Mike The Parent Coach

Mike The Parent Coach Build connection, trust, & presence with your teen by beating overwhelm & getting balance as a parent

Sometimes you need a little perspective when parenting a teenager. 😅Consider this your friendly reminder to stop grading...
09/03/2026

Sometimes you need a little perspective when parenting a teenager. 😅

Consider this your friendly reminder to stop grading yourself based on your teen’s worst day (or current mood).

Save this for the next time you need some parenting perspective and follow for more tips on how to stay connected with your kid during the teen years and beyond!

09/01/2026

You don’t need to vet every friend your teen brings around. You do need to watch who they become when those friends are near.

That’s the shift. Stop grilling your kid in the car about who they’re hanging out with. Start noticing if they come home more open or more shut down, more like themselves or less.

So invite the friends over. Feed them. Let them land in your kitchen. You’ll learn more watching a kid eat at your table than you ever will interrogating your own in the car.

And if something actually scares you, secrecy, big changes, pulling away from everyone, trust that instinct and step in. You’ve got good instincts, so trust them!

Send this to your partner so you’re on the same page next time a new friend shows up.

08/28/2026

Teenagers might communicate in a hundred different ways that they don’t want you in their business.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to be known.

Everyone likes to be thought of. Everyone likes when someone remembers the little things they love. And everyone likes to be surprised every once in a while.

So know your teen’s favorite snack. Know their drink order. And every now and then, have it waiting for them after school for no reason other than you thought of them.

Not as a bribe. Not because you messed up. And definitely not in place of an apology or repair when one is needed.

Just because.

It’s a small way to remind your teen: I think about you. I pay attention. I know you.

This is consideration: showing your teen that they’re on your mind and that what matters to them matters to you. And it’s one of three important parts of growing a healthy relationship with your teen.

I’ll get into parts two and three next.

Parenting teenagers comes with a lot of uncertainty, and not every hard moment needs an immediate response.Sometimes you...
08/26/2026

Parenting teenagers comes with a lot of uncertainty, and not every hard moment needs an immediate response.

Sometimes your teen needs you to step in. Other times, they need you to stay close, listen, and give them space to figure things out.

And it can be really hard to know which one your teen needs, especially amidst the eye rolls, slammed doors, and harsh words that can come out while they’re still trying to sort through their own feelings.

So here’s my #1 teen parenting tip before reacting:

Does this need my action right now, or does it need my attention?

Learning when to step in and when to wait is a huge part of building trust, communication, and connection with your teenager.

For more practical tips to stay connected with your kid during the teen years and beyond, comment CONNECT and I’ll send you some of my best free resources.

Of course you wanna know who your teen is friends with. Being curious isn’t the problem. Their friend group is shaping h...
08/23/2026

Of course you wanna know who your teen is friends with. Being curious isn’t the problem.

Their friend group is shaping how they see relationships, what they think is normal to put up with, what they think respect looks like. Of course you want to know who’s in that circle.

But here’s where it can start creating disconnection between you and your teen: there’s a real difference between wanting to know and needing to control.

Wanting to know builds trust. Trying to control who they’re friends with does the opposite, it teaches your teen to keep their world further away from you, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid.

Stay curious instead.

Ask open ended questions: what do you like about this friend? What do you two enjoy doing together? What do you look for in a friend you can trust?

That tells you more about how your teen is choosing people than any amount of digging ever will.

Invite the friend over when you can. Get to know them, and let them get to know who you are and how you live.

You’ll learn more from that than from googling around trying to piece someone together from a distance.

Trust the process a little. Friendships, even the ones you’re unsure about, are part of your teen’s learning journey. You still guide them. You just don’t have to control every step of it.

My go-to reminder: you behave yourself into your situation and your reputation, and the people you surround yourself with are shaping who you’re becoming.

Know what YOU want to be known for.

08/20/2026

School’s barely started and your teen’s already pulling away, and you can feel it.

They’re quieter, giving you one word answers, disappearing into their room the second they get home.

You ask “how was your day?” and get nothing back.

So you ask again, a little more worried this time, and somehow that makes it worse.

I get it, been there myself. Turns out the question’s the problem. “What happened today” shows we care (to us) but to them it feels like an interrogation.

And when a teen feels interrogated, they shut down. Not because something’s wrong.

Usually they just don’t even know what they’re feeling yet, so what are they supposed to say?

Here’s what’s actually worked for the parents I coach:

Skip the question. Just notice out loud instead: “You’ve seemed a little off since Tuesday.” Then stop talking.

If they don’t want to talk, just say “okay, I’m here whenever.” Leave it there.

And if you do need to ask something, keep it small enough to actually answer, like “was today better or worse than yesterday?”

Do it side-by-side too, not face to face. Car rides, walks, doing dishes. Way less pressure, way more talking.

You’re not messing this up, you’re one small shift away from getting them back.

‼️Got a free framework in my bio for reconnecting with a teen who’s checked out, go grab it.

A great reminder as teens are heading back to school and might need a bit more empathy, patience, and connection as they...
08/15/2026

A great reminder as teens are heading back to school and might need a bit more empathy, patience, and connection as they make the transition.

I asked a room full of teens what they wish their parents remembered about being their age.

I love how honest their answers were. I wish I could post all of them because there were so many incredible responses.

Most of them just want to feel understood. Not managed. Not told what to do. Just seen.

It’s easy to forget what it felt like to be that age…when everything felt big and confusing and you just wanted someone to get it.

Ask your teen what they’d say to that question.
You might be surprised by how much it opens up.

And if it’s okay with them, share their answers in the comments below so we can all learn and remember what it feels like to be a teen, today.

08/08/2026

Your teenager going quiet doesn’t mean something’s wrong. It often just means they’re doing the work of becoming their own person.

Teens don’t stay open in a straight line. They cycle. They go inward for a season while they figure out who they are, and then the door swings back open. That closing off usually isn’t rejection.

Here’s the part that matters. When you panic at the silence and chase, hover, or pepper them with questions, they feel that anxiety and close up even more. A teen who feels pursued often runs.

So your job isn’t to force the door open. It’s to keep it open. Small, steady deposits of connection. Five quiet minutes over nothing. That’s what keeps the path back to you warm.

If your teen is just quiet with you, that’s different from a teen pulling away from everything, friends, sleep, the things they used to love. If that’s what you’re seeing, trust your gut and get support.

But if they’re just quiet, keep the door open. Stay calm. They come back.

Comment CONNECT and I’ll send you my free training on holding steady through the ups and downs of parenting teens.

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