Parenting Teenagers Untangled - Understand and Talk to Your Teenager

By Rachel Richards

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Category: Parenting

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Subscribers: 25
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 189

Description

Hello, I'm Rachel Richards, former BBC Correspondent, CNBC Europe World News Anchor and mum, on a mission to make parenting teens much less stressful, and even enjoyable. 


Do you ever feel like you don’t know what you’re doing?


Firstly, have a big hug from me.


Secondly, you’re doing better than you think you are. No, really, you are. There’s too much talk about what a parent should be, and how we can optimise and perfect ourselves, and not enough about how well you’re coping in this complicated world as you hold your shizzle together.


I mean it, the most important message is that you CANNOT be perfect. You’re going to lose your rag, you’re going to get upset and say stupid things and make mistakes and hate your kids and your partner and your life from time to time.


Take it from me, if you’re going to worry about anything make it: ‘Am I being curious enough?’

Asking questions will get you everywhere as a parent of teenagers, and the place to do most of your practice is… yourself and your own thoughts and beliefs.

So, welcome, pull up a chair, drop your baggage, and make yourself comfortable. Let’s learn together.


The Podcast:


A fellow mum begged me to start my podcast because she wanted someone she trusted to help her through the teen years, and I’ll be forever grateful to her because the journey has transformed my own parenting and benefited my family beyond imagination.


Here’s the good news, this podcast is free and you can learn everything I learned just by starting at the beginning and going through every episode.


If you want to go a bit faster then scroll through and pick subjects that cover what you need right now. If you can’t find what you want then message me and I’ll tell you which one will help you most. If it’s not something I’ve covered then I’m like a dog chasing a stick, so you’ll soon get your answers.


My main aim is to help you stop trying to be perfect, or comparing yourself and your kids with others. Your only real job is to focus on getting to know the amazing people you have in your life, loving them unconditionally, and showing them you believe they can do hard things.


JOIN ME ON SUBSTACK:


For those of you who want more, or who just want to help me feel like the pebbles I have dropped in the ocean of life are making a difference, why not join my paid community? You’ll get one-to-one support and printable PDF’s that give you the top tips from each podcast episode so you have your own little, bespoke manual.


ASK ME ANYTHING: I’m very busy behind the scenes reading everything so you don’t have to, and when you subscribe you have the chance to ask me anything. If I don’t know the answer I’ll head out like an eager truffle pig, ready to snuffle out the best for you.


COMMUNITY: I’ll be offering regular extras, including tips and thoughts, that help you tune into what matters.

All of the community notes, and tips, will remain available to paid subscribers. I want to make this more about fun and less about fear.


PDF NOTES: So many listeners say they have rewound the episodes to write down notes, well now there’s no need. Paid subscribers will have a weekly, downloadable, summary of the top tips from each episode, so you don’t have to take notes.

Please let me know if there are any old episodes for which you’d like the notes. I’m very happy to supply them.


POINTERS: Ask me if there’s something you’re struggling with, I can tell you which episode is most suitable for you, because there are a lot to trawl through.


Episode Date
Teen Love & Heartbreak: What Parents Get Wrong, and How to Help
Apr 01, 2026
When your teen gets rejected: How we parents can help
Mar 25, 2026
Discover Your Values - Parenting Advice
Mar 23, 2026
Raising Boys In The Age of the Manosphere - Vintage
Mar 18, 2026
Cutting it as a parent? Life as a surgeon, author and mother of four with Gabriel Weston
Mar 11, 2026
Teenagers, AI, Nudes and Online Blackmail: What You Need to Know
Mar 04, 2026
The Thing We All Need Most: Mattering
Feb 25, 2026
Why Some Kids Stop Talking to Their Parents
Feb 18, 2026
Body image, and getting teens to do chores. Vintage
Feb 11, 2026
Why teen friendships feel so intense, and the most important thing to say
Feb 04, 2026
Positive Parenting: Using Strengths to Motivate and Understand our Kids
Jan 28, 2026
Protecting Your Teen Online: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Jan 21, 2026
How to raise happy, successful adults
Jan 14, 2026
The One Thing Your Teen Really Needs From You: Emotional Regulation
Jan 07, 2026
The secrets to real change, and breaking negative family cycles
Dec 31, 2025
Teens and Anxiety: The Role We Parents Can Play. Vintage
Dec 24, 2025
Emotional issues. How to avoid overreacting. Vintage
Dec 17, 2025
The Fatherhood Gap: How Society Is Failing Dads (and Our Kids)
Dec 10, 2025
Top Friendship Tips for Teen Girls: Lessons from Real-Life Sisters.
Dec 03, 2025
Christmas and other family gatherings with teens. Magic or misery? Vintage
Dec 02, 2025
Motivational feedback, a happiness hack, and letting your teen sleepover after a party
Dec 02, 2025
The 'Super System' To Help Teens Stay on Task; Even Those With ADHD
Nov 26, 2025
How to Raise Kids Who Speak Their Minds (Without Fear)
Nov 19, 2025
Talk to your boys: Masculinity, gaming, sexuality and emotions.
Nov 12, 2025
Your Teen Is Already Using AI—Here’s How to Talk to Them About It
Nov 05, 2025
Mental health problems in teenagers. We can't just blame phones.
Oct 29, 2025
Drugs: Half of 15 year olds have been exposed. How to talk with your kids about drugs.
Oct 22, 2025
Grief, university, rules and consequences, raising boys, chores and phones. Community Catch Up
Oct 19, 2025
Most teenagers aren't getting enough sleep. Here's how to fix it.
Oct 15, 2025
Preventing our kids from developing eating disorders.
Oct 08, 2025
Stop pushing your kids: The science of success, resilience, and reduced stress.
Oct 01, 2025
Transforming difficult, disruptive kids.
Sep 24, 2025
Conflict resolution skills for parents. Vintage.
Sep 17, 2025
Teens Talk: The good and bad of smart phones and social media.
Sep 10, 2025
When School Goes Wrong: How Parents Can Advocate, Support, and Turn Things Around
Sep 03, 2025
Mental Health, and Teen Phone Use with Oxford Psychologist Lucy Foulkes.
Aug 27, 2025
Lessons in parenting from adult kids who go no contact:
Aug 20, 2025
Teens, screens and mobiles: bans and boundaries.
Aug 13, 2025
Why Parents Judge Each Other — And How to Stop. x
Aug 06, 2025
Why Mothers Aren't Happy: Burnout, Mental Load and the Second Shift.
Jul 30, 2025
Angry teenagers: How to parent tweens and teens through their anger - Vintage.
Jul 23, 2025
How to Set Boundaries That Actually Work With Teens: Vintage.
Jul 16, 2025
Motivation: How to motivate a young person, teen or tween: Vintage.
Jul 09, 2025
Alcohol. A Smart Parents' Guide to Helping Teens Take a Healthy Approach.
Jul 02, 2025
Talk: How to talk so your teenager will listen, and teens wanting to sleep together.
Jun 25, 2025
Puberty, toxic friendships and 'Pick me' girls - teens talk.
Jun 18, 2025
Starting University: The supportive thing that makes all the difference.
Jun 11, 2025
Stop a downward spiral before it happens with Dr Greg Walton 'One of psychology's greatest'.
Jun 04, 2025
First love, breakups & LGBTQ: What to do and say.
May 28, 2025
Underage sex, loneliness, puberty and finding hobbies.
May 21, 2025
Why school exam systems need to change and how to support our own kids now.
May 14, 2025
Success: Are siblings and community more important than parents?
May 06, 2025
Respect, artifical intelligence and toxic femininity - the teenage view.
Apr 30, 2025
Secondary school, friendship groups, and those awkward talks about porn and sexting.
Apr 23, 2025
How to get your teenager out of their bedroom - even one who's into gaming.
Apr 16, 2025
Identity formation - the main job of a teenager?
Apr 09, 2025
Inheritocracy: Are education and hard work less important now than parents?
Apr 02, 2025
Adolescence: Help for parents with the core themes.
Apr 01, 2025
Empty nest? Plan ahead for an life that's full of possibility.
Mar 11, 2025
Work: What we parents can do to help our kids end up with a meaningful role in society.
Mar 05, 2025
Parenting the Teen You Have, Not the One You Imagined
Feb 26, 2025
Skin care obsession: The social media 'Sephora' kid craze from a teen perspective.
Feb 19, 2025
Parenting stages: Coaching and mentoring teens and young adults.
Feb 12, 2025
Life skills: How to supercharge them with a working holiday.
Feb 05, 2025
Using facts to be a good parent to teenagers: The evidence.
Jan 29, 2025
Stress and guilt: reducing the overwhelming mental load.
Jan 22, 2025
Motivating teens: why parents are the missing piece of the puzzle.
Jan 15, 2025
Enduring sibling relationships: Why some last and others fall apart.
Jan 08, 2025
New Year 2025: resolutions, stress, being more fun and the most interesting books.
Jan 01, 2025
Family gatherings without the fireworks, and staying connected with your young teen.
Dec 23, 2024
Suicide: How to talk about it with teens, and offer proper support.
Dec 18, 2024
Support: It takes a village to raise a child... as long they do it my way.
Dec 11, 2024
Girls: Sexism, beauty standards, entitlement and misogyny.
Dec 04, 2024
Cancel Culture and Teens: When Calling Out Goes Too Far
Nov 27, 2024
Friendships, frenemies and banter. What to expect and why.
Nov 20, 2024
The damage of an emotionally immature parent.
Nov 13, 2024
Masculinity and image: the Looksmaxxing hashtag that boys follow but parents don't see.
Nov 06, 2024
Boundaries: How to set them and why they’re so important.
Oct 30, 2024
Motivation: How to motivate your teenager. With eminent Psychologist David Yeager.
Oct 23, 2024
Stress - the major health issue for parents in our 'culture of comparison'.
Oct 16, 2024
How to parent complex kids with ADHD or other differences.
Oct 09, 2024
The hardest part of parenting a teen? We discuss the 18-22 year stage.
Oct 02, 2024
Therapy. Should all teens get it? Also, do boys actually need male role models?
Sep 25, 2024
How grades harm kids and what we parents can do about it.
Sep 18, 2024
Teen weight and body image: The teen view.
Sep 11, 2024
Reading Festival tips - straight from the mouths of teenagers.
Sep 04, 2024
Grades. Our obsession with them fails everyone.
Aug 28, 2024
Driving lessons - Top tips for a smooth road ahead.
Aug 21, 2024
Rachel's top ten lessons to celebrate 100 episodes!
Aug 14, 2024
Boys who're failing exams and seem apathetic.
Aug 07, 2024
Boys: Emotions, masculinity vaccinations, and online influencers.
Jul 31, 2024
Shyness: How to support a teen who lacks self-belief and confidence.
Jul 24, 2024
Sleeping in until late during the holidays.
Jul 17, 2024
Public displays of affection and sex in your home.
Jul 10, 2024
Switching parental gears for their new school year.
Jul 03, 2024
Screen time for tweens and teens: The latest on what works and what doesn't.
Jun 26, 2024
Summer flip or summer flop? What will your teen be doing with their summer?
Jun 19, 2024
Is your teen being lazy, or could they be lacking a key executive skill?
Jun 12, 2024
Values, and how being strong about our own can help teens navigate a society of desires.
Jun 05, 2024
Exams, depression, work, national service, Sigma and Bigorexia,
May 29, 2024
Failure to launch: What we can learn from struggling young adults.
May 22, 2024
Missing out: The pain of FOMO. Why it’s particularly bad for teens.
May 15, 2024
Nagging: Reducing the friction using the magic of routine.
May 08, 2024
School: Angry kids, bad behaviour, and school avoidance.
May 01, 2024
Where’s my village? The stress of parenting in the ‘sandwich generation’.
Apr 24, 2024
Perfectionism: Overcoming the need to be perfect.
Apr 17, 2024
Money: Giving teens and tweens an allowance. Two years on.
Apr 10, 2024
Fun: Having fun with our teens, and the bonding power of laughter.
Apr 03, 2024
Resilience: Growing Resilience In Teens, or GRIT.
Mar 27, 2024
Concentration, and the troubling effect of too many choices.
Mar 20, 2024
Eldest daughter syndrome and the trouble with parentification.
Mar 13, 2024
Taking things personally, coping with adversity, teen love and changing our minds when we get new information.
Mar 06, 2024
Manners: Parenting to help teens succeed in life by teaching the importance of good manners.
Feb 28, 2024
Admitting our mistakes - talking to our kids about our own teen years.
Feb 21, 2024
Standards: Setting high expectations without the pressure.
Feb 14, 2024
Social media and girls posting bikini photos. Help!
Feb 07, 2024
Diet: Does my teen need to lose weight? Diet culture.
Jan 31, 2024
Regrets? Things we parents would do differently.
Jan 24, 2024
Coping with an Inconsistent or Alcoholic Parent: Guidance for the Parent Who’s There
Jan 17, 2024
Back to school, third places, manners and our favourite podcasts, shows, books and apps.
Jan 10, 2024
New year's resolutions. Making them work for us.
Jan 01, 2024
Presents: Why is my teen so ungrateful?
Dec 27, 2023
Favourite lessons: Online, education, anxiety, consequences, and the pressures of parenting.
Dec 13, 2023
Online grooming and sextortion: protecting our teens and tweens.
Dec 06, 2023
Eating disorders: An interview with Beat representative Umairah Malik.
Nov 29, 2023
Parenting styles that enable teens to grow into capable adults.
Nov 22, 2023
How to Talk to Your Teen About Porn Without Shame or Panic.
Nov 15, 2023
Living at Home, Paying Bills, Growing Up: Global Truths About Today’s Teenagers
Nov 08, 2023
Exercise: are teens doing enough?
Nov 01, 2023
‘Trans’ and gender confusion: what to say to teens when we’re often more confused than they are.
Oct 25, 2023
Triggers and emotional spirals, mobile phone bans and do schools know what to teach kids anymore?
Oct 18, 2023
Navigating divorce while raising teens.
Oct 11, 2023
Teen dating. Talking about relationships or 'help, my son's come home with a hickey!'
Oct 04, 2023
Developing Emotional Intelligence
Sep 27, 2023
Gap years: What is a gap year and should our teens take one?
Sep 20, 2023
Grief: Supporting our kids through the worst.
Sep 13, 2023
Anxiety: How to help your teen with anxiety.
Aug 30, 2023
Christmas and holiday stress with teenagers and tweens.
Aug 23, 2023
Transitioning to secondary school: What we wish we'd known.
Aug 16, 2023
Memory: The critical tool that helps us do far more than pass exams. 51
Aug 10, 2023
Snapchat addiction; why teens want it so much
Jul 24, 2023
Bigorexia: Teens eating everything in the house, muscle building, and Bigorexia. 48
Jul 10, 2023
Anger issues: tips for dealing with an explosive and angry teen.
Jul 03, 2023
Masculinity, and positive ways of supporting our teenage boys
Jun 26, 2023
New relationships: Introducing your new partner to your teen
Jun 19, 2023
Risk-taking teens; the good news about bad behaviour.
Jun 12, 2023
Teenagers Untangled: Who we are and how you can use the podcast.
Jun 07, 2023
Social media: help your teens be their best selves online.
Jun 05, 2023
Sleep; the free performance enhancer for our teens with no side effects.
Jun 01, 2023
Conflict resolution skills to deepen your relationship with your teen
May 10, 2023
Exam revision - Parenting through the pressure.
Apr 28, 2023
Relationships and sex: how young is too young?
Apr 18, 2023
Teachers: how, and why, we should talk to our teenager's teachers.
Mar 27, 2023
Emotional issues. How to not overreact.
Mar 17, 2023
Stress: Techniques for dealing with the pressures of parenting. 36
Mar 03, 2023
Vaping teens. How to educate and discourage them. 35
Feb 23, 2023
School avoidance: what to do if your teen is missing school.
Feb 08, 2023
Masculine role models: Andrew Tate, misogyny, and the manosphere.
Feb 03, 2023
Rules: Consequences, and the teen who doesn't seem to care.
Jan 26, 2023
Make habit changes that actually work.
Jan 19, 2023
Step-children. Coping, and thriving, with a blended family.
Dec 12, 2022
Parties for teens and tweens. Invitations, gatecrashers and alcohol.
Dec 07, 2022
Christmas presents: is your teen ungrateful?
Nov 28, 2022
Friendships: How to support teens to build their social skills.
Nov 11, 2022
Entitled teens: How do I stop my teenager from being entitled?
Nov 09, 2022
Why identity is such an issue. Also, smelly teens.
Oct 14, 2022
Do Manners Still Matter? And Why Empty Nest Syndrome Hits So Hard
Oct 02, 2022
Girls clothing choices, also talking about a change in your finances.
Sep 22, 2022
Disagreements over parenting styles, and future careers.
Sep 09, 2022
Drugs: How to talk to my teenager, and divorce and kids staying over.
Aug 27, 2022
Mom guilt, and what if you don’t like your teenager's friends.
Jul 25, 2022
Lying teenagers, and sibling comparisons.
Jul 06, 2022
Favourite parent; and teenagers trying to ‘express’ themselves?
Jun 23, 2022
Boy friendships. Also what the %#*!😳 we should do about swearing?
Jun 16, 2022
Self-harm. Also, what's your talking style?
Jun 06, 2022
What No One Tells You About Teens and Anxiety.
May 20, 2022
Pornography:What you need to know before having THAT talk.
May 09, 2022
Bullying, and the best way to tackle it. Also, dealing with teenage backchat.
Apr 26, 2022
Lone parenting and Understanding Teen Mood Swings.
Mar 28, 2022
Friendship: Girls and toxic groups, also building resilience
Mar 16, 2022
Screens and teens and healthy eating.
Mar 05, 2022
Sibling rivalry, also the vaping teenager.
Feb 24, 2022
Covid's impact on our teens, also the teenage sleep conundrum.
Feb 13, 2022
Body image and getting teens to do chores.
Feb 05, 2022
Motivation and giving up: When do we let them quit?
Jan 29, 2022
Mobile phone photos/sexting, and money management using an allowance.
Jan 21, 2022
Talk so your teenager will listen, and dealing with teen sex in your home.
Jan 14, 2022
Discussing alcohol, and how to stay connected
Jan 07, 2022
Your parenting toolbox and teenagers tidying their rooms
Dec 16, 2021