Parenting Teenagers Untangled - Understand and Talk to Your Teenager
Hello, I'm Rachel Richards, former BBC Correspondent, CNBC Europe World News Anchor and mum, on a mission to make parenting teens much less stressful, and even enjoyable.
Do you ever feel like you don’t know what you’re doing?
Firstly, have a big hug from me.
Secondly, you’re doing better than you think you are. No, really, you are. There’s too much talk about what a parent should be, and how we can optimise and perfect ourselves, and not enough about how well you’re coping in this complicated world as you hold your shizzle together.
I mean it, the most important message is that you CANNOT be perfect. You’re going to lose your rag, you’re going to get upset and say stupid things and make mistakes and hate your kids and your partner and your life from time to time.
Take it from me, if you’re going to worry about anything make it: ‘Am I being curious enough?’
Asking questions will get you everywhere as a parent of teenagers, and the place to do most of your practice is… yourself and your own thoughts and beliefs.
So, welcome, pull up a chair, drop your baggage, and make yourself comfortable. Let’s learn together.
The Podcast:
A fellow mum begged me to start my podcast because she wanted someone she trusted to help her through the teen years, and I’ll be forever grateful to her because the journey has transformed my own parenting and benefited my family beyond imagination.
Here’s the good news, this podcast is free and you can learn everything I learned just by starting at the beginning and going through every episode.
If you want to go a bit faster then scroll through and pick subjects that cover what you need right now. If you can’t find what you want then message me and I’ll tell you which one will help you most. If it’s not something I’ve covered then I’m like a dog chasing a stick, so you’ll soon get your answers.
My main aim is to help you stop trying to be perfect, or comparing yourself and your kids with others. Your only real job is to focus on getting to know the amazing people you have in your life, loving them unconditionally, and showing them you believe they can do hard things.
JOIN ME ON SUBSTACK:
For those of you who want more, or who just want to help me feel like the pebbles I have dropped in the ocean of life are making a difference, why not join my paid community? You’ll get one-to-one support and printable PDF’s that give you the top tips from each podcast episode so you have your own little, bespoke manual.
ASK ME ANYTHING: I’m very busy behind the scenes reading everything so you don’t have to, and when you subscribe you have the chance to ask me anything. If I don’t know the answer I’ll head out like an eager truffle pig, ready to snuffle out the best for you.
COMMUNITY: I’ll be offering regular extras, including tips and thoughts, that help you tune into what matters.
All of the community notes, and tips, will remain available to paid subscribers. I want to make this more about fun and less about fear.
PDF NOTES: So many listeners say they have rewound the episodes to write down notes, well now there’s no need. Paid subscribers will have a weekly, downloadable, summary of the top tips from each episode, so you don’t have to take notes.
Please let me know if there are any old episodes for which you’d like the notes. I’m very happy to supply them.
POINTERS: Ask me if there’s something you’re struggling with, I can tell you which episode is most suitable for you, because there are a lot to trawl through.
Parenting Teenagers Untangled - Understand and Talk to Your Teenager
Discover Your Values - Parenting Advice
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Knowing your values helps in parenting tweens and teens because our communication with our teenagers is based on a solid foundation. If we know why we think something matters we have clearer discussions about their behaviour and why we emphasise certain things.
We're also less fragile when our teens push back and want to challenge our ideas. Often they have the same values but are coming at them from a different angle.
Knowing our values helps us to find compromise.
A previous episode about values
Link to my values exercises on Substack
The two games mentioned:
- Ransom Notes
- Hitster, if you haven’t already got this game it’s fantastic
We also love Taskmaster and Monopoly Deal, which is addictive
Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit.
You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message.
Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.
My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com
My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact me:
www.teenagersuntangled.com
Find me on Substack: https://teenagersuntangled.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/
You can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk
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