Mighty Parenting | Raising Teens | Parenting Young Adults

Teachers, coaches, mentors, counselors and support staff help us educate our kids and identify problems at school. They are the people we reach out to when our child is struggling, but what happens when you don't see eye to eye on the best way to support your teen? Advocacy expert Meg Flanagan is this week’s guest on the Mighty Parenting podcast. Listen in as hosts Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler find out the do's and don'ts and best practices for partnering to eliminate problems at school and working effectively to meet your child's needs.

Social Media is a way of life for our kids. Our teens and twentysomethings are connected more than ever, and parents need to be prepared. In today's Mighty Parenting podcast, expert Mandy Majors of NextTalk shares her practical approach to cyberparenting. Hosts Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler will find out what parents need to do beyond parental controls. They’ll get the inside scoop on helping our tweens, teens and twentysomethings navigate handling the social media world of cyber bullying, sex, and everything in-between. They’re getting all the details and the practical solutions to this relevant topic to help you parent in the twenty-first century. Every parent faces overwhelm at some time and volunteering is a huge contributor to the stress and busyness of our lives. Judy picks Sandy’s brain for solutions to this parenting problem in today’s Real Talk segment. Find out the sneaky aspect of this problem, how a painful decision stops us, and simple strategies for getting through it.

Parents struggle with guilt and shame from things we did and things we didn’t do in raising our kids. By the time they’re teenagers all those parenting mistakes can add up, for us and them. And when that happens the emotional baggage that goes with it can cause problems in your relationship with your teen or twenty-something. On this week’s Mighty Parenting podcast, Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler interview forgiveness expert Cliff Edwards, uncovering the truth about some of those teen behaviors that worry you, finding out what you can do to prevent problems, and tips for repairing any damage done to you, your kids and your relationship. In Real Talk, Judy and Sandy chat about a little thing we all do that contributes to our own stress and depletes our happiness. The good news is that when we change this little habit we not only make our lives better, we take some of the pressure off our kids.

Grades, winning, being a leader, joining the right club, getting into the college of your choice, being liked on social media, what to do and who to be, these are all things that create huge pressure for our teens and twentysomethings. One of the ways they are dealing with that pressure is by overusing and abusing prescription medications. This is a sneaky situation that takes parents by surprise. Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler, 2 of the co-founders of DASIUM and co-hosts of the Mighty Parenting podcast, are diving into the problem of prescription drug misuse and abuse; taking a look at who is at risk and what parents can do to prevent it. And in Real Talk, Judy and Sandy explore family vacations. They're talking about how to get the family vacation you really want and how to talk to your teen about it. 

Parents know bullying is a growing problem and we worry about our child becoming a victim. We don’t want them to be hurt and embarrassed so if we find out they’re being bullied we do everything we can to get it to stop. But what if you don’t know it’s happening? And what if the emotional pain doesn’t go away when it stops? On today’s episode of the Mighty Parenting Podcast, Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler interview bullying advocate Stephanie Cameron. Stephanie was bullied as a child and knows first hand the pain it can cause and what happens when the bullying stops. She’ll give us a behind-the-scenes look at that as well as share insights into knowing when your child is being bullied plus tell us when parents should and shouldn’t get involved. In today’s Real Talk segment, Judy and Sandy dive into communication. This is a sticky situation for many people and when you toss a teenager or twenty something into the mix things can get tough. Find out their tips for getting kids to open up and share what’s really happening in their lives.

We hear a lot of frustrated and worried parents commenting on the way kids handle, or rather can’t handle, when life gets frustrating. From not being able to buy the gadget they want to not getting the grade they want, not making the cut for the team, not achieving 1st chair in orchestra to not getting praise and adulation from their boss, teens and college students are struggling with disappointment and failure. In this episode of the Mighty Parenting Podcast, co-hosts Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler dig into this tough topic. They interview Dr. Deborah Gilboa, affectionately known as Dr. G, about the problem, finding out more about what’s happening, how it affects our kids’ futures and what parenting practices can help save our kids from the fallout. During the Real Talk segment, Judy and Sandy focus on a parent’s concerns about letting their child take “the long, hard road” that she and her husband took.

Raising teens and parenting young adults in today’s world presents huge challenges for parents. The Mighty Parenting podcast provides solutions and strategies. Co-hosts Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler interview experts, share stories and get real, raw and relevant as they dig in to the problems of parenting in the 21st century.