FRESH EPISODE: Helping a perfectionist see the rainbow of success rather than black and white.

Videos

April 16, 2024

85: Perfectionist teens and tweens who can't cope with getting things wrong.

Nobody likes making mistakes, but some of us find it much harder than others. Whilst most of us look on with admiration at the kid who's prepared to keep working until they do things perfectly, underlying that drive can be a painful belief that they're never going to be good…

View more
April 9, 2024

84: Giving teens and tweens an allowance. Does it help them grow, or encourage entitlement?

What we give our kids to spend, and when, is a perennial problem for all parents. Money is a really tricky topic in any relationship; behind it lurks power, responsibility, and freedom. When our kids hit their tween and teen years their needs and desires begin to rise rapidly, so…

View more
April 2, 2024

83: Having fun with our teens, and the bonding power of laughter.

Many teenagers say their relationship with their parents is very stressful and they yearn to be able to get along better. They often feel that their parents are on their case all of the time and that they never talk about anything interesting or light-hearted. Conflict is an inescapable part…

View more
April 1, 2024

Teen anxiety has been on the rise for many years.

The latest book by Jonathan Haidt makes a powerful case for why we need to “end the phone-based childhood now.”

View more
March 27, 2024

Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT. An interview with Dr Louise Randall

Grit is the ability to keep going toward a goal, even in spite of significant obstacles and distractions. It's a very apt name for the charity created by Dr Louise Randall, who was seeing many kids coming into her doctor's surgery needing help with difficult problems - such as self…

View more
March 26, 2024

82: Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT. An interview with Dr Louise Randall

Grit is the ability to keep going toward a goal, even in spite of significant obstacles and distractions. It's a very apt name for the charity created by Dr Louise Randall, who was seeing many kids coming into her doctor's surgery needing help with difficult problems - such as self…

View more
March 24, 2024

Tough Conversations:

Dr Louise Randall is founder of a charity called GRIT: Growing Resilience In Teens. In my interview with her, on the Teenagers Untangled Podcast, she gave me a great acronym they use for deciding whether it’s the right time to talk about difficult things. HALT.

View more
March 21, 2024

Try looking at things from a different direction: #parentingteens #podcast #behaviour

I remember reading a book a few decades ago which talked about how important it is for our brain health to sometimes change the way we look at our daily life. 🏡 Look down out of an upper floor window 🚶‍♀️Take a different route to work. 🏃‍♀️Run your circuit in…

View more
March 19, 2024

81: Concentration, and the troubling effect of too many choices

Does a goldfish have a longer attention span than us humans - as a Microsoft study found - or do we believe the latest study on concentration which says adults have actually increased in their ability to pay attention since the 1990's? The latest study made us wonder about what's…

View more
March 12, 2024

80: Eldest daughter 'syndrome' and the trouble with parentification.

The hashtag #eldestdaughtersyndrome is reported to have had a whopping 24.7 million views on TikTok, and counting, but what is it and why is it getting so much attention? We look at the issues faced by the eldest sibling in the family, then talk more specifically about why daughters can…

View more
March 5, 2024

79: Taking things personally, coping with adversity, teen love and changing our minds when we get...

Sometimes it's good to talk about our own challenges. The occasional chat in which we discuss the sorts of things we've been facing can help to dispel any myths that other people have got things sorted, and can also give you ideas of how to reframe your own battles. In…

View more
March 3, 2024

Helping our kids succeed by teaching manners #podcast #teentalk #parentingteens #parenting

Modern manners: Have you heard the latest episode in which I interview author @brookeromneywrites about her book? Susie and I talked about the importance of manners, and the difference between them and etiquette, in the second part of episode 23. I'm absolutely convinced that teaching our kids good manners gives…

View more
Feb. 27, 2024

78: Helping teens succeed in life by teaching the importance of good manners.

Many teens roll their eyes if they hear people talking about manners. The concept sounds old fashioned - like something that should be relegated to the Victorian past - but often what they're thinking about is etiquette rather than manners. I went into the differences, and nuances, of manners in…

View more
Feb. 20, 2024

77: Talking to your kids about your past: sex and drugs and rock and roll.

We've all got a past, but telling our kids about what happened in it is a tricky subject. Whether it's all about the fun - sex and drugs and rock and roll - or things that caused deep trauma, there's a good chance that our teens will start asking questions…

View more
Feb. 13, 2024

76: Setting high expectations without the pressure.

One of the trickiest questions for parents is how to set expectations that help our kids thrive and grow without crushing them or making them feel low self-esteem or shame. If we don't set expectations we run the risk of making our kids feel like nothing they do really matters,…

View more
Feb. 6, 2024

75: Why are girls posting bikini pics and what should we say about them?

They're everywhere. Tabloid news feeds and social media are awash with photos of girls and women in bikinis, and why not? Women's bodies are beautiful and through antiquity the female form has been admired. Yet many parents are deeply uncomfortable with the type of photos being posted, the age of…

View more
Jan. 30, 2024

74: Does my teen need to lose weight? How to navigate diet culture with Elyse Resch

Diets, and an obsession with weight, are so much a part of Western culture that it's hardly surprising our teens can struggle to understand how to eat well. When I researched the topic for episode 9, I discovered that many experts are using mindful - or intuitive - eating to…

View more
Jan. 29, 2024

Use curiosity rather than criticism: #parenting #teen

View more
Jan. 23, 2024

73: Regrets? Things we parents would do differently

My teen daughter has told me that the fact I am open about my own failings, and quick to apologise, makes it much easier to trust me and to feel safe admitting when she's gone wrong. It's so easy to look back and see our mistakes, or where we might…

View more
Jan. 16, 2024

72: The absent or inconsistent parent who’s alcoholic. Also, supporting your teen back to school.

When the other parent is inconsistent, or never turns up for your kid, it can be incredibly challenging for both of you. It's hard enough as it is, but can be even more challenging when they are abusing a substance, such as alcohol or drugs. When a listener told us…

View more
Jan. 9, 2024

71: Back to school, third places, manners and our favourite podcasts, shows, books and apps.

We're back with the first fresh episode of 2024. What a good time to talk about some of the things we've been reading, listening to, and watching, along with some news stories. Let us know what you think. We're always interested in any feedback; positive or negative, and we'd love…

View more
Dec. 31, 2023

70: New year's resolutions. Love them or loathe them the question is how can we make them work fo...

We've all done it; new year, new me. By January the 11th the lustre has rubbed off our shiny resolutions and we're back to our old habits. The reality is that making resolutions and getting them to stick is harder than we'd like it to be. So how do we…

View more
Dec. 29, 2023

29 December 2023

Why laughing at your child is so damaging.

View more
Dec. 26, 2023

69: Gifts and presents: Do you feel a teenager in your life is ungrateful and transactional? Why ...

Christmas is marketed as a time of magic and joy, but when it comes to your teenagers does it feel more like a time of pressure to deliver expensive gifts - and disappointment? One of our regular listeners has asked us to research and discuss how to better deal with…

View more