Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

I am SO excited about today’s interview. You’ll recognize my guest today - Julietta Skoog my co-founder and the Early Years Lead here at Sproutable! She’s here today to talk about back-to-school season with middle schoolers.  Julietta and I cover so much this week - balancing caring for our kids & our aging parents, the jarring differences between elementary & middle school, and watching their decision-making and mistakes. We talk about why kids come home so upset & frustrated from school and how to create routines & systems that work for your family.  We really dig into the difference between scaffolding and witnessing, how to support middle schoolers with their homework, the friend drama (especially when it’s new friends/families that you don’t know), and how screens & texting affect those friendships.  Takeways from the show “Sandwich season” - taking care of your young children & aging parents at the same time  What do summers look like when your kids aren’t little anymore?  Navigating phones & screens with middle schoolers  Fears & concerns around safety - “what if?” energy  The after-school release & attitude  “September is a month of grace” - it won’t always be back-to-school season!  Creating systems & routines that work for your family  Friend drama in Middle School (high highs & low lows)  Self-reflection as a growing skill For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Screens!! I know - will we ever get to a place of NOT needing to talk about screens?? Today's episode is a messy exploration of the subtle ways kids are pulled into their relationship with screens, and the importance of developing life skills WHILE providing guardrails for keeping our kids safe. Plus, an invitation to take an honest look at how OUR use is adding to the messaging our kids are getting... Did I mention this is messy? It is. Listen in and let me know what you think.See all show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-514-a-messy-conversation-about-screens-limits-and-life-skill-development/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein, a clinical psychologist and expert on sexism, shares her personal journey of confronting gender bias. She highlights the intergenerational transmission of sexism and deconstructs common parenting dilemmas, like the clothing conversations with daughters. The discussion emphasizes fostering empowerment in young women amidst societal pressures, teaching them to stand up for themselves without fear. Dr. Finkelstein also addresses the critical role of open dialogues with boys and men to combat systemic sexism, urging parents to be allies in this ongoing battle.

I am back with a brand new solo show! I loved my convo with Dr. Tina Bryson (Eps 511) and was inspired to go deeper into trusting our teen’s development. This show goes into what is happening in the teen brain and how to work WITH our kids to promote relationship and autonomy over time. Enjoy!Find full show notes and information about our sponsors at: www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-512-trusting-our-teens-development Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Tina Bryson is BACK today! I love her work, and I’m so excited she’s here to talk about launching our teens, which is incredibly timely after I dropped my youngest child off at college yesterday! Dr. Bryson shares her wisdom on avoiding fear-based parenting & reminds us that development & maturation happens no matter what - maybe we don’t need to worry quite so much. She explains what the “right” amount of support is and why kids need to make mistakes & take risks to become wiser and more responsible. Dr. Bryson shares her own personal stories about launching two of her teens to college and how & why they were so different.  Dr. Bryson wraps us up by giving dos & don'ts for when your adolescent is in distress. We want to problem solve, criticize, or minimize, but instead, we can respond in a way that invites them to keep sharing things with us: by offering empathy & letting them solve their own problem.  Takeaways from the show How do you know when & what you need to really worry about regarding your child(ren)? When are you wasting energy?  Avoiding fear-based parenting  Kids have to make mistakes & take risks in service of becoming wiser and more responsible  “The way our children build resilience is through adversity with the right amount of support from us”  Not burdening our teens with our feelings  The excitement & hopes we have for our adolescents and the grief & anxiety we have when they leave  How to respond (and how not to respond) when your adolescent reaches out to you in distress  We’re not launching full formed adults - we’re launching baby adults who will keep learning & developing For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This show was a no-brainer to reshare with you all. When I recorded it, I was so fired up, and had our boys on the brain. So many of my clients and people in the community struggle with their boys. Not only struggling with their boys, but struggling to soften to the idea that the hard time the family is moving through is really a call for deeper relationship. Listen in to hear more – and don’t worry, no matter the gender your child identifies as, you will still find value in this conversation.For more info on our sponsors and show notes, go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-460-get-past-your-resistance-and-focus-on-relationship-with-your-teen/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Connolly, a Somatic Parenting Coach, teaches me a whole lot about our nervous system and somatic tools when she drops by this week.   Katie explains how our nervous system and birthing experiences tie-in to our personal growth, who highly-sensitive people are & indicators, and why we’re able to better navigate experiences and stay connected in our bodies when we nourish our nervous system. We hit on so much this week: breathing exercises, meditation, scheduling-in time for ourselves, overstimulation, trauma, adoption, boundaries, co-regulation, and more. Katie ends by sharing specific tools and breathing patterns to try out at home.  Takeaways from the show Understanding & supporting our nervous system and how that fits in with self-growth  Traumatic birthing experiences  Sympathetic nervous system versus parasympathetic nervous system Each parent-child relationship is completely unique  Highly-sensitive people & indicators  Everyone has trauma in their lineage  Different breathing exercises & patterns  Short meditations  Nourishing & making time for yourself realistically  Co-regulation & the family nervous system For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This summer throwback revisits how parenting teens keeps coming back to owning our own sh@t. This is the juicy spot. This is where the real transformational space of parenting exists. This is where we get to nurture AN ENVIRONMENT that is safe for our kids to step into. This is where we can start to dismantle the walls that have been built over time and make room for connection.Find more show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-434-navigating-challenges-while-having-faith-in-teens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Alex Edmans, and we’re hitting a super important topic this week: how to discuss fake news and social media with our teens.   Alex starts by explaining the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 of Fake News, and I ask what to do (and why) our teens bring up conspiracy theories. I ask Alex how we can nurture adolescents to fine tune their questioning, look for expertise, and teach them to look for peoples’ incentives while they’re consuming social media without making them feel defensive.  Later we talk about sextortion. How can we keep our teens from falling for scams, when their teenage brains are certain they’d never fall for one? Alex ends on a happy, hopeful note and shares an easy strategy to challenge your own confirmation biases.   Takeaways from the show Level 1 fake news (provably false statements) versus Level 2 fake news (factually correct but misleading) What to say when our teens bring up conspiracy theories Why do people share fake news?  Teaching teens to be discerning & leverage their own knowledge  Asking yourself: What is the incentive this person has to post this? Are they an expert?   Sextortion - anyone can be scammed online  Teens absolutely must believe they can come to you in an “oh shit” moment  How discerning are you on your social media? For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A powerful relisten!!! You have a great relationship with your teen and they are STILL getting into ALL the mischief? You aren't alone. In this episode, I tease this apart and remind you what the most important thing to consider is.See all the show notes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-424-when-it-feels-like-your-teen-is-holding-you-hostage/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices