Parenting Teens: The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have Podcast

Do you remember the power of a “look” from your parents when you were growing up? That’s the first mantra discussed on this podcast with Laura Gauld, as we wrap up parenting fundamental #3 on building family traditions. How did we know what our parents meant when they gave us the “look”, and how can we get back to that in parenting today?

"Focus on family spirit and not family image." What an important and thought-provoking mantra, especially in a world where image seems to be everything. But how do we do this?  “It’s not easy,” says Laura Gauld; “and it’s usually a struggle or challenge in the family that gets us to the point of understanding that each family does have a family spirit, and that family spirit is more important than our family image.” Laura covers Parenting Mantras 51-55 in this episode.

“If you want to go fast in your life, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” - African Proverb "Life is not just about taking care of ourselves.” - Laura Gauld Both of the above quotes are covered in this podcast, as well as many other meaningful tips from mantras 46 – 50 under Parenting Fundamental # 3: Build Family Traditions.

“When parents change the way they interact with their sons and daughters, they pave the way for transformation.” Bobbi DePorter is the founder of Super Camp, a camp for kids that’s been around for 35 years and is now in 19 different countries. While Super Camp is for kids, The Seven Biggest Teen Problems and How to Turn Them into Strengths is a book written for parents to help them see what changes they need to make to effect changes in their children.

"The big picture of raising children is done with the actions, routines and practices that make up lifetime memories, habits and character," says Laura Gauld, author and head of Hyde School. "It is never too late to start a family tradition and often the value of these actions is seen looking back at one’s upbringing." In this podcast, she covers the first 5 mantras for Parenting Fundamental #3 -  Build Family Traditions (#41-45).

One of the mantras Laura Gauld discusses with us in today’s podcast is “don’t lie, don’t quit.”  This is a great lesson for kids and adults and a very simple thing to remember.  If I’m off track in my life, I won’t lie about it and I won’t give up. I can imagine our kids remembering this mantra when they are adults if they hear it often enough from us, and probably repeating it to their kids.

"Why do we have kids wanting to shoot up a school?" This is the question Joe Gauld, founder of Hyde School in Bath, Maine, asks at the beginning of this podcast. Thus starts his explanation of looking at a deeper lesson in the Florida School shooting, rather than just a band aid solution to our national crises of school shootings. “Develop a safe place or sanctuary,” Joe proposes, “that will allow students to trust that teachers see the best in them and want the best for them."

Are you worried about a teen who says they are depressed? Do you see anxiety in your teen? Do you find vagueness a part of yours or your teen’s communication? In part two of our podcast series with Hilary Jacobs Hendel, we learn about what to do if a teen says they are depressed or if they exhibit anxiety.

Can you laugh at yourself during some tough parenting moments? Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? It is possible, says Laura Gauld in our 7th podcast interview in which she shares with us more wisdom from Parenting Fundamental #2: Raise children to be accountable to life. Laura also shares with us the necessity of teaching our children to delay gratification, and the importance of teaching them how to work. 

Dawn Menken, author, teacher, and workshop leader, talks in depth about the issue of bullying. She discusses the four roles of any bullying situation and says each can be alive in all of us at any given time. She gives tips for parents on how to help children understand what’s at the root of bullying; what parents need to look at in themselves that might be promoting bullying attitudes in their children; and the responsibility parents have in helping to prevent and deal with bullying.

Hilary has written a book called “It’s Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self.”  While the title might lead you to think this book is about therapy or psychoanalysis, there is a lot in it to help parents understand where our emotions come from and how we can respond differently to our kids when they are upset; we can also teach them how to deal with their emotions, rather than throwing up defenses to avoid t

Tricia Uber, Director of College Counseling at Hyde School, advises parents on how much to be involved in the college application process, and where to leave things up to the student. "Students need to have a team for the application and decision process," she says, "but the final decision should be up to the student." Listen to this podcast and get more advice and wisdom about the entire college application process from Tricia, some of which may surprise you!

This sounds like a parenting conundrum, doesn’t it? So many parenting moments are moments of doubting what the outcome will be, and often doubting ourselves. That’s when we need to go back to our principles, and assure ourselves that even a bad outcome will move us into a new place of learning – about ourselves, as well as our children. This podcast is filled with gems of parenting wisdom from author and head of Hyde School, Laura Gauld. 

Are you worried about a child using substances? Would you like to know how to speak with your teen about substance use? In this podcast we hear from Geno Ring, Certified Alcohol and Drug counselor, as he shares his 34 years of experience as a substance abuse counselor with us. Geno is not only knowledgeable about the dangers of substance abuse in teenagers, he also has great advice for parents.

Just the title of this parenting fundamental tells us that parenting is a big job! If we want to help our children grow into responsible adults, with a moral compass and a conscience that guides them, we need to keep in mind that our goal, even when they are teens, is to help them thrive and become independent. As Laura says in this podcast, “The world is not their mother.”