Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

"Our society has a technology problem. Many want to disconnect from screens but can’t help themselves. These days we spend more time online than ever. Some turn to self-help-measures to limit their usage, yet repeatedly fail, while parents feel particularly powerless to help their children." Gaia Bernstein Gaia Bernstein is a Law Professor, Co-Director of the Institute for Privacy Protection and Co-Director of the Gibbons Institute for Law Science and Technology at the Seton Hall University School of Law. She writes teaches and lectures in the intersection of law, technology, health and privacy. Gaia is also the mother of three children who grew up in a world of smartphones, iPads and social networks. Her recent book: Unwired: Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies shatters the illusion that we can control how much time we spend on our screens by resorting to self-help measures. Unwired shifts the responsibility for a solution from users to the technology industry, which designs its products to addict. The book draws out the legal action that can pressure the technology industry to re-design its products to reduce technology over-use. Gaia has academic degrees in both law and psychology. Her research combines findings from psychology, sociology, science and technology studies with law and policy. Gaia’s research has been featured extensively by the media including the New York Times, Forbes, ABC News and Psychology Today. Gaia has spearheaded the development of the Seton Hall University School of Law Institute for Privacy Protection’s Student-Parent Outreach Program. The nationally acclaimed Outreach Program addresses over-use of screens by focusing on developing a healthy online-offline balance and the impact on privacy and online reputation. It was featured by the Washington Post, CBS Morning News and Common-Sense Media. To find out more about Unwired go to : https://gaiabernstein.com/ Follow Gaia at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaia-bernstein/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When should I let my teen have a smartphone? When can they have social media apps? When are they ready to handle the social media world? How do I prepare them and most importantly how do I protect them? In this episode I bring you and expert and a mom of an 8th grade boy. So she lives in this stuff professionally and personally. ·      Titania Jordan is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Parent Officer of Bark Technologies, an online safety company that helps keep kids safe online and in real life. ·      A renowned thought leader on digital parenting, Titania has contributed to pieces in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Huffington Post, Fox Business, Daily Mail, USA Today, Vogue, and more. Her first book, Parenting in a Tech World, was published in 2020 and quickly became a bestseller on Amazon. Titania was also featured in the 2020 documentary Childhood 2.0. She also frequently appears as a subject matter expert on nationally broadcasted programs such as the TODAY Show, Steve Harvey, The Doctors, CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, Fox News, Sirius XM Radio, and CNBC. Follow Titania on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/titaniajordan/ Learn more about Bark at: https://www.bark.us/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you make sense of your life as a mom? In our culture today we often think of motherhood as one continuous report card where each day we ask ourselves, "Am I a good mom or bad mom?" But this report card has no B’s, C’s or even D’s . It's either we give ourselves a "A" for good mom or "F " for being a bad mom. So what is the criteria for our daily grading scale of "A" or "F" ? Most often our grade is based on how well our teen is behaving or performing. The reasoning here is that if your teen is doing well you are a good mom if they aren't then you are a bad mom. This is a terrible way to assess our effectiveness or worthiness as a mother. It's full of judgment. As you know the life of a mom is complex. Parenting is complex, It's more like a 10,000 word puzzle. The only way to make sense of your life as a mom is through story. And each of our stories has multiple chapters. Your story is not over when your teen graduates from high school or even college. Actually there are more chapters with your son or daughter after they graduate from high school than before. I believe your life as a mom is really an epic adventure. There are tests, trials and ordeals to navigate through but there are also hidden treasures and a reward to discover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Would you like your teen to smile more? Could your teen improve their social skills? Does your teen have the social skills needed to be successful in their job. And what can parents do to help improve these much needed life skills.  My guest today has some great advice for us and he models what he talks about.  Kirt Manecke is the author of the book, audiobook and online course Smile & Succeed for Teens: Must-Know People Skills for Today’s Wired World, and the Parent’s Guide for Smile & Succeed for Teens. Winner of the Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and Teachers’ Choice Award Smile & Succeed for Teens is a quick, easy read to help teens master social and career skills for success. Kirt is the former owner of an award-winning start-up specialty retail business and is an expert in sales and fundraising. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Northville in Michigan and enjoys volunteering with animal welfare and land conservation organizations. To learn more go to https://www.smilethebook.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can't always go to a tropical island to escape stress. (But wouldn't that be nice) You can't get rid of all the stress but you can start dialing it down one click at a time. Stress disempowers us. Stress sets us up for drama. Stress steals the joy out of our relationships. In this episode I give you 3 practical ways to dial down the teen stress. Be kind to yourself Dial down the drama Be intentional instead of reactive, specifically about the way you think about your teen and how you spend time with them. This episode is full of tips and takeaways that will dial down your teen stress today. We live in a stressful culture. Stress has become the new normal. We rush from one thing to another with no downtime. We need to be proactive to resist this trend. Why is dialing down the stress so important? Everything we've longed for, everything we've hoped for, everything we've prayed for is on the other side of stress. Don't let stress rob you of these precious teenage years. In this episode I mentioned my 7-Week Power Your Parenting Program that is starting on February 27th. If you would like to know more click this link. https://colleenogrady.com/joinpyp/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have a great episode for you. we are going to talk about toxic relationships. We will answer questions like, "What is a “toxic relationship?" "How do you know if a relationship is toxic or not?" "What does a toxic relationship look like?" This interview will help you help your teens, and give you tips on how to talk to them about their relationship. If you are in a difficult relationship this will help educate you what is healthy and what is toxic. I think you will find this podcast very empowering. Dr. Heidi Brocke is a Toxic Relationship Awareness & Healing Specialist. After spending 14 years in an extremely emotionally and narcissistically abusive relationship she broke the chains and turned her past into her passion; She left her 24 years career in healthcare to use her life experience and education to be the person she needed when she herself was trapped in the darkness of an unhealthy relationship to provide hope, healing, and freedom to those whose lives have been affected by toxic relation-ships, emotional abuse, and narcissistic behaviors. Through education, she presents the understanding needed to empower others to walk through fear and into their freedom.Today she has helped hundreds rid and heal their toxic relationships and hosts the popular podcast, It’s not Normal, It’s Toxic-rid your life of toxic people - with over a million downloads worldwide. She’s an international keynote speaker, recipient of Empowering Women in Business of The Year award by Inspiring Lives Magazine, and has been featured in both Forbes and Time Magazines for the dedication given to her clients and for her work in the toxic relationship area. To contact Dr. Heidi or take her Toxicity Profile Analysis and Quiz go to https://coachingwithdrheidi.com/ Follow Dr. Heidi on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithdrheidi/          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moms, how would you like to find more time for yourself? Would you like to find some tried and true systems that can help you get rid of the chaos, and bring order, peace and joy to your home? Well, I interview the perfect guest who is the founder of Mama Systems. Laura Hernandez walks her talks. Laura is a home management coach and founder of Mama Systems. She is the mother of ten children. In just five years, her and her husband added six children to their family - three biological and three through adoption. Four of her kids attend public school, and they have home-school five children, and Laura also manages 20+ appointments a week for her four special needs children. Laura is passionate and dedicated to helping women bring more peace to their homes. Designing customized systems that help a family run more smoothly and reduce a mother's daily workload is Laura’s specialty. Find out more about Mama Systems at https://www.mamasystems.net/  Laura has a free Self-Care Guide for our listeners at https://www.mamasystems.net/poweryourparenting Follow Laura on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mamasystems/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you sick of the constant arguing not only with your teens but also with your husband, father or partner. Would you like to put an end to arguing, or at least dial it down? Well I brought in amazing guests to talk about it. Our guests today are Linda and Charlie Bloom Married since 1972, Linda and Charlie Bloom have been working with groups, individuals, couples and organizations to enhance the quality of their relationships and communication skills since 1975. They both have Master’s degrees in Clinical Social Work and have lectured, led seminars and provided consultation at universities and learning institutes throughout the United States as well as internationally. They have written and published four books, Happily Ever After…and 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last, Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Stories from Real Couples about Lasting Love, and That Which Doesn’t Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger in the Broken Places. Their organization, Bloomwork is dedicated to promoting healthy, fulfilling, and successful relationships for individuals, couples and organizations. Their newest book was just released, An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for all Relationships. For great content and to learn more about Linda and Charlie's work go to https://bloomwork.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can parents do to raise confident and resilient teens? How do you reduce sibling rivalry? How can you stop being the homework/screentime/food/sleep warden? To address these issues I have invited Sue G. Groner to be our guest. As the founder of The Parenting Mentor, a multifaceted platform for parents looking for guidance in raising emotionally healthy, self-resilient children, Sue provides simple and effective parenting strategies. With the goal of reducing everyday stress and anxiety that inevitably comes from being a parent, Sue provides a roadmap that shifts perspective to help parents be happier and more relaxed.  Sue is the author of Parenting with Sanity and Joy. 101 Simple Strategies,  the host of The Parenting Mentor Sessions Podcast and a certified Positive Discipline parent educator. She is also the creator of the CLEARR™, a method of parenting developed through years of trial (and her fair share of errors!). CLEARR™ adheres to the belief that parenting strategies should be grounded in six important pillars: Communication, Love, Empathy, Awareness, Rules, and Respect. To learn more about Sue https://theparentingmentor.com/ Follow Sue on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theparentingmentor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Am I getting parenting right? Most parents at any and every stage find themselves asking this question.  To explore this question, I invited Sandra Stanley to be my guest. Moms you are going to love this episode. Sandra Stanley received her bachelor of science degree from Georgia Tech and master of arts from Dallas Theological Seminary. Sandra has a heart for foster kids and foster families, as she and Andy have been foster parents since 2010. Her ministry passion is promoting foster care in the local church. Much of her time these days is spent working on various writing projects and continuing her involvement with Fostering Together, the foster care initiative at North Point Ministries. Sandra and her husband Andy Stanley just published their new book Parenting Getting It Right which we dive into today. Their it, their north star which we talk a lot about in this show is parenting with the relationship in mind. I couldn’t agree more. To connect with Sandra and learn more about her book Parenting: Getting It Right go to https://www.sandrastanley.com/ Connect with Sandra on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sandrawstanley/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WOO HOO this is my 200th episode! Because of YOU my amazing listeners is the reason that there are 200 episodes. I so love and appreciate you! What does mothering look like from a wholehearted foundation? You still do the hard part of parenting. You still monitor your teen, set boundaries and guidelines. But this is only one facet of your relationship with your teen. You are not just a mother machine that hustles for productivity or perfectionism. You show up as a wholehearted human being. Your whole self shows up with your family. Your passionate, spontaneous, playful, fun side gets to show up too. You get to share who you are, your interests. If your teen only sees you with an angry face they are not seeing the many facets of you. You want them to see you smile and laugh as well as being serious and firm. When you are mothering from a wholehearted foundation you see your whole child. You see their heart too. You don’t just hyper-focus on their grades. You see them in a wholehearted way. You see their sense of humor and pay attention to their inside jokes. You are sensitive to where they are vulnerable and what breaks their heart and what lights them up. You can discern the difference between procrastination and when they are truly afraid or hurt. You see the many facets that make them their unique self. When you mother from a wholehearted foundation you will find that you enjoy your teen and your life a lot more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do your teens suffer from technology abuse? And how would you know where your teens are in the technology use continuum? To answer these questions I have interviewed Dr. Lisa Strohman. Dr. Lisa Strohman has widely become known for her advocacy and education around mental wellness as it relates to our digital lives. She has worked with thousands of parents, schools, and children around the globe. An attorney, clinical psychologist, and author, Dr. Strohman established the Digital Citizen Academy, a non-profit program offered to schools with an in-home plan that educates, empowers, and inspires balance and prosocial use of technology.   Her newest book Digital Distress: Growing Up Online was just released in 2021. The first book of its kind to focus specifically on Gen Z, highlighting how children, who have grown up with technology as ubiquitous as air, are impacted by the challenges of growing up in a digital world. We talk about process addictions and the brain and how technology can hijack the structure of the teenage brain. We explore the behavior factors, physical symptoms, emotional symptoms, and interpersonal effects of technology abuse. We look at the alarming statistics of teens and pornography. This podcast is full of practical advice to empower parents and teens to resist technology abuse. Contact Dr. Lisa Strohman at https://drlisastrohman.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are things you tolerated in 2022 that you don't want to tolerate in 2023? Today we are going to explore tolerations, messes, and irritations. You know the things that annoy you on a daily basis and steal your I feel good energy. If I ask you the question what are you tolerating? What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe the first thing that comes to your mind is something about your teen, your boss, or your partner. In other words you are tolerating your relationships. Or, maybe the first thing that you thought of is the color of your kitchen wall, all those piles of papers on the table, or the kitchen disposal that hasn’t worked in a year. You are tolerating things in your physical space. Heres the thing. All of us tolerate things we shouldn't, instead of handling them. Every time we tolerate things instead of managing them they drain our energy. It steals our attention away from what we really want to do and what we want to achieve. And if we don’t handle these little things in life we can go into resignation. Like if I can’t handle these little irritations then I can’t have what I want and we feel this at a deep unconscious level. This episode helps you become aware of what you're tolerating and gives you a plan to clean up your irritations and messes in your physical space and your relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When do you introduce skin care to your teen and how do you motivate teen girls and even teen boys to take care of their skin. Our guest today was taught that, "skin care is self care," "how you treat your skin is how you treat your soul," and to "treat your skin like the most expensive silk." You're going to love Angela she not only has tips for teens but she shares self care rituals for moms that I think you are going to love. Angela Jia Kim is the founder of Savor Beauty, a natural skincare and facial spa brand inspired by Korean beauty and self-love rituals, and a former international, classical concert pianist. Called “the unexpected beauty virtuoso” by MindBodyGreen, she created the award-winning skincare in her kitchen, became an accidental entrepreneur, and built a multimillion-dollar enterprise around the philosophy of manifesting beauty, brilliance, and balance. She has led hundreds of women empowerment workshops and her Savor Beauty Self-Care Planner has sold over 100,000 copies. A highly recognized skin and self-care expert, her skincare and spas in New York City have been chosen as “Best of New York” and featured in top publications such as The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, People, Allure, Well+Good, and more. Angela lives in New York City with her tween daughter, mini golden retriever, and philanthropic partner. Angela would love to share her Virtual Goody Bag with listeners who purchase her book, Radical Radiance over on https://radicalradiance.com. After purchasing Radical Radiance, they become a member of Angela's exclusive self-love community and get access to her free Virtual Goody Bag (worth over $350), including her manifestation workshop, beauty-food recipes, and her 1 minute glow routine. More information regarding the Virtual Good Bag can be found via this link https://www.radicalradiance.com/virtual-goody-bag Email: angela@savorbeauty.com Website: http://www.angelajiakim.com/ https://www.savorbeauty.com/ Social links: https://www.instagram.com/angelajiakim/ https://www.instagram.com/savorbeauty/     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has your teen ever lied to you? If so, how did you handle it? In this show we are going to discuss 4 common myths about honesty that make teens lie more and 4 strategies that teach kids to value honesty. Besides discussing lying, honesty and trust we are going to talk about all things respect. Have you ever said to your teen, "You need to respect me," and what does that really mean? Did your teen respect you more after you told them that. Todays guest is Colleen Doyle Bryant is the author of five books and more than 50 learning resources about making good choices for the right reasons. Her Talking with Trees series for elementary students and Truth Be Told Quote series for teens are used in curriculums to teach good character traits and social emotional skills like honesty, respect, responsibility, and kindness. More than 100,000 of her good values teaching resources are downloaded each year by parents and teachers around the world. Colleen’s upcoming release, Rooted in Decency, looks at why common decency is suffering today, why that’s so unsettling, and how society can get back to a shared set of values that promotes cooperation and trust. To know more about Colleen's books or contact her https://colleendoylebryant.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you feel like you have real conversations with your teens? When we are in monitor mode we are not really having a conversation, we are just letting our teens know what we expect them to do.i Do you fall in the trap of asking your teen "how was your day," and they tell you "fine." Would you like to get past the one-word answer. In this episode I interview Elizabeth Bennett an award-winning Principal with over 35 years of experience in the school system as an educator and administrator. She coaches parents on how to have courageous conversations with their kids to build healthy and helpful relationships. Her new book, Courageous Conversations: A Guide for Parents to Understand and Connect with their Teens gives parents easy-to-implement strategies to create a powerful and loving relationship with their teen, without lectures, shame or guilt. To learn more, visit: elizabethbennettgroup.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are going to talk about teens and music education. Your daughter has been playing piano since she was seven and now that she is a sophomore in high school and wants to quit piano. Do you let her? Your son wants to play bass so you sign him up for lessons but he doesn’t want to practice. Do you force him? Your daughter wants to quit choir and quit taking vocal lessons because she can’t sing like Taylor Swift. What should a mom do? Do you force them or let them quit? How can parents motivate their teens to keep pursuing their music. What are the advantages of learning to play instruments in the teenage years? How does music positively impact the developing teen brain? Our guest today is an expert in music education. Dana Vachharajani's multifaceted career has been marked by singing in top venues, founding and teaching in her own private music school, Dana V Music, as well as consulting, and advising to further develop music education. As the teaching advisor for Ensemble Music Schools, she oversees the positive recruitment, retention and development of the many talented and nurturing teachers that are at the heart of our organization as well as oversees the pedagogical growth in each of our schools. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Carnegie Mellon University, she has been a featured soloist in Carnegie Hall, and Alice Tully Hall, as well as a touring artist and soloist with major orchestras around the US. Dana is a mother to three incredible children and also currently teaches voice at Dana V Music, the original Ensemble Music School.  To learn more about Ensemble Music Schools or contact Dana go to https://www.ensembleschools.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we approach January we are starting to think about healthy habits for the new year. Our guest today has a habit that I want to master in the new year. Dr. Mike Rucker is the author of the upcoming book, The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life available January 23. I think this is a perfect podcast to be released in the holiday season. How about starting this fun habit during the holidays. Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has been academically published in publications like the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness. There are so many gems in this episode. Why develop a fun habit? "It increases vitality and makes life worth living." Connect with Mike at https://michaelrucker.com Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thewonderoffun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In todays show we talk about the importance of awe and wonder. Research reveals that the benefits of being awe-seekers is that you are more generous, curious, and more humble. Is the feeling of awe within our control or does it just happen unexpectedly? How do moms help their teenagers experience more awe? Listen as we discuss. Today’s guest is Deborah Farmer Kris. Deborah is an education journalist, parent educator Her bylines include PBS KIDS, NPR’s Mindshift, The Washington Post, the Boston Globe Magazine, and Oprah Daily. Deborah’s work is grounded in the two decades she spent as a K-12 teacher and administrator. She has a B.A. from Boston University in English, a B.S. from Boston University in Elementary Education and a Masters of Education from Rutgers University, 2009 for Counseling Psychology. . Her writing has been featured several times in The Washington Post; she is the co-author of the book Building Character in Schools: A Resource Guide; and she is the author of the picture book series All the Time, which has been featured on Oprah Daily, Slate's Mom and Dad are Fighting and more.  Learn more about Deborah at https://www.parenthood365.com/ Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/parenthood365/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many moms feel the burden of parenting teens is on their shoulders and wish that dad would be more involved in their teens life. Today we are going to talk about why the fathers role is so important. Todays guest Patrick Cummings talks about his obsession with work as an entrepreneur. And how this took him away from his family and negatively impacted his teens. In this episode Patrick tells us how he turned that around. Patrick Cummings is an entrepreneur, business coach, and wealth management advisor who—after giving his all for twelve years to the corporate world—decided to start his own business so he could be closer to his young children and rebalance his life. Patrick has made a career out of being a family man, and his expertise and honest accounts of his own mistakes and triumphs would offer the perfect mentorship and encouragement to parents struggling to balance work and family.  Patrick’s new book, The Family-Business Balancing Act, provides an inspiring guide that helps business owners gain perspective and take steps toward achieving harmony and balance in their lives—so their work and their relationships can thrive To find out more contact Patrick at https://www.pnpstrategies.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices