Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Teens Into Adulthood

Dr. Ken’s least favorite parenting word may officially be “dysregulated”—which is unfortunate, because that’s exactly what we’re talking about this week.What happens when our teen gets worked up and we match their intensity? Or when one particular kid knows exactly how to push every button we have? Cynthia and Dr. Ken talk about anger, overreacting, emotional parenting, and how our own upbringing can shape the way we respond to our kids.If you’ve ever walked away from an interaction with your teen thinking, “Well... I could have handled that better,” this episode is for you.If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other listeners. You can order Dr. Ken's book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You" hereYou can order Cynthia's book "Life Is Messy, God Is Good" hereYou can pre-order Cynthia's book "How'd I Miss That" here Got questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! [email protected] Music provided by the great John David Kent - https://www.johndavidkent.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com* Check out Quince and use my code FEEDING for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Are you walking on eggshells around your teen? Lecturing when you meant to have a conversation? Reminding them of everything because you’re afraid they’ll drop the ball—or getting pulled too far into problems they need to learn to handle themselves? You’re not alone. Parenting teenagers has a funny way of bringing out communication habits we swore we’d never have.This week, Dr. Ken and Cynthia unpack four common communication pitfalls: the Path of Least Resistance Parent, the Parent Struggling to Stay in Their Lane, the TED Talk Parent, and the Reminder Machine.If communication with your teen feels tense, exhausting, or just plain ineffective, this episode will help you recognize what may be getting in the way—and hopefully laugh a little at yourself along the way.If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other listeners. You can order Dr. Ken's book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You" hereYou can order Cynthia's book "Life Is Messy, God Is Good" hereYou can pre-order Cynthia's book "How'd I Miss That" here Got questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! [email protected] Music provided by the great John David Kent - https://www.johndavidkent.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com* Check out Quince and use my code FEEDING for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How much freedom should parents actually give their teenagers?Doing their own laundry. Choosing what they wear. Picking their friends. Dating someone you’re not crazy about. Spending their own money. And yes… even tattoos and piercings.This week, Dr. Ken Wilgus and Cynthia Yanof are back for Part 2 of their conversation about reasonable expectations—and what it really looks like to “hand the bar over” as kids get older.They cover laundry and appearance, tattoos and piercings, friendships and dating, money, and honesty—along with the bigger question underneath all of it: When should parents step in, and when is it time to let go?Cynthia also has to rethink her longtime “no tattoos on our payroll” policy, and Dr. Ken talks about why teens sometimes need room to make their own decisions and experience the outcome.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re letting go too much—or still trying to control too much—this episode is for you.If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other listeners. You can order Dr. Ken's book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You" hereYou can order Cynthia's book "Life Is Messy, God Is Good" hereYou can pre-order Cynthia's book "How'd I Miss That" here Got questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! [email protected] Music provided by the great John David Kent - https://www.johndavidkent.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com* Check out Quince and use my code FEEDING for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How much should parents actually expect from their teenagers?Good grades. A clean room. Trying hard in sports. Going to church. Being grateful. Making good choices. And preferably doing all of it with a great attitude. 😂This week, Dr. Ken Wilgus and Cynthia Yanof are talking about unrealistic expectations—and whether giving teens more independence means parents are somehow lowering the bar.Spoiler alert: Dr. Ken says parents aren’t necessarily lowering the bar. They’re handing the bar over to their teen.They cover grades, sports and activities, church and faith, and even gratitude—along with why constantly managing kids toward success can sometimes backfire when those kids eventually leave home and have to manage life for themselves.And yes, somewhere in there Cynthia tells the story of discovering ants in her child’s bed thanks to an entire summer’s worth of secret snacks. So clearly, they are not advocating for zero expectations. And stay tuned—there are plenty more expectations to tackle, next week on Part 2 they will cover things like money, laundry, friends and dating, honesty, clothes, tattoos, piercings, and more.If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other listeners. You can order Dr. Ken's book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You" hereYou can order Cynthia's book "Life Is Messy, God Is Good" hereYou can pre-order Cynthia's book "How'd I Miss That" here Got questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! [email protected] Music provided by the great John David Kent - https://www.johndavidkent.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com* Check out Quince and use my code FEEDING for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Meta is rolling out major new restrictions for users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook, and Dr. Ken was fired up enough about it that we interrupted our Parenting Pitfalls series to talk about it. After comparing our own slightly horrifying screen-time numbers, we dig into the new limits on usage, overnight access, notifications, like counts, age verification, filters, and parental supervision.But the bigger question is what parents do with all of this. Dr. Ken explains why these changes give parents some much-needed backup when it comes to setting limits—and why they also create a great opening for better conversations with our kids. Because for the first time, it’s not just parents saying social media might be too much. Meta is saying it too.If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other listeners. You can order Dr. Ken's book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You" hereYou can order Cynthia's book "Life Is Messy, God Is Good" hereYou can pre-order Cynthia's book "How'd I Miss That" here Got questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! [email protected] Music provided by the great John David Kent - https://www.johndavidkent.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com* Check out Quince and use my code FEEDING for a great deal: https://www.quince.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy