Authentic Parenting You Are NOT Your Child's Friend — You Are the Parent! with Dr. Laura Froyen
Nov 20, 2025
Dr. Laura Froyen, a clinical psychologist and parent coach, joins to explore the complexities of parenting teens. They discuss how to balance authority and support without becoming a friend to your child. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding acting-out behaviors as cries for connection, the limitations of typical online advice, and the value of family therapy. They emphasize building trust and skills early on to prevent crises later, advocating for a loving yet firm parenting style that nurtures healthy autonomy.
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Parenting Role Reversal Harms Teens
- Parents often flip roles: too much autonomy when kids are young, then excessive control in teenage years.
- That reversal backfires; teens need more autonomy while parents maintain firm leadership early on.
Reframe Behavior With A Curious Lens
- Reframe problems from “my child is out of control” to “my child is dysregulated” to reduce blame and open curiosity.
- Seek a trusted therapeutic space for the parent to be heard before acting on punitive fixes.
Behaviors As Signals Of Unmet Needs
- Lying, stealing, and running away often signal unmet needs like autonomy, connection, or belonging.
- These surface behaviors raise the volume of distress because the teen lacks a clearer way to ask for help.
