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.

Teens need champions. Be one.

Every teen deserves an adult who believes in them. Our newsletter is packed with updates on teen life, free resources, and practical ways to build stronger, more supportive relationships with the young people you care about. When you grow, they thrive.

Subscribe today — because one caring adult can change everything.

Ep. 1: Boundaries & TikTok

Ep. 1: Boundaries & TikTok

Chris and Karlie talk about setting boundaries with teens and why they are important in any relationship. Karlie also offers insight into TikTok.

Building Resilience Together

Building Resilience Together

With teens in particular, we have an incredible opportunity. At an age where they understand loss, they appreciate more than ever when we take the time to teach them how to overcome it. And it’s teachable!

The Quest for Hope

The Quest for Hope

This week is HOPE Week at my kids’ school put on by their HOPE Squads. For my elementary aged students, it’s a week of dressing up and having some extra fun in the classroom while talking about how to be kind and caring to others. For my middle schooler, the idea is...

Shifting Gears

Shifting Gears

How do we help teens learn to regulate their emotions, and how do we teach them to be more empathetic? Together, we can reverse the effects of anxiety.

Mental Health in a Pandemic

Mental Health in a Pandemic

Mental health during a pandemic can’t be overlooked and it’s fitting that September is also National Suicide Prevention Month. Check in on your student. Check on your own mental health. Pay attention. What you do and your willingness to be active in students’ lives, can make a huge difference.

Ask Culture and Guess Culture

Ask Culture and Guess Culture

“In some families, you grow up with the expectation that it’s OK to ask for anything at all, but you gotta realize you might get no for an answer. This is Ask Culture.

In Guess Culture, you avoid putting a request into words unless you’re pretty sure the answer will be yes. Guess Culture depends on a tight net of shared expectations. A key skill is putting out delicate feelers. If you do this with enough subtlety, you won’t even have to make the request directly; you’ll get an offer. Even then, the offer may be genuine or pro forma; it takes yet more skill and delicacy to discern whether you should accept.”