Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

My guest today is Dr. Matt Zakreski, an expert on neurodivergency with an eclectic approach. Dr. Matt tells me about growing up as a twice-exceptional kid himself and what he’s seeing with the teens he works with now.  I ask Dr. Matt what parents can do about the emotional intensity that comes with raising teens, especially neurodivergent teens. He reminds us that “emotions can’t be wrong,” and you know I loved it when Dr. Matt reminds us to get curious about our teen’s feelings.   Dr. Matt brings up perfectionism and why we might see more rigidity & anxiety spike during stressful times. We dig into trapdoor perfectionism, how we can invite kids to accept coaching, help, & practice when they’re resistant, and handing over energetic responsibility. Takeaways from the show The Performance Cliff  Asynchronous development & high emotional intensity  Raising neurodivergent kids with neurotypical siblings  Neurodivergent behavior versus typical teen behavior  “Emotions can’t be wrong”  You don’t have to understand to show up well  3 directions of perfectionism   Should = could + shame  Trapdoor perfectionism  Validating our teens gives them permission to show up authentically as themselves  Kids do as well as they can with the tools they have in that moment For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's summer throwback is another intimate exploration of what it means to be human WHILE raising teenagers. We are deep diving (yet again) into our own stuff. This week focusing on the limiting beliefs we may be holding that keeps our kids small, and the war between our two selves. Join me for some personal growth and discovery!Find all the shownotes and info about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-386-limiting-beliefs-our-two-selves/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Bianca Busch, and we’re getting into the “failure to launch” or the stalling we see from some young adults. Dr. Busch shares what drew her to working with college students, and we talk about getting “cut off” from your child’s medical, mental health, and grade information once they turn 18. Dr. Busch shares the benefits of psychiatrists working with adolescents and parents in conjunction.  I ask Dr. Busch what she sees when young adults and their parents feel stuck - anxiety, depression, mismatched expectations - there’s a lot playing in here, and it’s messy. Dr. Busch shares some tools, boundaries, & motivators, and I play with the idea of mismatched timelines. I ask what parents can do when they feel scared and what we can do when we recognize that our behaviors and beliefs are the problem and for signs that our adolescent might need more substantial help & support. We end on a happy note - celebrating our hard work in parenting, even when it doesn’t look exactly how we expected it to turn out.  Takeaways from the show Getting cut off from medical & mental health information once your child turns 18  The acceleration & benefits of when psychiatrists are able to work with adolescents and their parents  Is “failure to launch” a fair expression? Why are young adults stalled out?   Mismatched expectations & goals between young adults & parents  There’s no young adults who don’t want to launch; we have to discover what’s in their way  When you know your child needs support, but they’re resistant  The difference between “get your shit together” and a child whose safety is at risk  Motivational interviewing & coming from a place of compassion  Digging in and challenging our own beliefs and being open-minded to hearing our adolescents goals, ideas, & plans  Signs your young adult might need additional outside support  Give yourself grace! Celebrate the parenting work you have done! For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This throwback solo show takes a closer look at how parenting with Positive Discipline does NOT equal avoiding the hard stuff, instead, it is about leaning into relationship WHEN the hard stuff shows up. Being brave is something we are invited into over and over again as we parent through the seasons of adolescence. Listen in as I explore what that looks like internally, as well as externally. Find more show notes and info about sponsors at: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-361-finding-courage-parent-teens-differently/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a tough topic this week - parental grief. Sascha Demerjian is here from The Grief House and beautifully intertwines personal stories with information.  We don’t only grieve for people that we’ve lost. Sascha explains that we also grieve for expectations, narratives, & ideas - sometimes beliefs we didn’t even realize we were holding. We talk about how meaningful it is to have somewhere safe for the messiness of grieving and how we can resist wanting to jump in and fix things when others are hurting. It comes back to trusting the process. Remember that when our adolescents “launch,” they aren’t done growing & learning - they keep growing all through adulthood, just like we do. Grief doesn’t end, but bringing it to light & sharing with a community makes a big difference.Takeaways from the show We get to witness our teens’ stories & narratives, not create them  Letting go of some beliefs in favor of a better relationship We grieve for ideas & expectations, not just people we lose  Holding deep faith & trust that our adolescent’s lives are going to unfold just the way they are supposed to  “Don’t make it worse”  Working through your grief & worries with a therapist  Enabling vs. empowering  Grief doesn’t end  Bringing things out to the light & the power of community For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's Throwback episode highlights shifting our thinking about how we are showing up for Gen Z and why this is crucial as we move through the adolescent years with our kids. I share three essential tools for making this shift in a way that strengthens relationship and provides space for our kids to discover who they’re meant to be.Find all the show notes and info about our sponsors at: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-357-radical-moves-for-parenting-gen-z/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Susie Pettit. Grab some popcorn for this one! Susie helps people with boundaries, codependency, emotional intelligence, and people-pleasing using a lifetime of experience, and today she’s here to talk about her awesome parenting tool.  You know one of my favorite mantras is “Fiercely committed, lovingly detached.” We’re good at the fiercely committed part of parenting, but the detachment part is hard! It’s hard to be with our kids when tough things are happening to them, and the urge to rescue doesn’t go away, but we have to let them make mistakes & learn. I ask Susie when we cross the line from empathy to codependency, and we agree on how important it is to trust the process & believe that everything’s going to be alright. Takeaways from the show “Fiercely committed, lovingly detached”  Responding with empathy instead of codependency  Mom guilt is a waste of brain power  Detached means we respond differently, not that we don’t respond at all  Doing things for our kids sends the message that we don’t think they can do it  Empathy versus codependency  “Popcorn parenting”  Trusting the process  Follow the “what if” all the way For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Explore effective parenting strategies for teens, including connection and understanding. Learn about supporting neurodivergent kids and building trust with teens. Reflect on ways to support teenagers and nurture meaningful relationships.

Expert Devorah Heitner discusses mentoring over monitoring teens with screens. How to teach self-regulation, track phone locations, navigate social media use, and support teen influencers. Highlighting the challenges of raising teens in a digital world and the importance of open conversations and parental support.

Back for another relisten - this is one I send to people regularly! Appreciating you tuning back in. And even if pot smoking isn't a challenge that is currently in your household, be sure that there are tons of nuggets in this episode for you to be taking away and integrate into your parenting.For full show notes and info about our sponsors, go to: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-309-solo-show-paradox-parenting-pot-smoking/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices