Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Today's Teens

By Kenneth Wilgus, Jessica Pfeiffer

Education Religion & Spirituality Kids & Family Christianity

What's Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Today's Teens about?

A weekly podcast on parenting teens and launching them into the world. Hosted by Jessica Pfeiffer with Dr. Ken Wilgus, author of the book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You."

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Today's Teens episodes:

04.23.2024
Episode 174: Marriage Problems, Separation, Divorce and Teenagers
How should parents deal with teenagers when they're having marriage problems? What are the real effects of divorce on teenagers? When and how much should parents talk to their teens about marriage problems or when considering divorce? Today Jessica and...
04.16.2024
Episode 173: Teenagers and Religion - Church, Synagogue, Mosque or Temple
Today we revisit the issue of passing on your own religious priorities to your teenagers. Since the pandemic, attendance at religious services is down significantly among Americans of all faiths. Among Christians, a significant percentage believe that watching church online...
04.09.2024
Episode 172: Porn and Anime Revisited
It's been awhile since we talked about pornography and issues surrounding it. Jessica is also worried about anime. Are these two related? Should parents be worried about animated porn images as well as live action videos and images? What is...
04.02.2024
Episode 171: We Interview Cynthia Yanof... Your New Best Friend
Today we talk to Cynthia Yanof, host of the "MESSmerized" podcast, former host of the "Pardon the Mess" podcast and author of her new book, "Life is Messy, God is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life." Always relatable,...
03.27.2024
Episode 170: Sociosexuality Part Two
This week we finish our discussion on teens and sociosexuality - an individual's interest in sexual behavior without commitment. Dr. Ken reviews the need to help our daughter's understand the normal differences between male and female sociosexuality. We review the...
03.19.2024
Episode 169: Sociosexuality Part One
Are men and women different in their sexual drives and needs? Popular culture seems insistent on portraying men and women's sexual interests as the same. In psychology research, an individual's desire and interest in casual, sexual interaction is known as...
03.12.2024
Episode 168: Neurodiversity And Teenagers
What is neurodiversity and what does it mean to be neurodivergent? Today we talk about this broad category that covers autism-spectrum conditions as well as deficits in attention and other cognitive, learning issues. Why is neurodiversity becoming a popular term?...
03.05.2024
Episode 167: "Lost In Trans Nation" Dr. Miriam Grossman Interview (Part Two)
Today we share the second half of our interview with Dr. Miriam Grossman. Grossman is a board certified psychiatrist who has been educating parents about the misinformation that has all but hijacked the fields of psychiatry, psychology and virtually all...
02.27.2024
Episode 166: "Lost in Trans Nation" We Interview Dr. Miriam Grossman MD (Part One)
We are so excited to have one of our heroes join us for an in-depth look at the ideology of gender diversity that is sweeping our country. Dr. Miriam Grossman is a board certified psychiatrist who has been educating parents...
02.20.2024
Episode 165: Alcohol, Drugs And Vaping - Revisited
It's hard to believe how long it's been since we covered alcohol, drugs and vaping. Today we review the important differences between things that are bad for your teen and things that get them intoxicated. That difference is important! Also,...
02.13.2024
Episode 164: Parenting Teenagers In An Age Of Anxiety
Today we review yet another news article about increased anxiety in teenagers. What is causing so much anxiety among our teens today? How should parents respond to teenagers who are anxious about the world they face today? When parents worry...
02.06.2024
Episode 163: Mentalization - Is Your Teen Good At Knowing Other People?
Does your teenager misread others? Are they able to read the motives and feelings of their peers? This is known as "mentalization." Since the COVID pandemic more and more adolescents are struggling to read others and this effects their peer...
01.30.2024
Episode 162: What About Starting Planned Emancipation Earlier Than Thirteen?
We've had some listeners ask about starting Feeding The Mouth parenting early. You know, like what about that extra responsible, mature 11-year-old? Wouldn't it be better to encourage that kind of behavior with early Planned Emancipation? Dr. Ken's answer may...
01.23.2024
Episode 161: When Teens Attract the Wrong Friends
What can parents do when their teenager seems to attract the wrong kind of friends? How is it that some adolescents seem to get in with the "good" kids in their school while others apparently struggle? Today we talk about...
01.16.2024
Episode 160: Teenagers and Masturbation
NOTE: Today's episode isn't suitable for young children (obviously). We know it's hard to talk about masturbation with your kids but it's so important that you do. How did we go from a culture that lied about near fatal consequences of...
01.09.2024
Episode 159: Make-Up, Hair, Nails and Teenagers
When should parents allow their kids to wear make-up? What if your daughter tells you that all her friends are wearing make-up? What about some "radical" hairstyle? How should you respond if you son wants to wear make-up? Today we...
12.19.2023
Episode 158: "I Want My Teenager To Be Able To Tell Me Anything... Right?"
Did you talk to your parents the way your teen talks to you? Is that always a good thing? When does the priority of "you can be honest with your parents" become an excuse for teens to berate their parents?...
12.12.2023
Episode 157: Hygiene Issues with Teenagers
Ever have to air out your car after driving your teen home from practice? Adolescence brings major changes to teens lives including how they smell! Today we tackle the tricky issue of parents intervening with adolescents with poor hygiene including...
12.05.2023
Episode 156: Grounding Teenagers
Today we talk about grounding your teenager. When should you ground them? What exactly does grounding include? Can they still use their phone while grounded? What about work or church activities. We even talk about what the maximum time limit...
11.14.2023
Episode 155: Holidays, Grief and Teenagers
Each year we focus on some aspect of the holidays with teens. This year we want to focus in on those who are dealing with grief, loss and even depression around this time of year. What's different about how a...
11.07.2023
Episode 154: Health Issues and Teenagers
Why can it be so hard just to help a teenager stay healthy? Today we answer listener questions about exercise, diet as well as medical issues that impact adolescent lives. How can parents deal with teenagers that seemingly ignore allergies...
10.31.2023
Episode 153: Helping Teenagers' Problems with Friendships and Social Groups
How can parents help their adolescents when they are having problems with their social group? What if my teen isn't really in a social group at all? Today we take on the increasingly difficult area of social relationships. In an...
10.24.2023
Episode 152: "Why Is My Teenager Angry All The Time?"
Why do teenagers sometimes go through phases of being constantly angry and surly? Dr. Ken reviews the most common causes of teenager's anger and talks about some best ways to respond. We also take on the question of just how...
10.17.2023
Episode 151: When Teenagers Isolate In Their Rooms
Today we answer a common question from listeners, "How should I handle it when my teenager spends all their time in their room"? As you can guess, Dr. Ken starts with advice on avoiding a control battle but what to...
10.10.2023
Episode 150: The Parenting "Finish Line" Part 2
This week we finish up our discussion from last week about dealing with adolescents after they finish high school. Many young adults live at home at least for some period of time after they have reached adulthood. What are the...
10.03.2023
Episode 149: The Parenting "Finish Line" Part 1
Is there a time when parents are really done parenting? We get so many questions from parents who have invested so much in parenting their teens that they're not sure what to do after high school. While you'll always be...
09.26.2023
Episode 148: Teens Who Resist Sports and Activities
We've gotten email questions about adolescents who resist involvement in any sport or activity. How can parents continue to implement planned emancipation if they have to sit a watch their teenager sit around and avoid getting involved with anything? What...
09.19.2023
Episode 147: The Barbie Movie
Did you see the Barbie movie? Should you take a 12 year old girl to see it? You're not still limiting your 13 and older kids on what PG-13 movies they can see are you? Today Jessica and Dr. Ken...
09.12.2023
Episode 146: The Burden of Parenting - Part Two
This week we conclude our discussion of "parenting" as the term has come to imply some "inside track" of parental knowledge that can, supposedly, guarantee a happy and successful kid. Dr. Ken shares the truth that not only is this...
09.05.2023
Episode 145: The Burden of Parenting - Part One
Where did we get this idea that there's some "inside track" of techniques parents should be implementing to raise amazing children? Is there any evidence that parental influence can guarantee some level of success in their children? Why do so...
06.06.2023
Episode 144: "You're Only Human" part 2 - Dr. Ken Interviews Dr. Kelly Kapic
Today we finish our great interview with Dr. Kelly Kapic, professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. His book, "You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News" is a breath...
05.30.2023
Episode 143: "You're Only Human" Dr. Ken Interviews Dr. Kelly Kapic
Most all parents constantly feel guilty that they're not doing enough for their kids. For Christian parents, does our faith make any difference when we suffer like this? Theology professor Kelly Kapic's most recent book, "You're Only Human" takes on...
05.23.2023
Episode 142: Another "Dr. Ken's Essentials" - Entitlement in Teenagers
We continue paring down some of the vast amount of information and focus on the critical elements that are sometimes lost. Today Dr. Ken revives a discussion about entitlement and the damage this does to children of all ages. How...
05.12.2023
Episode 141: Dr. Ken's "Feeding The Mouth" Essentials
Summer's coming, Jessica and Ashley are swamped so Dr. Ken shares some of the essentials of "Feeding The Mouth" parenting. Today we revisit questions about phone limits, when your kid has been drinking, "dab" pens, driving and more. There's a...
04.25.2023
Episode 140: "Why Are You Telling Me This?" Complications In Communicating With Teens
Having a relationship where your teenager shares everything with their parents is a good thing... right? Today we talk about complications in the idealistic expectation that parents want teenagers who tell them everything that is going on in their lives....
04.18.2023
Episode 139: Trash Talk, Verbal Sparring and Teenagers
Jessica and Ashley revive an axiom they learned in a Bible study, "our words should build, bless and benefit." How could any Christian parent disagree with these goals for our children? Well... Dr. Ken has some concerns! Today we consider...
04.11.2023
Episode 138: A Spring Checklist For Feeding The Mouth Parents
This week we review a checklist of the stuff parents need to be doing this spring to move planned emancipation along. Especially for parents of high school seniors, now is the time to be mostly finished with giving over freedoms...
04.04.2023
Episode 137: How To Talk To Teens About School Shootings
School shootings only add to parents' fears for their child's safety and well-being. These fears make it hard for parents to know how to or even if they should talk to their kids about these events. As you might guess,...
03.28.2023
Episode 136: Parents Who Can't Stop Checking, Nagging Or Reminding Their Teens
Once a parent has given over an area of freedom to their teenager, they must NOT continue to check and remind their kid about it. Letting the natural consequences of your teen's choices fall on them is necessary to teens...
03.22.2023
Episode 135: Teens, Femininity And Feminism
In a world that insists that there are no real differences between men and women, how can parents help their daughters navigate this confusion? Today we talk about the successes and failures of feminism for our girls. We also talk...
03.14.2023
Episode 134: Teens And Toxic Masculinity
What is "toxic masculinity?" How can parents encourage healthy masculinity? Today we take on a somewhat provocative topic for today. What is a healthy way to encourage real "male-ness" in a culture that is denying any "real" masculine and feminine...
03.07.2023
Episode 133: Teens And Life Purpose
Adolescents who feel a sense of purpose in life report overall higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. What are parents to do with such information? Particularly, how does this relate to Christian parents? We cover this and other implications...
02.28.2023
Episode 132: Teenagers and psychiatric hospitals
Is there ever a time when parents should send their teenager to a psychiatric facility? (Please don't call them "mental hospitals") Today we discuss the situations that require parents to consider having their adolescent evaluated for psychiatric hospitalization. We also...
02.21.2023
Episode 131: Dads Speak: Dr. Ken Interviews Jessica And Ashley's Husbands
This week Dr. Ken gets honest with Jessica and Ashley's husbands, Charlie and Brett. Dad's have a different take on parenting and we dive into that as well as what it's like to have wives who already "know all this...
02.17.2023
Episode 130: Teenagers and siblings
We've already talked about sibling rivalry (see episode 24) but today we talk about teenagers' relationships with siblings in general. How can parents cultivate good relationships between their children? What are ways that parents inadvertently discourage mature relationships between siblings?...
02.07.2023
Episode 129: Help! It's Not Working!
What do you do when you implement Planned Emancipation but things don't seem to be getting any better? It's not uncommon that we hear from parents who feel that Feeding The Mouth parenting isn't making the kind of difference they...
01.31.2023
Episode 128: "Good Enough" Parenting
In the 1950s, British pediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott introduced the concept of "good enough" parenting and Dr. Ken thinks it's time we brought it back! Parents worry so much about doing parenting "right" and put a lot of pressure...
01.24.2023
Episode 127: Teenagers And Sleepovers
Today we take on the sometimes scary topic of sleepovers with teenagers. Strangely, many parents are less concerned about sleepovers when their kids are younger only to "shut it down" when they become teenagers. What kind of boundaries are reasonable...
01.17.2023
Episode 126: Culture And Feeding The Mouth That Bites You
How Does Feeding The Mouth parenting work in different cultures? Today we talk about the expectations that immigrant parents bring with them to a new culture and how that impacts parenting. Also, we discuss taking Feeding The Mouth parenting with...
01.10.2023
Episode 125: Teens And Therapy: Don't They Just Lie?
Parents often have questions about the effectiveness of therapy for teenagers. Many will ask, "How can a therapist tell when a teenager is just lying to them?" Turns out, that's not as common a problem as you might think. Today...

What's Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Today's Teens about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Today's Teens episodes:

Episode 174: Marriage Problems, Separation, Divorce and Teenagers

Episode 173: Teenagers and Religion - Church, Synagogue, Mosque or Temple

Episode 172: Porn and Anime Revisited

Episode 171: We Interview Cynthia Yanof... Your New Best Friend

Episode 170: Sociosexuality Part Two

Episode 169: Sociosexuality Part One

Episode 168: Neurodiversity And Teenagers

Episode 167: "Lost In Trans Nation" Dr. Miriam Grossman Interview (Part Two)

Episode 166: "Lost in Trans Nation" We Interview Dr. Miriam Grossman MD (Part One)

Episode 165: Alcohol, Drugs And Vaping - Revisited

Episode 164: Parenting Teenagers In An Age Of Anxiety

Episode 163: Mentalization - Is Your Teen Good At Knowing Other People?

Episode 162: What About Starting Planned Emancipation Earlier Than Thirteen?

Episode 161: When Teens Attract the Wrong Friends

Episode 160: Teenagers and Masturbation

Episode 159: Make-Up, Hair, Nails and Teenagers

Episode 158: "I Want My Teenager To Be Able To Tell Me Anything... Right?"

Episode 157: Hygiene Issues with Teenagers

Episode 156: Grounding Teenagers

Episode 155: Holidays, Grief and Teenagers

Episode 154: Health Issues and Teenagers

Episode 153: Helping Teenagers' Problems with Friendships and Social Groups

Episode 152: "Why Is My Teenager Angry All The Time?"

Episode 151: When Teenagers Isolate In Their Rooms

Episode 150: The Parenting "Finish Line" Part 2

Episode 149: The Parenting "Finish Line" Part 1

Episode 148: Teens Who Resist Sports and Activities

Episode 147: The Barbie Movie

Episode 146: The Burden of Parenting - Part Two

Episode 145: The Burden of Parenting - Part One

Episode 144: "You're Only Human" part 2 - Dr. Ken Interviews Dr. Kelly Kapic

Episode 143: "You're Only Human" Dr. Ken Interviews Dr. Kelly Kapic

Episode 142: Another "Dr. Ken's Essentials" - Entitlement in Teenagers

Episode 141: Dr. Ken's "Feeding The Mouth" Essentials

Episode 140: "Why Are You Telling Me This?" Complications In Communicating With Teens

Episode 139: Trash Talk, Verbal Sparring and Teenagers

Episode 138: A Spring Checklist For Feeding The Mouth Parents

Episode 137: How To Talk To Teens About School Shootings

Episode 136: Parents Who Can't Stop Checking, Nagging Or Reminding Their Teens

Episode 135: Teens, Femininity And Feminism

Episode 134: Teens And Toxic Masculinity

Episode 133: Teens And Life Purpose

Episode 132: Teenagers and psychiatric hospitals

Episode 131: Dads Speak: Dr. Ken Interviews Jessica And Ashley's Husbands

Episode 130: Teenagers and siblings

Episode 129: Help! It's Not Working!

Episode 128: "Good Enough" Parenting

Episode 127: Teenagers And Sleepovers

Episode 126: Culture And Feeding The Mouth That Bites You

Episode 125: Teens And Therapy: Don't They Just Lie?

Other shows like Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Today's Teens: