Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

Rachel Richards

1 Creator

Parenting teens and tweens? Welcome to your multi-award winning weekly audio hug where no question is a bad question, and curiosity beats judgment—every time.

Each week, I chat with expert guests to figure out what’s really going on in this fast-changing world, and how to connect with our teens so we can actually enjoy parenting them.

Susie - friend, mindfulness guru, and fellow parent in the trenches - brings her wisdom and personal stories to help us contemplate a different perspective.

No one has this parenting thing mastered—even parents or experts who seem like they do. Making mistakes isn’t failing, it’s learning. And good parenting? It’s a lifelong journey.

At the heart of it all, our kids just want to be loved for who they are, not just what they do.

💌 Do you have a question, a story, or just need to vent? Drop me a line at [email protected] (total privacy, no judgment, promise).

What the Independent Podcasting Awards Said:

🗣️ “The advice in this podcast is universally helpful—not just for parents of teenagers.”

🎙️ “A great mix of personal stories and professional insight—refreshing, informative, and packed with extra resources.”

😂 “The chemistry between Rachel and Susie is fantastic. It’s like sitting down with smart, funny friends who actually get it.”

Join the conversation! Find me on Facebook & Instagram.
Want more from Susie? Check out her courses at www.amindful-life.co.uk

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Top 10 Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. Episodes

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5: Motivation: How to motivate your teenager when they’re not enjoying school, also what to do when your teenager wants to quit their instrument.

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

01/29/22 • 31 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

We'd all love our children to breeze through school, enjoying a satisfying academic life, having lots of friends, and coming out at the end feeling a success. But what if you have a child that doesn't thrive in an academic environment? What if they can't or won't do the work? How do you deal with it and what techniques can you use to motivate them?
And our listener’s question comes from Emma:
'‘My fourteen year old is very musical, but wants to stop playing the piano now she’s grade four. I’m so upset about it, because whenever she seems to be good at something she goes so far then just gives up and wants to hang out with her friends. What should I do?"
TED Talks: Sir Ken Robinson Do schools kill creativity?
https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
Books referenced:
The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson
The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey
Thrivers by Michele Borba

Support the show

Thank you so much for your support.

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.
I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.
My email is [email protected]
My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact us:
www.teenagersuntangled.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/
Susie is available for a free 15 minute consultation, and has a great blog:
www.amindful-life.co.uk

87: Where’s my village? The stress of parenting in the ‘sandwich generation’.

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

04/24/24 • 34 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

My aunt and uncle provide a huge amount of free childcare so that their son and daughter-in-law can work, but many say that's not been their experience. The Boomers have become notorious as a generation who are known to have reaped the rewards of the post-war boom but who appear to be more interested in travelling and enjoying themselves than supporting the next generation in their child-rearing struggles.
Having a living parent who's 65 or older whilst raising a child under 18 is Pew Research's definition of someone in the Sandwich Generation. Being a Sandwich Generation parent in an ailing economy, means being pulled in many directions at the same time.
Pew says 'not only do many provide care and financial support to their parents and their children, but nearly four-in-ten (38%) say both their grown children and their parents rely on them for emotional support.'

In this episode we talk about the trials of the Sandwich Generation, and it's rather more nuanced than the headlines make it sound. We discuss how important it is for us all to build community, to have open discussions about our needs and expectations, and to live in the season of our life.

GENERATION: PEW RESEARCH DEFINITION

Gen Z – 1997 – 2012
Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996
Gen X were born between 1965 and 1980
Boomers can be broken into two segments (Beresford research) – the first is 1946 and 1954 and the second is 1955-1964
And the Silent Generation who were born between 1928 and 1945

RESOURCES USED:
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/#:~:text=A%20Profile%20of%20the%20Sandwich,are%20pulled%20in%20many%20directions.
https://www.newsweek.com/who-are-sandwich-generation-children-caring-parents-1778400
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sandwichgeneration.asp#:~:text=The%20sandwich%20generation%2C%20in%20the,%2C%20adult%20children%2C%20and%20grandchildren.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich_generation#Development_of_the_concept_and_definition
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210128-why-the-sandwich-generation-is-so-stressed-out

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Thank you so much for your support.

97: Switching parental gears for their new school year.

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

07/03/24 • 32 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

The holidays are a great time to begin preparing our kids for the next year, but there's so much we could be doing it's hard to know where to start. I've turned to and someone who specialises in helping parents with tweens to give us some great, actionable tips.
JoAnn Schauf, who founded Your Tween and You, and is the author of Loving the Alien: How to Parent Your Tween, emphasizes the importance of focusing on fostering autonomy and confidence in children.

In this episode we talked about:

Goal-setting and allowing them to use their voice to set their goals.
The way our role changes and being clear about the new relationship.
The confusing changes that happen in our tween's brain.
The benefit of an accountability partner.
Using an accomplishment journal.
Noticing when the good things they do.
Focusing only on effort.
Allowing our kids to set their own goals.
Discussing homework building blocks.
Discussing screen time and empowering them to manage it.

CONTACT JOANN SHAUF:
https://www.yourtweenandyou.com/

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Thank you so much for your support.

30: Christmas and other family gatherings with teens. Magic or misery?

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

12/15/22 • 23 min

Send us a text

We all have traditional times when our extended families come together to celebrate, give thanks, and share the warmth of mutual love. In the UK, December is a non-stop reel of songs about 'Simply having a wonderful Christmas time', and Instagram is awash with pictures of happy celebrations.
Being with our family can give us a welcome chance to relax and be accepted for who we are but - let's be honest - it can also bring out the worst in us. The break in routine - where everyone is forced together - can be a difficult adjustment. The expense can be crippling. Travelling to see family can be stressful, and then the raised expectations can set up the entire event for failure.

We've all been there, so here are our tips on how to make the most of those gatherings when you have teenagers in the house.

https://www.family-action.org.uk/our-voices/2021/11/12/connecting-with-teenagers-at-christmas/
https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/2021/16-december-coping-with-family-pressures-and-expectations-in-the-run-up-to-christmas/
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2021/december/avoiding-stressful-christmas.html
https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/wellbeing/a29321/how-to-deal-with-family-fallout-at-christmas/
https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/best-advice-family-christmas/605760

Support the show

Thank you so much for your support. 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.
I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.
Rachel’s email is [email protected] The website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact us:
www.teenagersuntangled.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/
Susie is available for a free 15 minute consultation, and has a great blog:
www.amindful-life.co.uk

60: Triggers and emotional spirals, also mobile phone bans and do schools know what to teach kids anymore?

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

10/18/23 • 36 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

In most episodes Rachel uses her journalistic background to trawl through studies and find out what a range of experts think about a topic. Susie brings her wealth of knowledge and experience of mindfulness and parenting to the microphone. Together, the two of us talk about the reality of parenting.
We're going to continue with that, but thought it might be nice to broaden the format to talk about current affairs topics, and how they affect us and our listeners.
In this episode we chat about the latest in teen slang; which can be hilarious. We also discuss the banning of mobile phones in schools, why it's happening, why it hasn't happened before, and what the benefits and issues are that surround it.
Also, we talk about exams. With the shift towards AI, is our education system really offering our teens what they need to equip themselves for being an adult? Are the subjects we study, and the way in which they are studied, still fit for purpose? Given that we can't get rid of AI, should we be incorporating it into the school curriculum?
We don't promise answers, but we're very keen to think about it, because these issues directly affect our teens.
We really enjoyed making this episode. What do you think? Shall we do it more regularly, or do prefer the research episodes? Would you like to hear more interviews? We're here for you (and to learn for our own sakes.)
CHAPTERS:
2:01 Teen lingo
7:10 Reviews
9:07 The things that trigger us are an opportunity to know ourselves better.
12:32 Getting stuck in an emotional spiral.
15:57 Mobile phone ban in schools

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Thank you so much for your support.

89: Nagging: Reducing the friction using the magic of routine.

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

05/08/24 • 33 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

Is it a constant battle to get your teens to do the right thing? Getting them to bed on time, eating healthily, keeping their screen time to an acceptable level are all problems that come up regularly. So when a listener asked for a script to use to get her teens into bed I decided that it was worth delving into what other parents are doing right and how we can adapt their behaviour to our own households.
The research has made me rethink my own life structure and the importance of routine in decluttering my life.
KEY REFERENCES:
Atomic Habits - James Clear
Podcast with Angela Duckworth - No Stupid Questions - 186 Do You Need a Routine?
App I've started using: Streaks
RESOURCES USED:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/the-importance-of-routine/
https://zapier.com/blog/daily-routines/
https://journals.lww.com/iycjournal/fulltext/2007/10000/Family_Routines_and_Rituals__A_Context_for.2.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6378489/
SOME LISTENER RESPONSES:
Melissa: I don't think I said much. Other than you sleep better if you don't do tech just before bed. I think intially the cut off was an hour before bedtime. Which gave flexibility to give them a ten minute warning etc. Son mostly now stops tech before without prompting.
Grant: As part of screen time, there is an option to set down time on each of their devices. It works well for us.
Natalie: No phones, laptops or TVs in their rooms after 9.30pm but equally we, as parents, have to do the same. Read before bed, everyone asleep by 10.30pm latest on a school night. Not had to resort to plan B yet (WiFi turned off) as they do it. Lead by example. Also no phones or TV at dinner and we all eat together every night. I'm a big believer in systems and routines. Less arguments as no suprises.
Ashleigh We try and stick to 8pm cut off. And it helps when they have sports training they need to sleep for
Holly
We have a 9pm cutoff. Phone gets plugged in in the hallway outside the room
Sarah I have a cut off too. I started this when they were younger and then each year gradually increased the cut off, but they had to prove to me that they could come off their devices at the allotted time and get up for school the next day without any arguments. If they didn’t come off at the agreed time or were difficult the next morning, the agreement was that they would lose some screen time the next night by coming off earlier.

I work on a “prove you can be trusted” basis with both my teens for almost everything. I rarely have trouble with them as they can see the benefits of trust e.g. they get to do more! it’s worked wonders for my 17 ye

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138: How to get your teenager out of their bedroom - even one who's into gaming.

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

04/16/25 • 49 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

So many parents feel a deep loss when their teenager begins to separate from them; staying in their room and behaving as if the person they used to adore is the most embarassing thing they have ever witnessed.

In today's episode I brought in Anita Cleare, author of How to Get Your Teenager Out of Their Bedroom, to discuss the challenges of parenting teenagers.

In her book she covers the key things that drive adolescents to push against us:

1. Separation – from the family
2. Autonomy – taking control of their own lives and decisions.
3. Individuation – defining themselves and their unique identity.
4. Assimilation – learning to fit in as a member of their society.

And the six common thinking traps parents fall into.

Overgeneralising – we reach a negative conclusion based on just one incident.
Catastrophic thinking – tends to involve worrying way into the future. Parents especially prone to this thinking trap when we identify additional factors which seem to add weight to our catastrophic thoughts.
Should/Shouldn’t – usually happens when our expectations are not met. My teen should know better by now, they’re x years old, they should be able to remember simple instructions.
Mind reading – we assume we know what’s going on in our teen’s mind without asking them.
Comparisonitis – If your teen is truly struggling with their self-esteem or mental health, even simple everday event like turning up to watch a sports match knowing that theyour tene is at home because they can’t face it can set off heart-breaking comparisons.
It’s all about me! – we want our efforts to be recognised and appreciated, which when it comes to teens, is a bit of a problem. Teens are deeply self-absorbed and trying to separate from you to become independent.

We explored how we parents can better manage ourselves - and our own expectations - so that we can build emotionally supportive connections with our teens which will encourage them to come out of their room.

Anita highlights the significance of phones and gaming in teenagers' lives, suggesting strategies to manage screen time and maintain positive relationships.

We also addressed the importance of recognizing that bad behaviour can be hiding low moods. What to look for and how to provide a supportive environment.

ANITA CLEARE:

https://anitacleare.co.uk/

BOOK:

How to Get Your Teenager Out of Their Bedroom by Anita Cleare

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Thank you so much for your support.

139: Preparing for secondary school, friendship groups, and those awkward talks about porn and sexting

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

04/23/25 • 32 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

In this episode my teens, Phoebe and Amelia, joined me in the studio to help answer some questions emailed in by listeners, and sent to me on social media.

We kick off by chatting about exploring their identity and what they think is the key to gettting them out of their bedrooms.

*So sorry about the quality of the audio on their microphones. I do everything on my own so I haven't yet perfected having to manage the sound on two people, and don't yet have the editing skills to fix the issues in post-production.

QUESTIONS:

1: My 14 year old is such a lovely, talented and kind girl. She had lovely friends, and she's very sweet and kind towards them all the time. Exclamation mark, now when she is in a foul mood, I'm the first and only person she takes out her anger and frustration on. Can you shed some light on this scenario for me?

2: I have a 13 year old girl who belongs to one of those large friend groups you discussed on one of the podcasts. Many times she feels left out if she does not get invited to something, I try my best speaking with her and letting her make her own choices on how she handles her feelings. Sometimes I really have the urge to call the other mum who is hosting a group of girls and ask her for help, tell her what's going on. How it sucks to feel left out. I've never called anyone because I want to teach my daughter than life, there were, will be many times like this, and you have to learn to deal with those feelings. And I don't want to be a helicopter mom. Am I doing the right thing?

3: Could you talk about starting secondary school? Can you remember what it was like?

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106: Festival tips - straight from the mouths of teenagers.

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

09/04/24 • 42 min

What do you think of this episode? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover?

Music festivals are a rite of passage for many teens. Whilst some love the music, the lack of restriction and opportunities to mingle in a way that they could have only dreamt of during Covid, others decide to give them a miss or go and positively hate the experience.
I was never a festival kid growing up. I didn't have the money, or the opportunity. As an adult, I've found them to be joyous events, but will always refuse to stay the night.
My girls have now both been to one of the key UK festivals, Reading, so I thought you might be interested to hear more about what to expect if your kids are keen to go, how best to plan ahead, and what the key issues turned out to be.

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1: What's in your parenting toolbox, and how do you get your teenager to tidy their room?

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

12/16/21 • 24 min

Just when you thought that you’d got the hang of parenting, your child changes again, and this time it’s a teenager.
In this episode, we have a rummage in your parenting toolbox to work out what’s in there, and how useful it actually is.
And in Tangling with your Teenager, we gather all of your suggestions to answer Natalie’s question. ‘How do I get my son to do what I say, and tidy his room?’
Answers range from taking the door off to pretending there are mice in the room.
In the next epsisode we’ll wade into the deep end and discuss the issue of teenagers and alcohol.
And discuss Alex’s question ‘How I stay connected to my teen when they pull away, and argue with me?’
Do you have any tips or answers? Or any great stories that will teach us what not to do?
We'd love to hear from you, including any questions you'd like answered?
Email us now: [email protected]
Or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
Experts mentioned in the podcast:
👉🏻Www.aricsigman.com
👉🏻Jesper Juul: Your Competent Child

Thanks for listening. Creating this podcast has been transformative for our family lives; we hope it does the same for yours.
Please subscribe if you like our 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.
Our website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact us:
www.teenagersuntangled.com
Susie is available for a free 15 minute consultation, and has a great blog:
www.amindful-life.co.uk

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How many episodes does Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. have?

Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. currently has 148 episodes available.

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The podcast is about Stress, Parenting, Parent, Sex, Kids & Family, Anxiety, Father, Podcasts, Self-Improvement, Education, Mother, Support, Advice, Tips and Drugs.

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The episode title '29: Step-children. Coping, and thriving, with a blended family.' is the most popular.

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The average episode length on Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. is 35 minutes.

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Episodes of Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. are typically released every 7 days.

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The first episode of Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. was released on Dec 16, 2021.

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Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.

Rachel Richards

Top 10 Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. Episodes

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How many episodes does Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. have?

What topics does Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. cover?

What is the most popular episode on Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.?

What is the average episode length on Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.?

How often are episodes of Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens. released?

When was the first episode of Parenting teenagers untangled. 🏆 The audio hug for parents of teens and tweens.?

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