Parenting Articles and Episodes

Parenting teenagers can be tough, but you are not alone! Connection is key to creating an atmosphere of trust and belonging in your home. We’ll help you keep a pulse on the latest tips and trends in teen culture to help you understand and connect with the teens in your house.

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13 Reasons Why: Relationships

13 Reasons Why: Relationships

Relationships are a critical part of a teenager’s life, and for this episode, we are focusing on romantic and friendship relationships between the characters in 13 Reasons Why.

Going Beyond “Good Job”: How to Praise Teens

Going Beyond “Good Job”: How to Praise Teens

You’re talking to a teen and they tell you about a situation where they had to make a choice. A friend was pressuring them to do something wrong, something they have always done. In the past, this teen would have chosen to go along with their friend, to give in to the pressure to do something they know is wrong. This time though, they chose to do the right thing. They tell you that they ignored their friend all weekend and chose to stay home. The teen chose to not participate in the wrong-doing. You say something like, “That was a great choice!” The teen looks at you, shrugs off your comment and moves on. This teen just revealed a life changing moment for them and they get a “great job”. We think we just praised them for doing the right thing when in reality, a moment was missed to truly dig deep and offer meaningful praise to a teen who is struggling.

13 Reasons Why: Recovery

13 Reasons Why: Recovery

Learn what teens are being exposed to when it comes to recovery from the loss of a loved one, an attempted suicide, substance abuse, sexual assault, and more.

13 Reasons Why: Intervention

13 Reasons Why: Intervention

How do you know if someone is hurting? Join the discussion as we talk about looking for signs and the importance of intervention in the lives of teenagers.

Reach In

Reach In

13 Reasons Why. Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. Suicide has been all over the news and social media the past 6 weeks. If you have missed it, you weren’t paying attention. Or you have been trying to avoid it. But it’s an important conversation to have and to keep having. As I read through articles related to 13 Reasons Why for our upcoming Teen Life Podcast series and scrolled through articles about Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, I noticed a trend. Somewhere in the article (often at the bottom) was a disclaimer. These disclaimers have value and I believe should be included in media articles related to those who have died by suicide. It is definitely an improvement over nothing. It starts a conversation about suicide prevention and awareness – which we need. However, there needs to be more.

Teen Pregnancy with Charlotte Smiley

Teen Pregnancy with Charlotte Smiley

Charlotte experienced a teen pregnancy as a teen and as a parent of a pregnant teen. Charlotte walks us through the challenges of both sides of the story.