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Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

By: Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan
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 Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr. lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligenceDr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • 267: My Kid Has Been Accepted to College. But Is She Ready to Go?

    267: My Kid Has Been Accepted to College. But Is She Ready to Go?
    Apr 14 2026
    Your teen got into college. Now comes the harder question: are they actually ready to go? If you're wondering whether they have what it takes to handle a difficult roommate, navigate the college party scene, or make real friends on their own, you're not alone. This is one of the most common, and least talked about, worries parents carry into the summer before college drop-off. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and journalist Reena Ninan cut through the anxiety to give you a clear-eyed, compassionate framework for assessing your teen's readiness, and practical steps you can still take right now, even if you're not sure they're there yet. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - The two real indicators of college readiness - How to talk to your teen about roommates, parties, peer pressure, and personal safety - Why smartphones are making social adjustment harder, and what actually helps teens find their people - When it might be wiser to delay college or take a gap year, and how to do it without derailing their future - How to have the big pre-college talks when your teen keeps slipping out the door Whether your child is heading to campus in the fall or years away from that moment, this conversation will help you feel more grounded, more prepared, and less alone in your worries. ________________ Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. ________________ Episode keywords: teen college readiness, is my child ready for college, sheltered teen going to college, college freshman social anxiety, college roommate conflict advice, preparing teen for college parties, helping passive teen be assertive, college gap year decision, when to delay college, teen making friends in college, sending anxious teen to college, college transition tips for parents Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, lisa damour, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence
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    26 mins
  • 266: Should I Let My Teen Be Intimate at Home?

    266: Should I Let My Teen Be Intimate at Home?
    Apr 7 2026
    Wondering how to talk to your teen about relationships and intimacy? Clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour has the research-backed answers.Your teenager is in a relationship, and now you're asking yourself a question you never thought you'd have to answer: Do I allow this in my home? This is a tough topic to face, but avoiding it doesn't protect our kids. Honest, values-based conversation does. Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan unpack what the research actually says about teen intimacy, why your discomfort is valid, and how to respond in a way that reflects your family's values without leaving your teen without guidance. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - What developmental psychology actually says about teens in relationships, and where the real concerns lie - Why your instinct to set boundaries in your own home is not only valid, but worth acting on - What today's data reveals about teen intimacy that will likely surprise you - A simple four-question framework for talking to your teen about healthy, mutual, and safe relationships - What one country's approach to these conversations can teach us about getting better outcomes for our kids ________________ Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Episode keywords: teen intimacy, healthy teen relationships, teen consent, teen girlfriend boyfriend, teen sexual health, sex positive parenting, talking to teens about relationships, should I let my teenager have a partner over, parenting teens about intimacy, how to talk to your teen about relationships, teen relationship statistics, Dutch parenting style, teen developmental milestones, teen dating advice, teen relationship advice Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, lisa damour, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence
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    29 mins
  • 265: Screens, Toxic Stress & Staying Connected with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

    265: Screens, Toxic Stress & Staying Connected with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
    Mar 31 2026
    If you're raising a tween or teen in a world of social media, smartphones, and AI, this conversation is for you. How do you protect your kid from the psychological harms of today's digital world (disturbing content, social media, and AI) without pushing them away or damaging the relationship you've worked so hard to build with them? That's the question at the heart of this special episode of Ask Lisa. Live from the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families, clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour sits down with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, award-winning physician, researcher, and California's inaugural Surgeon General, for a conversation that will genuinely change how you think about your kid and their devices. Together, they bring decades of clinical expertise and hard-won parenting experience to the questions families are struggling with most right now around tech and their kids. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN - Why what kids see online can rewire their developing nervous systems (and what parents can do about it right now) - The one thing you should say to your tween or teen before they ever go online - How to set a phone contract that's tied to developmental readiness, not just age (and what to say when your kid isn’t ready) - Why teaching kids to recognize algorithm manipulation is more powerful than any parental control - The questions that keep conversation open when your teen encounters disturbing content, appearance pressure, or harmful online trends - What parents of kids who have experienced adverse childhood experiences need to know about AI risks for kids and algorithm-driven platforms If you're feeling overwhelmed by the digital world your kid is growing up in, this conversation will leave you feeling more grounded, more equipped, and even closer to your teen.________________ Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. ________________ Episode keywords: nadine burke harris, toxic stress in kids, adverse childhood experiences, ACEs parenting, kids and online content, teen smartphone rules, when to give child a phone, phone contract for teens, teen social media harm, kids seeing disturbing content online, boys and body image social media, teen appearance pressure, AI risks for kids, algorithm manipulation teens, teen screen time rules, buffering caregiving Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence
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    47 mins
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