Part One: Guest Interview

Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Coach Chris Donavan. Chris is the mother of eight, including step children and children with special needs. She offers varied and important perspectives as both a mom and a professional parent coach. Her website www.ChristineCoach.com offers valuable resources for parents of children of all ages.

This podcast focuses on teens and technology. Let’s put our kids back in control. Yes! It can be done even though teens are voracious screen users. 95% of teens use the Internet, 78% have cell phones, and teens actually have as many tablet devices as adults. But teens are not adults. Their brains are still in process. As a matter of fact, it takes until ages 24-25, until the human brain is fully mature.

Because teenagers don’t have fully equipped brains, it makes them especially vulnerable to the addictive quality of screens. But once parents realize this, there many brain-compatible techniques they can use to put teens back in control. The keys are supporting our kids’ sense of autonomy and competence—so they grow a healthy self-identity, not an identity dependent upon digital devices.

Chris shares ways we “can get inside the head” of our teens, along with pro-active ways to make rules and keep them simple, with a positive focus. If you are pulling out your hair trying to figure out what to do about your teen and technology, this podcast will help you return to sanity with do-able researched-based parenting solutions.

Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™

There is no coaching session in this podcast. Tune into the previous podcasts to catch up with Lindsey!
Gloria’s last session coaching Lindsey will air on the Dec. 9 podcast. Please tune in next week to hear Lindsey discuss all the techniques and creative ideas she has put together for helping her young daughters grow into savvy digital literate kids.