Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You

Parenting Mistakes

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith discuss some common parenting missteps, the impact they have on our children and how we can avoid making those same mistakes. 
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:09] Parenting pitfalls
[02:45] Culture of comparison
[12:39] Impulse to fix
[13:53] Resist the temptation to gossip
[23:53] Stop minimizing/maximizing
[29:43] Progress not perfection
[34:57] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
The Four Agreements
Turning Red

Structure

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith discuss structure and schedules as it relates to our child’s lives. What does good structure vs. poor structure look like? How much structure in your child’s life is too much? Cathy and Meredith answer these questions and more in this episode.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:03] Over-scheduled vs. under-structured
[02:35] What is your parenting style?
[04:45] What does good structure look like?
[11:32] Stay consistent
[14:30] It’s okay to re-evaluate the structure
[24:00] What does poor structure look like?
[34:08] Strive for a balanced structure
[37:10] Additional tips
[40:30] Outro
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website
Personal Values Tool

Mental Health Red Flags

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith interview Cristina Perez, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Instructor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Keck School of Medicine of USC. They discuss mental health red flags, how to approach mental health concerns with your teen, when and how you can intervene, and support resources that parents can be aware of and discuss with their teens. There is so much packed into this episode, you don’t want to miss it!
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:54] Introducing Cristina
[08:55] Red flags - indicators that something’s up
[16:25] Approach with curiosity
[18:24] Overcoming resistance
[26:36] When and how do you intervene? 
[30:55] Perfectionism
[39:00] Resources to be aware of
[47:37] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website

I’ve Got a Bone to Pick

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith talk about the culture around college admissions in addition to the independent college counseling scene and what to watch out for. 
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:03] If it seems too good to be true, it probably is
[8:49] To thine own self be true
[10:55] Culture around college admissions
[23:23] Why might you need an independent college counselor?
[32:00] Predatory advertising - what to steer clear of!
[36:15] What to look for in an independent college counselor
39:43] Outro
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website

Listomania, Part 2

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith get into the mechanics of building a college list. They breakdown what a reach, target and likely are, as well as covering some of the do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when building a college list. 
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[00:55] College list mechanics
[02:17] Timing for building a list
[04:44] How many schools should I apply to?
[07:50] Strive for balance
[16:47] Be wary of applying to too many selective schools
[18:43] Reach, Target, Likely: Breaking it down
[24:27] Do’s and Don’ts
[31:10] Sweet tooth 
[34:45] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website

Hearing Back from Colleges

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith discuss college admissions decisions and how to navigate that process with your teen. They talk about strategies for how to support your teen during the process and how to keep things in perspective.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[00:50] College admissions decisions
[02:03] Receiving new well
[07:24] How to be supportive during this process
[11:36] How to move past tough decisions
[14:47] Keeping things in perspective
[17:33] Being thoughtful about the college selection process
[24:00] Don’t have too many cooks in the kitchen
[26:39] Pros and cons list
[30:00] What would be a thoughtful way to celebrate?
[33:45] Practical things to consider
[49:02] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website
Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be

Listomania

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith discuss how to build an effective college list. They also talk about the do’s and don’ts of building a college list and how parents can best support their teen during the college process.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:25] How to build an effective college list
[01:43] A cautionary tale
[09:30] A hopeful tale
[13:30] Do’s and Don’ts 
[18:00] Where you go doesn’t determine who you are
[25:00] Rankings are dumb
[28:38] Letting go of ego and vanity
[32:00] Focus on the big picture
[33:19] Let’s talk food! What are your staples?
[38:43] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website
Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be
 

Motivating Your Teen

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith talk about motivation or the lack thereof. How does procrastination show up? Cathy and Meredith explore some of the reasons behind procrastination and provide parents with strategies to help manage this issue with their teenagers. 
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[1:17] Topic overview: Motivation
[02:41] Understanding procrastination and lack of motivation
[08:30] Use caution when using labels
[10:36] Strategies for parents
[15:02] When do you let natural consequences run their course?
[21:50] How to grow good humans
[24:25] Incentivizing your child
[26:52] Keeping things in perspective
[31:02] Ending on a sweet note
[38:38] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website

Summer Planning

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith discuss summer planning. How should your child approach their summer? Should they double down on academics? Should they ‘round’ out their resume? Cathy and Meredith share some tried and true answers to the most common questions about summer planning.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[01:14] Summer planning
[02:12] What should I do this summer? Does it really matter?
[5:00] How can you challenge or grow yourself?
[6:49] A word on  taking academic classes over the summer
[8:26] The pitfalls of over focusing on selective schools instead of fit
[11:17] Summers do kind of matter
[12:30] Summer is a good time to help teens figure out what’s important to them
[14:28] I heard that if my child takes this summer program at X university, it will increase their chances of getting in
[16:42] What admissions officers are really trying to assess
[22:03] How do you approach resistance in your teens to summer planning?
[25:10] Encourage your teen’s independence when looking at summer opportunities 
[28:43] Get out of your comfort zone
[32:55] Student voices on their meaningful summer experiences
[37:58] Outro
 
LINKS
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You website

Teenage Mutant Teenagers

In this episode of Sh*t Your Teenager Won’t Tell You, hosts Cathy and Meredith offer some perspective on what it means to be an adolescent. They discuss what it means developmentally and offer advice on what parents can do for their teenagers.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:01] Intro
[01:26] Would Cathy and Meredith be a teenager again
[03:12] What is a teenager
[05:57] Brain development
[12:01] An important stage of identity construction
[16:32] What parents can do when adolescents are difficult
[23:12] Support, not rescue
[29:15] Be clear about values
[34:07] Host’s final thoughts
[37:39] Outro
 
LINKS
The Values Deck | A Card Sorting Game to Explore Your Personal Values
Herrera Educational Consulting
Village Coaches
Sh*t Your Teenager Won’t Tell You website