Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris
The middle school years can feel like the start of losing your child.
One day they’re chatty and affectionate. The next they’re rolling their eyes, questioning everything, and leaving you wondering, “Am I doing this all wrong?”
The truth is, middle school isn’t the end of your relationship. It’s the beginning of a new one.
Each week, middle school therapist, coach, and creator of Steady + Connected Parenting™, Bridget KerMorris answers a real question from a real parent. Together, you’ll move beyond quick parenting tips to understand what’s really happening underneath your child’s behavior, what’s getting activated inside of you, and how to lead your family with steadiness, warmth, and confidence.
Whether you’re navigating friendships, technology, ADHD, sibling conflict, identity, motivation, anxiety, or simply wondering how to stay connected to a child who suddenly seems impossible to reach, each episode offers practical tools, fresh perspective, and the kind of relational clarity™ that helps both parents and kids thrive.
Bridget is a Stanford-trained lawyer with thousands of hours of education and experience as a marriage and family therapist specializing in family systems, neurodivergence, and relational trauma. She’s also a mom of seven, currently parenting her fourth middle schooler, and the creator behind @bridget.parentcoach, where more than 100,000 parents turn each day for grounded, compassionate support.
Because your middle schooler isn’t asking for a perfect parent.
They’re asking,
“Do you like me?”
“Will you come back for me?”
This podcast will help you answer, “Yes.”
Episodes
20 episodes
When Your Daughter Loses Her Friend Group (you can't fix it for her)
What do you do when your middle schooler loses her friend group and there is absolutely nothing you can do to make the lunch table go back to the way it was?In this episode of Middle Years, I answer a mom whose eighth-grade daughter has ...
Everyone Says My Kid Is So Resilient (here's why I bristle at that description)
Let me tell you who so often ends up sitting across from a trauma therapist twenty years later: a strong and resilient person. They're the kid who never made a fuss. The kid nobody worried about because she never gave anyone a reason to....
My Kid Says He's Not Lonely . . . So Why Am I Still Worried?
Your middle schooler says he’s not lonely.So why are you still worried?In this episode of Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris, I answer a mom whose 12-year-old son is well-liked at school, has ADHD, and rarely reaches out t...
I Feel Pretty Much Invisible to My Kid (here's how to spot their backward glance)
Your middle schooler says “leave me alone,” slams the door, or falls apart the second they see you. It can feel like rejection but what if it’s actually a hidden reach?In this episode of Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris, I’m sharing o...
With Friendships, Middle Schoolers Don't Always "Work It Out on Their Own" (and that's not a failing)
We tell middle schoolers to “work it out on their own” all the time.But what if that advice is leaving kids alone with relationship skills they haven’t actually learned yet?In this episode, I’m sharing a piece of my recent Social ...
How Do I Keep Everyone In The House Safe? (when one kid's big feelings fill the whole house)
How do you make home a safe haven for a middle schooler whose big feelings are loud, when that same loudness makes home feel less safe for everyone else?In this episode, I answer a mom whose 13-year-old is being evaluated for ADHD, has s...
I Genuinely Don’t Understand Why This Is a Crisis (when your middle schooler gets completely stuck on something small)
When your middle schooler is melting down over a stained sweatshirt, a messy room, or something that seems objectively small, it can be hard not to think: Why is this such a crisis?And then the parenting questions start.Is ...
I'm Just Trying to Help . . . Why Does Everything Turn Into a Fight?
You ask about homework --> Your middle schooler gets defensive.You offer a reminder. --> They hear criticism.And before you know it, both of you are caught in a conversation that feels much bigger than the missing assignment...
Middle School Friendships Are Practice (and that's actually good news)
What if your middle schooler's friendship struggles aren't a sign that something is wrong?What if they're exactly where they're supposed to be?In this special episode of Middle Years, I'm sharing one of the most important...
Am I Too Sensitive? (it hurts when your middle schooler argues with everything you say)
Am I too sensitive or is something else going on?Do you ever walk away from a conversation with your middle schooler feeling . . . dismissed and, well, kind of small?Maybe every casual comment turns into a debate. Maybe the...
“I Hate you!!” (exactly what to do when your middle schooler says something cruel)
When your middle schooler says, "I hate you," it hurts.Whether they say it once in a moment of frustration or it has become a daily pattern, those words can leave you wondering:Am I doing something wrong?Should I ignore it?
Everything Is So Unfair! (what to do when your middle schooler puts your parenting on trial)
Do you ever feel like you’re constantly defending your parenting?Your middle schooler says, “That’s not fair!” and suddenly you’re explaining, justifying, presenting evidence, and reminding them what happened three months ago . . . only ...
I Don't Like My Middle Schooler Right Now (and I feel terrible about it)
Have you ever looked at your middle schooler and quietly wondered:"I love my child . . . why is it so hard to like them right now?"If so, this episode is for you.In one of the most honest conversations I've had on ...
What If I Say The Wrong Thing? (parenting with Pride while your child navigates identity and uncertainty) CONTENT NOTE, episode includes brief discussion of depression, self harm, and suicidal ideation
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation in the context of supporting LGBTQIA+ youth. If you're listening with children in the car or this topic feels especially tender, you may want ...
My Daughter's Friendship Drama, I Have No Idea What To Do About It (what parents need to know about middle school friendships)
Friendships can feel like the hardest part of parenting a middle schooler.One day your daughter seems confident and grounded. The next, her mood, interests, or self-esteem seem completely tied to what her friends think.In this epi...
If It's Not Laziness, What Is It? (the ADHD question parents don't know to ask)
Your middle schooler is smart, capable, funny, and insightful . . . so why are they struggling with things that seem like they should be able to do?In this episode, Bridget answers a parent question about a seventh grader who is capable ...
I Hate Tech (when parenting in the digital world feels impossible)
Technology might be one of the hardest parts of parenting middle schoolers because technology asks us to lead through uncertainty.In this episode, Bridget answers two questions from parents who are struggling with phones, screen time, po...
My Son Says He's Too Young to Date (but little sister thinks he has a girlfriend)
A mom discovers that her 12-year-old son may have his first crush, but he insists he's "too young to date."So what do you do when you know something about your middle schooler that they haven't chosen to share with you?In this epi...
My Daughter Was Furious With Me
In the very first episode of Middle Years, Bridget answers a question from a mom whose sixth-grade daughter was furious with her after a difficult parenting decision.When her daughter skipped volleyball practice and asked her mom to send...
Welcome To Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris
Most parents of middle schoolers are trying so hard to get it right. We want to stay connected without hovering, help without overreacting, and raise a kid who feels deeply loved and also capable in the world.Even with the best intention...