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In this thought-provoking episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with educator and author Dr. Deborah Kenny to explore what it really means to raise a well-educated teen in today’s world. While many parents feel pressure around grades, test scores, college resumes, and performance, Dr. Kenny offers a much deeper and more meaningful vision of education. She explains that a truly good education is not just about getting A’s or doing well on standardized tests—it’s about helping kids become thoughtful, curious, morally grounded, independent thinkers. Together, Colleen and Dr. Kenny talk about how parents can look beyond GPA and begin asking bigger questions: Is my teen learning how to think? Can they write well? Can they have respectful disagreement? Are they developing purpose, leadership, and character? Dr. Kenny also discusses the limitations of today’s education system, the importance of cultivating agency and ethical purpose, and how moms can fill in the gaps at home when schools focus too heavily on performance over deeper learning. The conversation also touches on technology, AI, and how to help teens develop critical thinking in a world full of noise, distraction, and shallow messages. This episode is a powerful reminder that what matters most is not just whether our teens are successful on paper—but whether they are becoming wise, capable, grounded young adults. 3 Takeaways from the Episode 1. A good education is about much more than grades. A truly well-educated teen is not just high-achieving—they are curious, thoughtful, compassionate, and able to think independently. Parents can help shift the focus from “How did you do?” to “What are you learning?” 2. Writing, discussion, and deep thinking matter. Dr. Kenny emphasizes that writing is “thinking on paper.” If teens aren’t being taught to write carefully, revise thoughtfully, and engage with ideas deeply, they may be missing one of the most important parts of a strong education. 3. Moms can shape a deeper kind of learning at home. Even if schools are focused on test scores and performance, moms can still cultivate meaningful education by encouraging curiosity, purpose, ethical reflection, reading, and thoughtful conversations about the world around them—including AI and technology. Memorable Quote “Focus on the learning, the grades will come.” Guest Bio Dr. Deborah Kenny is the founder of Harlem Village Academies and the Deeper Learning Institute, and one of the most influential educators in the country. She has been honored with the Columbia University Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award and was named on Oprah’s Power List and Esquire’s Best and Brightest. She holds a PhD in Comparative International Education from Columbia University and is the author of The Well-Educated Child. She is also the mother of three grown children and lives in New York City. Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/deborahkennyhva/?hl=en Learn More at: https://www.thewelleducatedchild.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

368 Handling Big Mom Emotions In this powerful and deeply validating episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with returning guest Eli Harwood, licensed therapist, attachment expert, bestselling author, and founder of Attachment Nerd. Eli shares insights from her new book, How to Deal with Your ______ So Your Kids Don’t Have To, and helps moms understand why their own emotions matter so much in parenting. Together, Colleen and Eli explore how feelings like anger, anxiety, loneliness, judgment, and control can quietly shape the way we show up with our tweens, teens, and young adults. Eli explains that parenting doesn’t just shape our kids—it also sharpens and develops us. She offers a compassionate framework for understanding our emotional habits, attachment patterns, and the ways our own childhood experiences can affect our parenting today. This conversation is full of hope, practical wisdom, and powerful reminders that you do not have to be a perfect mom to create a secure, connected relationship with your child. What matters most is your willingness to reflect, repair, and keep growing. 3 Takeaways from the Episode Your emotions matter more than you think. The way you handle your own feelings teaches your teen how to handle theirs. Control can cost connection. When moms parent from fear and control, it often creates more distance instead of influence. Repair is more powerful than perfection. You don’t have to get it right all the time—what matters most is coming back, owning it, and reconnecting. About Eli Harwood Eli Harwood, MA, LPC is a licensed therapist, bestselling author, educator, and widely respected attachment expert who has spent nearly two decades helping people build secure, healthy relationships. She is the author of Securely Attached, Raising Securely Attached Kids, Uniquely Us, and How to Deal with Your Blank So Your Kids Don’t Have To. Eli is passionate about helping parents become more emotionally aware and connected so they can create the kind of relationships their kids can truly feel safe in. She is also the creator of the popular platform Attachment Nerd. Eli is a mom of three and brings both professional expertise and real-life parenting experience to this conversation. Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attachmentnerd/?hl=en Learn More at: https://www.attachmentnerd.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you think you can maintain your calm and parent a teen? Well Hesha Abrams believes you can. In fact, she believes you can "Hold the Calm". ⁠Hesha Abrams ⁠is on a mission to help people from all walks of life to find a solution when it seems impossible. A recipient of the Brutsche Award for Excellence in Mediation and 2021 Women Leaders in The Law, Hesha is an internationally recognized attorney, mediator and negotiator for crafting highly creative settlements and resolutions in very difficult matters. She has successfully mediated thousands of parties and was an innovator in the mediation field serving on the legislative task force that drafted landmark ADR laws and taught mediation and negotiation at the 2001 International Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague. Hesha recently published, Holding the Calm the Secret to Resolving Conflict and Defusing Tension. And we are going to discuss the secret in this episode. So if you would like to resolve conflict and defuse tension in your family then listen to this episode. Contact Hesha at ⁠https://www.holdingthecalm.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a mom who feels like you’ve lost your spark—like so much of your life has been poured into raising your teen that you’re no longer sure what lights you up? In this episode, I sit down with Laura Best, author of Born to Buzz, to talk about how moms can reconnect with their passions without blowing up their lives to do it. Laura shares a refreshing and realistic approach: you don’t have to quit everything—you can rediscover your energy and purpose right where you are. Laura Best is a motivational keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Passion Collective—a global community helping people reconnect with what they love. With over 25 years of experience as a corporate marketing leader, she has worked with major brands like U.S. Bank and now helps individuals and organizations unlock passion to drive energy, engagement, and fulfillment in both work and life. We explore why so many moms feel disconnected from themselves during the teen years, how guilt keeps us stuck, and why prioritizing your own fulfillment isn’t selfish—it actually makes you a better parent. Laura offers practical tools to help you reconnect with what you love, even if you’ve completely lost touch with it. If you’ve been feeling flat, burned out, or like you’ve disappeared somewhere along the way—this episode is your invitation to come back to life. ✨ 3 Takeaways 1. It’s not selfish to prioritize yourself—it’s necessary. When moms engage in what lights them up, they show up calmer, more present, and more connected. Taking care of yourself benefits your teen too. 2. You don’t need a big life change—start small. You don’t have to quit your job or overhaul your life. Reconnecting with passion can begin with small, consistent moments that bring you joy. 3. Look back to move forward. If you feel lost, think about a time when you felt most like yourself. What were you doing? That’s a clue to what still matters to you—and what you can bring back into your life. Learn More at: https://www.passioncollective.co/book Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passioncollective/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Were you a “good kid” growing up—and did anyone ever ask how you were really doing on the inside? In this eye-opening episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with trauma therapist and author Maggie Nick to explore the hidden cost of being the “good kid.” While these kids are often praised for being easy, responsible, and well-behaved, many are silently struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and a deep fear of disappointing others. Maggie shares her personal story of being a lifelong people-pleaser who looked “sunshine and rainbows” on the outside but felt intense pressure and self-criticism on the inside. Through her own healing journey, she discovered that shame—not behavior—is often at the root of the good kid pattern. This conversation helps parents understand how well-intentioned parenting, combined with a child’s temperament and sensitivity, can unintentionally create kids who disconnect from their own needs in order to feel loved and accepted. 💡 3 Key Takeaways 1. “Good” Behavior Can Hide Internal Struggles Good kids often look like they’re thriving—but many are anxious, self-critical, and disconnected from their own wants and needs. They’ve learned to focus outward—keeping others happy—while losing touch with themselves. 2. Shame Shapes Identity More Than We Realize When kids receive messages like “I expected more from you” or “What’s wrong with you,” they don’t just change behavior—they internalize it. The takeaway becomes: “Something is wrong with me.” This can follow them into adulthood. 3. Small Parenting Shifts Can Break the Cycle You don’t have to overhaul your parenting—just adjust your approach: Move from criticism to curiosity Allow your child to struggle without shame Stay connected: “I don’t like the behavior, but I’m always on your side” These small shifts help your teen stay connected to themselves—and to you. Learn More at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/maggiewithperspectacles?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with pediatric obesity specialist Dr. Joey Skelton about one of the most sensitive topics for parents of teens: how to address weight and eating habits without causing shame or harm. Drawing from his new book, Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World, Dr. Skelton explains how well-meaning parents can unintentionally heighten body image struggles, disordered eating, and family tension when they focus too much on weight. Dr. Skelton introduces the idea of “threading the needle”—supporting a teen’s health without feeding the cultural obsession with body size. He encourages parents to move away from comments, pressure, and restriction, and instead create a home environment built on love and structure. That means modeling healthy habits, setting consistent routines around meals and snacks, limiting food-related commentary, and avoiding moral labels like “good” and “bad” foods. Colleen and Dr. Skelton also explore the difference between healthy eating, disordered eating, and eating disorders, the emotional impact of weight talk in families, when parents should be concerned, and how to help teens develop a healthier relationship with food and their bodies. This episode offers practical, compassionate guidance for moms who want to protect both their child’s physical health and emotional well-being. Three key takeaways from this episode: 1. Talking about weight can backfire. Even loving comments like “Do you really need another cookie?” may be heard by teens as criticism or shame. Dr. Skelton encourages parents to focus less on weight and more on creating healthy family routines. 2. Replace pressure and restriction with love and structure. Rather than policing food, parents can help by planning meals, setting snack and dinner routines, eating together when possible, and modeling a balanced relationship with food and movement. 3. Your teen’s worth is never defined by their body. Helping teens build body confidence starts with what parents model at home—avoiding negative body talk, not commenting on appearance, and reinforcing that health, character, and identity matter far more than weight. Learn More at: https://school.wakehealth.edu/faculty/s/joseph-skelton https://www.wakehealth.edu/specialty/b/brenner-fit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we help our teens stay hopeful when life is hard? In this episode, I talk with psychologist and optimism expert Dr. Deepika Chopra, author of The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard. We explore the difference between toxic positivity and real optimism, and why trying to cheer our teens up when they’re upset often backfires. Dr. Chopra explains that real optimism doesn’t deny hard feelings—it helps teens learn how to move through them. We also discuss why teens need validation before solutions, how parents can unintentionally fall into pessimistic thinking about their kids, and how shifting our language and mindset can help teens build resilience and confidence. Dr. Chopra shares practical ways parents can help teens develop optimism as a skill—by reminding them that emotions are temporary, helping them collect evidence of their strengths, and modeling optimism in our own lives. This conversation will encourage parents who may feel discouraged with their teen and remind them that hope and growth are always possible. 3 Takeaways for Parents 1. Validate feelings before fixing the problem. Teens aren’t looking for us to immediately cheer them up or solve their problems. They want to feel heard, understood, and safe expressing their emotions. 2. Optimism is a skill—not a personality trait. Teens can learn optimism by recognizing that difficult feelings are temporary and by remembering past challenges they have overcome. 3. Focus on strengths, not just problems. When parents constantly focus on what their teen is doing wrong, it can shape how both the parent and the teen see them. Looking for evidence of strengths helps teens build confidence and resilience. Learn More at: https://www.drdeepikachopra.com/ Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/drdeepikachopra/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your teen being disrespectful — or just dysregulated?Are power struggles in your home really about control… or miscommunication? In this episode, Colleen sits down with adolescent psychologist Dr. Cam Caswell, also known as the “Teen Translator,” to unpack what it truly means to speak teen. They explore how small language shifts can completely change your relationship dynamic, why stricter consequences often backfire, and how behaviors like arguing, messy rooms, and pushback can actually be signs of healthy development. Dr. Cam shares practical tools parents can implement immediately — from handling screen time without making it the enemy, to phrases that de-escalate conflict and build emotional safety. This conversation is packed with wisdom to help you shift from control and fear to connection and confidence. Dr. Cam Caswell is a nationally recognized adolescent psychologist, parent coach, TEDx speaker, podcast host, and founder of the Parenting Teens Academy. With over 20 years of experience and a doctorate in developmental psychology, she has helped thousands of families navigate shutdowns, anxiety, attitude, and emotional blowups. As a single mom of a 20-year-old daughter, she brings both clinical expertise and personal insight — along with humor, heart, and zero judgment. 🔑 3 Key Takeaways 1. Disrespect is often dysregulation. When teens push back, argue, or use tone, they’re usually overwhelmed — not malicious. If parents regulate themselves first, it changes everything. 2. Connection is not a reward — it’s the foundation. Withdrawing warmth, time, or relationship to punish behavior actually increases disconnection. Emotional safety builds cooperation. 3. “I see you. I get you. I’ve got you.” When teens feel understood and emotionally secure, power struggles decrease and trust increases. Learn more at: https://www.askdrcam.com/ Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/drcamcaswell/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are going to love this episode. Today we are going to dive into a teenager's emotional life. I think what makes parenting teens so challenging is dealing with their intense emotions. Sometimes you're the target of their emotional storms and sometimes they turn their emotions inward. You worry about them being depressed or anxious. How many times have we brought up a simple request to our teen, but it turns out to be not so simple because it triggers a huge emotional response? Moms can find themselves avoiding talking about important topics because they don’t know how to handle their emotions. I invited Dr. Lisa Damour, the author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, to talk about this nuanced subject of teenage emotions. In this episode we focus on her chapter called Managing Emotions, Part One: Helping Teens Express Their Emotions and the following chapter called Managing Emotions, Part Two: Helping Teens Regain Emotional Control Recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, writes about adolescents for the The New York Times, appears as a regular contributor to CBS News, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and maintains a clinical practice. She is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. She and her husband have two daughters and live in Shaker Heights, Ohio. To find out more about the Emotional Lives of Teenagers go to ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/ ⁠ And while you are there go to the tab that says How Can I Help to get your downloadable bookmarks. Follow Lisa on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lisa.damour/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we talk to our teens about friendships, dating, sex, and consent—without panicking, preaching, or pushing them away? In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Bronwen Carroll, pediatric emergency medicine physician, mom of four, and child protection advocate. With over 20 years of frontline experience, she shares what she’s seen, what works, and how parents can build “conversational scaffolding” early—so hard conversations feel natural later. We talk about: Why healthy romantic relationships are built on early childhood friendships How to help teens recognize red flags in dating relationships The emotional and physical risks of teen dating violence Why welcoming your teen’s boyfriend or girlfriend may be smarter than banning them How to talk about consent in clear, practical ways Why honest conversations about sex don’t encourage early sexual activity (and what research from the Netherlands shows) How alcohol, vulnerability, and online spaces increase risk And most importantly—how to stay calm and connected when your teen is emotionally flooded Dr. Carroll reminds us that no topic should be off-limits—and that starting the conversation today can make all the difference. 💡 Key Takeaways Start Early with “Conversational Scaffolding.” The more we normalize discussions about friendship, feelings, and safety when kids are young, the easier it is to talk about dating and sexuality later. Focus on How Relationships Make Them Feel. Teach teens to ask: Do I feel supported? Do I feel relaxed and accepted? Or do I feel anxious, insecure, and like I’m walking on eggshells? Stay Calm and Stay Curious. Panic creates power struggles. Curiosity keeps communication open. Learn more at: https://www.bronwencarrollmd.com/ Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/bronwencarrollmd/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midlife moms are carrying so much—parenting teens, managing work, holding families together, and often supporting aging parents at the same time. It’s no surprise so many moms feel emotionally depleted, overstretched, and quietly burned out. In this episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with Dr. Allison Alford, author of Good Daughtering: The Work You’ve Always Done, The Credit You’ve Never Gotten, and How to Finally Feel Like Enough, to name a role many women live out—but rarely talk about: daughtering. Dr. Alford explains why adult daughters often don’t recognize (or receive credit for) the mental and emotional labor they carry, and how that invisibility can fuel guilt, resentment, and burnout. Together, they explore what it looks like to define “good enough,” set healthy boundaries, and create more balance—without losing love or connection. ✅ 3 Key Takeaways Daughtering is more than what you “do.” It includes emotional labor, mental load, planning, worrying, smoothing conflict, and carrying responsibility—often unseen and unmeasured. Burnout grows when expectations stay unspoken. Many women feel “never good enough” because they’re trying to meet a standard that hasn’t been clearly defined—by their parents, siblings, or even themselves. You can define “good enough” and still be loving. Healthy daughtering includes boundaries. You don’t have to overfunction to prove your worth—and you’re not responsible for managing everyone else’s feelings. 👤 About the Guest Dr. Allison Alford holds a PhD in interpersonal communication from the University of Texas at Austin and is a leading scholar on daughter and family communication. Her work has been featured in outlets like The Atlantic and Oprah Daily, and she previously hosted the Hello Mother, Hello Daughter podcast. Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/daughtering101/?hl=en Learn More at: https://daughtering101.com/about/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your teen’s behavior a sign that something is “wrong”… or could it be part of normal development in a high-pressure world?When should parents seek help—and when might labels actually do more harm than good? In this powerful and thought-provoking episode, Colleen O’Grady sits down with child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Sami Timimi, author of Searching for Normal. With over 35 years in the UK’s National Health Service, Dr. Timimi challenges many of the assumptions parents have been taught about teen mental health. Together, they explore why diagnoses like ADHD, autism, anxiety, and depression have exploded—and why medicalizing distress can sometimes steal hope instead of restoring it. This conversation reframes teen behavior through the lens of context, development, relationships, and resilience, reminding parents that emotions are not emergencies and that most teens are not broken—they’re responding to a stressful world. About Dr. Sami Timimi Dr. Sami Timimi is a British child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than three decades of clinical experience in the UK’s National Health Service. He has authored numerous academic papers and books and is widely known for his critiques of the over-medicalization of mental health. In Searching for Normal, Dr. Timimi offers a deeply humane, evidence-based challenge to psychiatric labeling and invites families to reclaim a more hopeful, relational understanding of distress. Three Takeaways for Parents Distress is not the same as disorder. Many teen struggles are understandable responses to pressure, change, and context—not signs of lifelong pathology. Labels shape identity—and not always in helpful ways. Diagnoses can unintentionally limit teens, increase fear, and turn temporary struggles into permanent stories. Relationships matter more than control. Teens don’t need to be “fixed”—they need connection, patience, and adults who aren’t afraid of emotions. Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/dr_samitimimi/?hl=en Learn More at: https://www.samitimimi.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have a teen whose emotions feel huge and explosive—and nothing you say seems to calm things down?Do you find yourself reacting out of fear, walking on eggshells, or second-guessing whether you’re doing any of this “right”? In this episode, Colleen O’Grady talks with therapist and author Katie K. May about what’s really happening when teens have big, intense emotions—and why common parent responses (like “You’re fine” or “Relax”) often backfire. Katie introduces the concept of “fire feelers,” teens who experience emotions as all-consuming, and explains how self-destructive behaviors can become a desperate attempt to shut down emotional pain. You’ll learn why validation is the fastest way to lower emotional intensity, how “radical acceptance” helps parents stop fighting reality and start rebuilding connection, and why parents need a plan to regulate their own nervous system so they can respond instead of react—especially when safety is a concern. Guest Bio: Katie K. May Katie K. May is a licensed therapist, author, speaker, and group practice owner. She founded Creative Healing, a multi-location teen support center in the Philadelphia area, and is the author of You’re On Fire, It’s Fine: Effective Strategies for Parenting Teens with Self-Destructive Behaviors. With lived experience as a teen who turned to self-harm, Katie is one of a select few board-certified DBT clinicians in Pennsylvania. She equips parents and clinicians with practical, trauma-informed tools to decode behavior as survival and create lasting change. Three Takeaways Validation lowers the emotional “fire.” Before problem-solving, teens need to feel seen and understood—validation helps calm the nervous system and opens the door to change. Radical acceptance reduces parental suffering. Accepting “this is where we are” doesn’t mean approving—it means stopping the fight with reality so you can respond more effectively. Parents need their own regulation plan. A “stress meter” and a proactive calming strategy help moms manage fear, avoid catastrophic thinking, and stay steady when emotions run high. Learn More at: https://katiekmay.com/ Follow at https://www.instagram.com/katiekmay/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are things you tolerated in 2025 that you don't want to tolerate in 2026? 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

What if grief isn’t something you “get over,” but something you learn to carry—without losing yourself in the process? In this powerful conversation, Colleen O’Grady talks with grief expert and widowed mom Krista St. Germain about what grief really looks like—beyond the outdated “five stages” idea. Krista shares her personal story of losing her husband suddenly and what she learned the hard way: grief doesn’t end, it changes—and healing comes from integrating loss into your life with compassion, emotional safety, and realistic expectations. Together, they explore how grief shows up differently in families (including anger, shutdown, clinginess, and conflict), why time doesn’t “heal” on its own, and how parents can support grieving teens without forcing conversations or pressuring anyone to “be okay.” Krista St. Germain is a Master Certified Life Coach, post-traumatic growth and grief expert, widow, mom, and host of the Widowed Mom Podcast. After her husband was killed in a crash caused by an impaired driver, Krista rebuilt her life using tools from life coaching, nervous system regulation, and modern grief science. She now coaches and teaches widows—and educates the broader public—so people can move forward without being harmed by outdated, isolating grief myths. Grief isn’t a problem to solve—it’s an experience to understand. When a teen becomes clingy, angry, or shuts down, start with: “How does this make sense?” Instead of pushing for words, offer steady presence, reassurance in the present, and emotional permission. Healthy grieving includes both sorrow and restoration. The Dual Process Model helps families stop judging themselves: you’ll naturally move between “loss-oriented” moments (crying, remembering, handling logistics) and “restoration” moments (laughing, hobbies, friends). Healing lives in the back-and-forth. Watch for secondary losses—and name them. Grief isn’t only the big loss. It’s also the “paper cuts” that keep coming: milestones, holidays, weddings, traditions, even taking something down in the house. Naming a moment as a secondary loss reduces shame and helps you respond with compassion instead of “What’s wrong with me?” When your teen won’t talk but is acting different: “I notice you’ve been wanting to stay close lately. That makes a lot of sense after what happened. You don’t have to talk about it, but I’m here—and we’ll get through this together.” When anger shows up (yours or theirs): “Something big is underneath this. We can take a pause. I’m not here to fight you—I’m here to understand what’s going on.” When you feel guilty for laughing or having a good moment: “This is the restorative bucket. I’m allowed to breathe. Grief and joy can exist in the same life.” Learn More at: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/ Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/lifecoachkrista/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices