Author Michelle Icard joins us to talk about a time in our kids' lives that many parents dread, middle school. She tells us that these years can be fun and exciting if we leave the baggage from our own middle school years at the door and modify our parenting style as our kids mature. We also talk helping our kids respond to "mean" kids and the social media tools that can we can embrace with our kids.    The Parents Phrase Book author Whit Honea also joins us to talk about his son's transition from elementary school to middle school and the realization that his son may be ready, but he's not!   Show References The Letter I Gave My Daughter on Her 10th Birthday, by Jeff Bogle Empowering children to deal with mean-spirited taunts (with advice from Michelle Icard) Want to keep your new middle-schooler out of trouble? Then let them take risks, by Michelle Icard