Parenting Teenagers Untangled: The award-winning podcast for parents of tweens and teens, offering realistic, science-backed advice for calmer, more connected family life.

The important parent shift: becoming a mentor to your teen

Ask Rachel anythingWelcome to a special mini-series from Teenagers Untangled — seven simple, practical "parenting seeds" to plant over a week, preparing for when your child moves into secondary school or returns from summer. These are gentle shifts, not rules to perfect: They're designed to help you focus on what really matters, and reduce your stress. They'll help you to move from fixing problems to mentoring your child, build emotional safety at home, and give your teen the confidence to make good choices. These are the big picture things I wish I had known much earlier in the teen years.If you'd like an early release of this information and daily email reminders as the series unfolds, and more support, join me on SubstackSeven seeds:Changing gears: be explicit about the shift in your parenting from monitoring to mentoring. Make home safe and predictable: create routines and anchors so home feels stable amid constant change.Catch them doing good: notice and praise strengths to build a positive identity and reduce fear of mistakes.Listen until they feel understood (LUFU): use super silence and active listening; summarise and ask before offering advice.Model what you want to see: especially with technology: demonstrate the habits you want your teen to adopt.Be curious about yourself: notice triggers, respond with curiosity not criticism, and model emotional regulation.Talk to your kids before others do: proactively discuss vaping, pornography, nudes, drugs, alcohol and groomers. Role-play responses so they’re prepared before they come under pressure.Support the showPlease 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. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.Find all the tips from the episdoe on Substack: My emailMy website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact meInstagramFacebookYou can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk

Parenting Teens Top Tips Announcement + Vintage Reading Festival Advice

Ask Rachel anythingAnnouncing my summer top tips series where I give you a short episode of tips organised around themes to help you focus on what you and your tween or teen needs to prepare you for the new school year.Make sure you’re following the show to ensure you don’t miss any and if you want to get them early and have the tips delivered weekly directly to you just click here Send me the free newsletter and enter our email address. You’ll get them straight to your mailbox. The tips start next week, in the meantime here’s a rerun of the Reading Festival episode because I’ve had so much amazing feedback on it: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.  Support the showPlease 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. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.Find all the tips from the episdoe on Substack: My emailMy website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact meInstagramFacebookYou can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk

The talk about money most parents leave until too late

Ask Rachel anythingSeven in ten teenagers say they're very or extremely interested in investing. Not just curious, genuinely, actively interested. The problem is that most of us parents didn't become aware of investing until we were young adults or older, and half of parents say they wish they'd started sooner. That's a regret a lot of us are carrying around quietly, and without realising it, some of us are passing that same late start on to our kids.Teenagers today aren't waiting. They're already getting an education, just not necessarily the right one. They're watching creators on TikTok and YouTube who make it sound like picking the right crypto coin at the right moment is basically a personality trait. They're seeing posts about teens who turned a hundred pounds into ten thousand, and almost nothing about the ones who lost everything trying. It's exciting, it's fast, and it's completely untethered from the basics that actually build long-term wealth.That's why I invited Sonia Beardsmore, mum, former professional, institutional trader, and author of the book Raise a Mini Investor to talk to us about how we can discuss investing with our kids, how to start them young, and what a difference the deep financial literacy they can build while they're young and curious could really make in the long term. Sonia BeardsmorePrevious episode about pocket moneySupport the showPlease 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. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.Find all the tips from the episdoe on Substack: My emailMy website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact meInstagramFacebookYou can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk

School Stress and Exams: The Secret to Parents Helping Teens and Tweens Thrive

Ask Rachel anythingExam stress — are your teen’s exams quietly overwhelming them (and you)?In this episode of Teenagers Untangled I spoke with Katherine Radice, author of The Parent’s Guide to Exam Stress, to explore:* Why teens withdraw and how parental questions can shut down conversations about school* What makes exams uniquely stressful (risk, public outcomes, long timelines)* How parents can build calm, constructive conversations and listen so teens feel safe to share* Practical strategies: establishing effective work habits, rewarding effort vs. outcomes, scaffolding responsibility, and iterative trial-and-review methods for study* Handling struggles: when to improve school support vs. when to build strengths outside school (hobbies, status, resilience)* The “burden of praise” and how to praise in ways that empower rather than create anxiety* Managing parental anxiety: how to consult teens, stay reflective, and help them learn to cope with uncertainty and setbacksWhy it’s vital to listen:Exams affect more than grades — they shape teens’ confidence, relationships, and long-term coping skills.This episode gives us evidence-based, compassionate tools to support teens without becoming the “revision police,” reduce household stress, and help young people develop resilience that lasts beyond exam results.Contact Katharine:https://katharineradice.co.uk/Top tips from this episode:https://open.substack.com/pub/teenagersuntangled/p/the-biggest-cause-of-stress-for-teens?r=2u24i0&utm_medium=iosSupport the showPlease 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. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.Find all the tips from the episdoe on Substack: My emailMy website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact meInstagramFacebookYou can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk

The Life Skill Parents Forget to Teach: Engaging in Society

Ask Rachel anythingWho's teaching our teens how to be good citizens; someone who feels a part of society and enagages meaningfully in creating a world we all want to live in rather than someone who just buys stuff?In this episode I talked with Lindsey Cormick, political scientist and author of How to Raise a Citizen, about why we parents must see it as our job to raise capable, engaged citizens. With civics instruction waning in schools, Lindsey shares actionable strategies to turn everyday moments into lessons about government, community impact, and problem-solving. We discuss how to engage disinterested teens, navigate polarizing topics calmly, model curiosity over certainty, and making local politics tangible for the younger amongst us. The great thing about Lindsey's message is we don't need to know all about politics to get our kids involved, we just need to be prepared to discuss whats happening around us. Perfect for parents who want to boost critical thinking, civic responsibility, and respectful dialogue at home. Resources and printable prompts available at teenagersuntangled.subtack.com.Lindsey Cormack:https://howtoraiseacitizen.com/https://constitutioncenter.org/Support the showPlease 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. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.Find all the tips from the episdoe on Substack: My emailMy website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact meInstagramFacebookYou can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk