Phyllis Fagell wears many hats, including - licensed clinical professional counselor, certified professional school counselor, author and journalist.

She is the author of two books:
Middle School Matters – The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond – And how parents can help (2019)

Middle School Superpowers – Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times (2023)

In this conversation, Greg and Phyllis go deep on all the big issues that parents of middle schoolers stress about out: technology, puberty, relationships, and more.

Check out the timestamps below:
(6:31) – Managing the academic transition to middle school (10:52) – How to think about grades (14:44) – Managing procrastination (18:12) – When the teacher “doesn’t like” your kid (21:47) – Teaching kids to self-advocate (25:32) – The importance of keeping the conflict down at home (26:44) – Helping kids manage puberty and “the talk” (33:16) – Telling your kids about your own failures (34:55) – The pain of social relationships gone wrong (39:13) – How friend circles can and do change (43:10) – Helping kids develop empathy (44:56) – Technology and when to get a phone (maybe never?) (54:14) – Strategies for protecting kids’ mental health

Make sure to follow Phyllis on:
Twitter/X - @Pfagell
Instagram - @pfagell https://phyllisfagell.com/

Make sure to follow Greg on:

Twitter/X - @gregorycampion

Subscribe to his newsletter: gregcampion.substack.com

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Amaze.org – ways to talk to your kids about puberty
This is So Awkward – Modern Puberty Explained (Natterson, Bennett)
Boys & Sex, Girls & Sex (Ornstein)
Growing up in Public (Heitner)
Social Media Wellness (Homayoun)
Cyberbullying.org
Stress Busters Workbook (Hurley)
The Emotional Lives of Teenagers (Damour)
The Confidence Code for Girls (Kay, Shipman, Riley)
How to Talk to Kids About Anything (Silverman)
The Self-Driven Child (Stixrud, Johnson)
The Addiction Innoculation (Lahey)