As our teens continue to get older, our role in relationship with them changes. It is hard to know where to lean in and where to let go. The good news is there is no "right way" to parent through the second half of the teen years and beyond - instead, we get to become ever better at intuiting what it is our young people need. During this episode, I go through the different eras of later adolescence and offer my thoughts on useful ways of showing up. Can't wait to hear what you think!

Find all the show notes at: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-488-thoughts-about-parenting-our-older-teens-and-baby-adults/

Join the Joyful Courage Parents of Teens FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jcforparentsofteens

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I am so excited about my guest today - Alyse Levine!  We have one of the foremost college counseling experts in the country here today sharing her wisdom and tips to help adolescents fulfill their college goals & dreams. 

Alyse shares why she’s so passionate about college admissions & working with young people, and I ask what was surprising for her when going through the college admissions process with her own kiddo recently.  We dig into all-things admissions related: testing, grades, college essays, rescinded offers, and virtual opportunities & internships.  I ask Alyse what teens should be doing during the summer and how to discern good opportunities & programs, and we wrap up this week talking about setting expectations for our adolescents and how motivating it is when people are learning something they’re excited about. 

Key Takeaways from the show

• Why work with a college admissions specialist or counselor? 
• FAFSA, Merit Money, & scholarships 
• How has grading changed since we were in school? 
• Colleges rescinding offers 
• College is a safe place to make some mistakes & grow resiliency 
• What should teens be doing during summer breaks? 
• Virtual internships & experiences 
• What to look for in good summer programs & offerings 
• Authenticity during the college admissions process 
• The motivation that comes when we are learning things we’re excited about 
• “There is a home and a college for everyone”

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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Surprise!!! My girl and podcast fave, Julietta Skoog, joins me today on a special Thursday show where we come down off of our high from leading our first ever Sproutable Retreat on the gorgeous California Coast. We talk about the highlights from the weekend as well as the power of parenting in community, creating time and structure for our own self-care, and shared a few funny stories... Listen in and let me know what you think.

Find all the show notes and info about our sponsors here: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/Eps-486-The-beauty-of-parenting-in-community-with-Julietta-Skoog

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My guests today are Jaya Ramesh and Priya Saaral. Jaya and Priya have a lot in common, including being the co-authors of their new book, “Parenting at the Intersections.” This is a deeply emotional topic for them, both personally and professionally.  

Many people are discussing the experience of neurodivergence, and many people are discussing being a person of color, but where are the resources for neurodivergent people of color? Jaya and Priya have so much wisdom to share, from asking for what your child needs until they get it, what people who aren’t raising neurodivergent children of color need to know, and why & how to be there for all kids, not just your kid. 

We dig deep into how we can expand our definition of what’s “normal,” so that we can be less judgmental, especially when there are systems in place working against that, and how hard it can be for adolescents to find their strengths when we are so focused on deficits.  

Takeaways from the show

• How do you hold the feedback about your child from their school? 
• How do you make it work when public school is the only option? 
• Asking for what you or your child(ren) needs until you get it 
• Checking your biases
• What do people who aren’t raising neurodivergent children of color need to know? 
• Being curious, empathetic, & compassionate 
• Being in it for all kids, not just your kid 
• Expanding our definition of “normal” so we can be less judgmental 
• Moving away from neurotypical expectations, narratives, & timelines 
• Holding that space for our child(ren) when they show up differently

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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Ooh, I have some fun during this week's solo show... If I could go back to parenting my kids through middle school I would take my own advice and do it differently. The beauty of hindsight. Lucky for YOU I am sharing all of my thoughts around parenting during middle school years today on the show!

Find the full show notes and info about sponsors at: https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/Eps-484-the-real-work-of-parenting-during-the-middle-school-years

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My friend Douglas Haddad is here this week to chat about all things middle school, with a focus on encouraging discouraged learners.  

Douglas has been teaching for over 24 years (at ONE school!), and I love his commitment to his students. Douglas shares what he’s seen changing during that period, like higher anxiety & social media misuse, and what’s stayed the same, like a child’s need to feel loved, heard, and understood.   

Douglas shares his wisdom on keeping middle schoolers encouraged & engaged: making sure they understand the systems in place around them, how we can help when our kid isn’t connecting with a teacher, collaborating on family agreements, and helping our tweens grow their tolerance for discomfort.  

Takeaways from the show

• What’s different between middle school today & when you were a tween? 
• “Loved, heard, and understood” 
• What does discouragement look like in the classroom? 
• Wait Until 8th Pledge 
• Does your child know & understand the systems in place around them? 
• How to help foster connection between your child & their teachers 
• Family contracts, charters, agreements, & meetings 
• Being available without an agenda or judgment 
• Setting & celebrating small goals 
• Scaffolding for our kiddos to grow their tolerance for discomfort

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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It is so easy, when we aren't paying attention, to let our minds slide into all the worst-case scenarios, the worst possible outcomes, "dead in a ditch." I know, I've been there, and it ISN'T USEFUL. It isn't an empowered or encouraged parenting mindset during the teen years. So how do we shift?? Listen to this episode and find out!

Get more show notes and info about sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/Eps-482-Shifting-from-worst-case-scenarios-to-trusting-process-teens/

Join the FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jcforparentsofteens

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Amy & Christy are back for part 2 of our conversation, and we’re talking about pornography.  

Please believe us: your kid is going to see porn. Some families are more aware & ready for this moment than others, so what can you do and say to prepare? You can’t prevent the exposure or know how your child will react, but we can get ready for it and start the conversation now. Pornography is all over the place and often hidden, and unfortunately kids view that as Sex Ed & think that pornography is what sex with a partner will be like for them - they assume that hardcore porn is real life. Seeing these images train their brain; watching porn today is very different from running into an issue of Playboy when we were kids, and it’s impossible to avoid.  

So what do we say to our kids? What’s the magic word? Christy shares the way she uses values to talk to her teen, and Amy explains how to keep the conversation around other kids to break through to your own teen. We touch on monitoring software & sugar dating. The good news here is that there are many resources available for families to use, and it can get better. 

Takeaways from the show

• Your kids will see pornography 
• Pornography is different than when you were a kid 
• Kids often keep it a secret if they see pornographic material. Let them know they won’t be in trouble!  
• Pornography is often in hidden, unexpected spaces
• Kids see pornography as Sex Ed 
• Pornography trains their growing brain - including the themes of misogyny, racism, & shame around their bodies 
• Don’t tell yourself, “it won’t happen to my kid” 
• Porn is harder to avoid today than it was to find in the ‘80s 
• What do we say to our kids about this? 
• Conversations about pornography need to start early - earlier than you think! Keep them short & frequent
• Using monitoring software

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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This week we are going deep into examining the beliefs we hold about our kids and how they might actually be what is getting in the way and creating the suffering we are experiencing. I know, seems like an easy fix, right? We may not be able to control our kids (truly, we can't) but what we BELIEVE about them is for sure a part of our influence AND for SURE impacts how we EXPERIENCE them. Listen in and let me know what you think.

Find more about our sponsors and full show notes at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/eps-480-power-of-examining-beliefs-we-hold-about-our-teens-and-tweens/

Jump into the FB group discussion at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jcforparentsofteens/posts/1604661457038309/

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My guest today is my good, local friend - Cindy Palmer. 

Cindy’s here to talk about executive functioning in kids with neurodivergence, especially during the transition to college. High School is a time that is typically incredibly structured, down to the minute, and the transition to college is tricky for all adolescents. What do we do when it feels like our kids aren’t ready? How can parents help scaffold that transition? Especially for kids with neurodivergence? Cindy shares lots of strategies and ideas around supporting our adolescents during this tricky time - getting curious & compassionate, not holding a certain view on what things “should” look like, and what kind of bumps slow down (or stop) our kiddos from getting their work done.  

I ask Cindy what we can be doing in the middle & high school years to help with the transition (spoiler: it’s lots of practice & baby steps) and we talk about how important grades actually are. We get into what we can hand over to our kids right now (how about waking themselves up in the morning?) and why we want to practice these life skills in middle school, not the first week of college. We wrap up touching on adjusting our expectations for how older kiddos contribute to the family (and how we can use these as opportunities to teach life skills).  

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You and me and enthusiastic curiosity - WOOHOO! It may sound crazy but when we can really connect with the experience we are having while navigating our kids' mischief, regulate, and shift into curiosity, there is space for much deeper connection and learning for all. Truly. Listen to this show for tips on all the things - and let me know what you think!

For show notes and more info on our sponsors, head to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/Eps-478-Meeting-misbehavior-with-enthusiastic-curiosity/

To chime in on your take-aways, join the Joyful Courage for Parents of Teens FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jcforparentsofteens/posts/1600103267494128/

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