We are going to be talking about the experience of today’s kids and teens, and what’s different for them, and consequently, what has to be different for us as their parents and caregivers. Because as my guest, Dr. John Duffy explains, we truly can’t relate to the lives our kids are leading because they are facing many more stressors and than we ever faced just by virtual of the pace of their lives, their access to information, their connectivity to each other, the technology at their fingertips.
John is the author of the brand new book, Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, a book which I devoured by the way, and what I loved about this book and about the work John is doing is that he’s helping parents like us know how to truly show up in the way that our kids need us too — how to be the support they need, how to tune into their emotional lives, even when it appears that that’s the last thing they want, how to create a culture of emotional wellness in our homes, and so much more.
This is a thoughtful conversation with a lot of takeaways, and though John’s book is aimed more at parents of teens, everything we talk about is germane to parents with kids of any age. And, as we all know, kids grow up… so hearing what John has to share can help you be better prepared when your children enter adolescence.
About Dr. Duffy: John Duffy is a highly sought-after clinical psychologist, bestselling author, certified life coach, parenting and relationship expert, and proud husband and father. He has been working with individuals, couples, teens, and families for nearly twenty years. Dr. Duffy’s refreshing and unique approach has provided the critical intervention and support needed to help thousands of individuals and families find their footing.
Along with his clinical work, Dr. Duffy is the author of the number-one best-selling The Available Parent (Viva Editions, second edition released 2014) as well as a frequent media presence. He is the regular parenting and relationship expert on Steve Harvey. He also appears frequently on other national and local television and radio outlets, and is cited frequently in national print and online publications. These include the Today show, Fox News, Fox Good Day Chicago, WGN-TV, NPR, WGN Radio, the Huffington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Redbook, Time, Good Housekeeping, Men’s Health, Chicago Parent, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Wired, Parenting, Your Teen, Parents, Family Circle, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Real Simple magazine. He blogs on Availability and related issues for the Huffington Post, and communicates regularly through Facebook and Twitter.
Dr. Duffy lives outside Chicago with his wife Julie and son George.
THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:
- What listening, supporting, and understanding without judgment looks like
- How parents’ fears and anxiety can get into our children’s heads and what we can do about it
- How life for today’s teens is radically different from parents’ experiences as teens
- What our child’s “emotional bank account” is and how we can keep it filled
- How we can fulfill our “mandate” of providing an emotional space for wellness in our homes
- The ways parents’ and caregivers are capable of both empowering and disempowering our children struggling with anxiety
- What kind of work parents need to do in order to help our children tap into their own resilience
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety: A Complete Guide to Your Child’s Stressed, Depressed, Expanded, Amazing Adolescence by Dr. John Duffy
THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING!
Do you have an idea for an upcoming episode? We’d LOVE to hear from you. Please share your thoughts in our Suggestion Box!
And if you have any other feedback or thoughts you’d like to share, feel free to leave a comment below or send us a note directly through our Connect form.
If you liked this episode and know of others who would find value in the information, please use the social media share buttons below to help spread the word.
Lastly, if you are so willing, I encourage you to leave an honest review for the TiLT Parenting Podcast over on iTunes. Reviews are very important for helping podcasts find their audiences, and we would love your support in helping us find ours!
To subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode, you can do so on iTunes here and SoundCloud here.
