having marijuana in his backpack and was relegated to the “alternative school” – this was in the middle of 2 years of hellish anxiety, depression, and risky behavior – he was in a horrible mindset.

But I can remember sitting in a meeting with him, my husband and several administrators at this alternative school when they asked him a question, “So, what do you see yourself doing in 6 or 8 years?” And he said, “I’d like to be a professional snowboarder.”

I don’t remember the exact response from the principal but it was something along the lines of “do you think that’s realistic?” And although I’m fuzzy on my son’s exact answer because I was perturbed with the principal’s comment – it was something along the lines that he thought it was absolutely realistic.

Now, I can tell you, I certainly hadn’t bought into that idea – but I also never put it down. I just wanted to get him through the next few days without falling apart at that point. But after a couple of years and a lot of healing, when he made the decision not to go to college and said he wanted to move to Colorado and snowboard…by that point we were all in.

When you see your child suffer mentally as we did and struggle to meet society’s expectations of “success”, you suddenly realize how short life is and how very precious dreams, optimism and plain old happiness are. We sent him to snow trainers school in Frisco Colorado to get certified in snowboard instruction and he’s been there for almost 2 years now.

He’s in a great place mentally, he’s a fabulous snowboarder, has met some wonderful people including professional snowboarders and works as a coach at the Woodward Barn owned by Copper Mountain Resort – that’s where these snowboarders train. He’s training himself and hopes to get a sponsor by next year. Don’t poo-poo your kids dreams, it may just save them one day.

 

The EIGHTH Amendment  - in 1945 they took the opportunity to make this Amendment a statement about, what they called “The Right to a Fair Chance and Opportunity” – it read, “The teenager wants opportunities in education and vocation, and he wants to be able to compete fairly for them, regardless of sex, race, color, or creed. When these opportunities are denied, his frustrations are deep and sometimes explosive.” No truer words – and how very progressive, again, these words were in 1945 – especially so in some parts of the country.

And as between society as a whole and the teenager, this is obviously still true – every teen, regardless of gender, sexual preference, race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity – all kids deserve the same opportunities and rights and a fair playing field. Obviously, as a society we still have a ways to go.

But because I intend this Bill of Rights to be about the rights of the teen in relation to the parents, I’ve drafted a new EIGHTH Amendment for 2022 – The Right to an Emotionally Secure Environment.

What does that even mean? In the world of psychology, it means a lot of things, but let’s talk in more general terms here.

First, it means your home is a place where your kid feels at peace - in which they feel calm from the storm of everyday life. They have a right to a calm and loving environment, as free from stress as you can make it.

We’ve talked before on this podcast about how much teens struggle with stress and anxiety these days. How much stress they’re under at school, with friends, on social media.

They need a safe haven – a place they can decompress and feel relaxed and without so much pressure from all sides. They need a place where they don’t feel like they’re going to “get in trouble” for every little infraction, “get a lecture” every time they make a mistake, or “be nagged” for not hopping to it the instant you make a request. They need this desperately.

Please just consider them on the brink of an anxiety disorder and act accordingly - because a huge percentage of teens and tweens are. They need calm, quiet, and peaceful enjoyment of their one refuge – their home.

Secondly, to feel this emotional security, they not only need this peace, but they need to feel your warmth, kindness, and unwavering love.

Yes, you may lose it on them now and then or they’ll lose it on you. But in spite of these incidents, they need to know you’re there for them and love them every bit as much now as the day they were born, no matter what else happens.

Do not assume they feel that love. It’s easy to get into routines of life and rush around and leave out the little moments that show them that love or actually say the words – and those words and little moments matter so very much. Hugs, kisses on the head, notes on the bathroom mirror to say “I love you” - it’s this grand culmination that lets them feel that love in their bones.

As a matter of fact, I would add another element to this emotional security – it’s something some experts call an “emotional bank account” or EBA. It’s all about making sure that your connection with your teen is strong enough to withstand the bumps in the road that you’re bound to encounter over the next few years.

You need your teen to hear you, listen to you, to keep your voice in their head when they’re bombarded with things pulling them in different directions. That won’t be the case if your connection is frayed, if you’re in the red in the emotional bank account.

Think about this way, in a bank account you make deposits and withdrawals – everything works out until you make more withdrawals than you have deposits. It’s the same way in your relationship with your teen. The positive interactions (deposits) must be greater than the negative interactions (the withdrawals). As a matter of fact, there’s scientific research that says it takes 5 positive interactions in any relationship to counteract 1 negative interaction.

Other research has determined that “negative words” have a much more profound impact on teens than positive words. Relationships become toxic when the negative interactions outweigh the positive - when that emotional bank account is in the red.

This is when you’ll see the most conflict between you and your teen - when neither you nor your teen feel heard or understood - you feel disconnected and hopelessly distant.

Teenagers don’t need constant correction, they don’t need judgment, scorn, negativity. All of this, in their eyes, means they’ve failed somehow and that you “are not on their side”. They have enough judgement from their peers and from themselves – they likely already feel like a failure in many areas of their life at this age. Their negative self-talk is often unforgiving and relentless. They live in fear that they will be rejected or not accepted or do something wrong in front of their peers at school all day long. They don’t need to feel that way in their own home, with you.

When they’re at home, they need to feel that you have their back - that you love them, cherish them no matter how many mistakes they make or how bad their mistakes are. They need to know you’re there to guide them, to let them make those mistakes and come back to you to hear that you still love them.

 

I’ve modified the NINTH Amendment. The 1945 version was the “right to struggle toward his own philosophy of life”, but I feel like we covered that in the sixth amendment – the right to question ideas. So, the 2022 version of the NINTH Amendment is the Right to Emotional Validation

This right to emotional validation or emotional acknowledgment is significant. It’s an element of emotion coaching and teaching them emotional awareness and regulation (so they can gradually figure out what they’re feeling and manage their emotions and behavior).

Learning to listen, truly listen to your teen and empathize with them, put yourself in their shoes, is a prerequisite to this validation. You have to pay attention to what they’re saying, get curious and figure out what they’re feeling in order to acknowledge those feelings and help them recognize them. Your teen has a right to feel how they feel at the moment they feel it. Unpleasant as it may be for them and for you. You have to find a way to get comfortable with that. Rather than trying to ignore it, fix it, or make it go away, you have to let them know that you get it – you understand what they’re feeling – and let them ask for your advice or help.

Go back and listen to episode 6 where I discuss Taming Teen Emotions to get a quick overview of emotion coaching. You can start immediately and have a much better relationship with your teen and a much calmer home.

 

The TENTH and final Amendment is the Right to Professional Help Whenever Necessary

This is certainly as true today as it was in 1945. As they said then, “the teenager is growing fast in mind and body. When something interferes with that growth or his personality adjustment or his health (again with all the “hes”), the necessary professional help should be available to him through his parents or from community resources.”

Absolutely right. Their physical health is obviously important and during adolescence there’s a huge uptick in anxiety and depression, which makes their mental health critical.

It’s so important to watch for signs that your teen is struggling mentally, acting out in risky ways, increased emotionality, changes in eating or sleeping habits, the people they choose to be around, their grades, their activities…don’t make the mistake of assuming everything’s okay. Talk to them, get to the bottom of it, ask them if they want to talk to someone other than you. The longer your child has an untreated or undiagnosed mental illness, the worse it can get.

If they seek counseling, make sure you stay on top of it. Do they need to be evaluated by a psychologist? Do you need a second opinion? Do they need to see a psychiatrist about medication?

Keep an open mind, trust the professionals, but do your own research as well. No one is infallible and if something’s not working, doesn’t make sense, or there seems to have been a rush to judgment,  be smart.

You may want to check out episode 7 where I address getting your teen help beyond counseling.

Okay, so there you have it, a 21^st Century Teenage Bill of Rights. Paste them on your wall, commit them to memory, do what you can to guarantee these rights to the best of your ability.

Here, I’ll list them again:

The FIRST Amendment is the Right to Leave Childhood in the Past

The SECOND Amendment is their Right to Make Decisions About their Own Life

The THIRD Amendment – The Right to Make Mistakes and Learn for Oneself

The FOURTH Amendment – The Right to Have Rules Explained, Not Imposed

The FIFTH Amendment is The Right to Have Fun

The SIXTH Amendment is The Right to Question Ideas

The SEVENTH Amendment is the Right to be at the “Romantic Age”

The EIGHTH Amendment for 2022 – The Right to an Emotionally Secure environment.

NINTH Amendment is the Right to Emotional Validation

The TENTH and final Amendment is the Right to Professional Help Whenever Necessary

And if you think the Jewish Board of Guardians or I have missed something I would love to know – please reach out – my email’s in the description right there in your app.

Speaking of Teens is the official podcast of neurogility.com, an organization I started to educate other moms and adolescents about emotional intelligence.

Go to neurogility.com/herewego to find all our free parenting guides and e-books to help you learn more about your teen and how to parent them in a way that increases their emotional well-being and keeps them safe.

You can go to neurogility.com/18 for this episode’s show notes and transcript.

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