Teen Tidbits, Day Day 5: The Teenager’s World Is No Longer Black & White: How to Use That to Your Advantage as a Parent
Today’s teen tidbit is number five, and it gets right to the heart of what’s actually happening in your teen’s brain right now! Somewhere around ages 11 or 12, kids move from a black and white way of thinking into a world full of gray, nuance, and questions, which is why “because I said so”...
Teen Tidbits, Day 4: Passing on Family Values Through Teen Involvement in the Kitchen
In this Teen Tidbit, I share how the kitchen is one of the most powerful places to pass on family values through working side by side toward a common goal. Cooking together naturally opens up conversation and creates opportunities to model what matters most, whether that is serving others, being good stewards of our resources,...
Teen Tidbits, Day 3: Why Cooking Helps Teens Let Go of Perfectionism
The kitchen, in my opinion, is one of the best places to practice letting go of perfection. When I filmed Teens Cook Real Food with eight real teens who were mostly beginners, we captured the messy, real-life moments: broken eggs, small cuts, burned food, and lots of learning along the way. I intentionally pushed them...
Teen Tidbits, Day 2: How Agency in Cooking Teaches Teens to Make Smart Choices
In this Teen Tidbit, I dive into why agency is such a powerful (and often overlooked) developmental need for teenagers. Agency is really the combination of having choices and having the skills to act on those choices, which together give teens real options in life. I’ve intentionally woven this into the Teens Cook Real Food...
Teen Tidbits, Day 1: Passing on Ownership to Your Teens
In this Teen Tidbit episode, I share why passing on ownership of health, time, and responsibility to our teens matters so much, especially through teaching real-life skills like cooking. After hearing from a beta test mom whose 13-year-old confidently made pancakes on his own, I explain that ownership has two parts: practical skills (which are...
Episodes 102 & 103: 5 Steps to Meal Planning on a Budget for Teens and Young Adults
We just celebrated 10 years of teaching kids to cook online, which honestly feels surreal. It still feels like yesterday that we were filming the very first lessons, crossing our fingers, and wondering if anyone would even want this. Fast forward a decade and nearly 20,000 families served, and the answer is clear. This work...
Episode 101: Raising Work-Ready Teens Through Leadership and Life Skills with Arthur C. Woods
Somewhere between “I can do hard things” and “Can you order for me?” is a whole lot of teen growth waiting to happen. Arthur C. Woods has spent decades working with teens, and he brings a refreshingly practical take on leadership that starts way earlier than a title, a team captain badge, or a future...
Episode 97: Teens Want to Be in Control. Here’s Why They’re NOT (& What They Can Do About it) Direct from a Teen Author of The Teen Health Revolution
There are very few podcast episodes where I insist, “Parents, go get your teens right now.” This is one of those episodes! My guest today is 17-year-old Abdullah Ansari, and listening to him talk about teen health, food, stress, tech, and purpose made my jaw drop more than once. Not because he sounded rehearsed or...
Episode 77: Teaching Teens About Money: Budgeting, Stress, and Starting Smart Conversations
Let’s be honest, teaching kids about money can feel intimidating. It’s one of those “adulting” topics we know they need, but if we didn’t grow up with great financial habits ourselves, how can we pass on something we’re still figuring out? That’s why I sat down with my friend Crystal Paine for a conversation every...
Episode 47: Teens and Fertility | Hormone Health Is NOT Just About Having Babies
Ever felt like your kids or teens want to do the opposite of what you recommend? Dr. Mandy Patterson and I are both moms of teens, and we talk today about the perils of parenting and how we work around the resistance. She has some great tips for finding a way “in” to what your...