My guest today is my son, Ian O’Roarty, and he’s back to chat with me and dig into all the things happening as he moves through the fall of his senior year and looks ahead at the future.  

Ian shares his honest thoughts about turning 18, feeling like he’s wasting time at high school, and applying for college with a coach instead of with a parent. We discuss giving freedom & space to older teens so they can get some practice before they are off on their own. Ian shares what he does & doesn’t like about family meetings. We touch on tardies & missed classes, the collective teen brain & experience, and I ask Ian what older teens need from their parents (spoiler: it’s space to make their own mistakes).

Takeaways from the show

• Ian’s thoughts on turning 18 and being a high school senior 
• College applications & essays 
• How a college admission coach helps 
• Giving space to our almost-adult children 
• Parenting “a year ahead” 
• The difficulty of letting go 
• Family Meetings with teens 
• Navigating tardies & missed classes 
• Giving older teens space to learn from mistakes 
• Collective teen brain 
• “Learn to let go and forgive and you’ll pass that trait on to your children”

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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