In the Middle of It with Amy Kelly, The Ish Girl

Biggest Takeaways:

• Give your brain somewhere productive to go – be deliberate in thinking positively
• Think about your thinking
• Practice gratitude
• Reframe your thoughts
• Practice receiving compliments
• Strategies:
  • Write it down
  • Ask yourself:
    • Is it true?
    • Would I say it this way to a friend?
    • Is it the whole picture?
  • Don't "should" yourself
• It's about MODELING for our kids and living out a positive inner voice more than about instructing them
• You don't get to tell your teens what to think – they get to choose the voice they listen to
• Be the person (for your teens) to use words to indicate healthy thinking

Referenced in the Episode:

Truth Bomb Mom Clip

Claudine Phillips

Related:

Being Ish

Biggest Takeaways:

• Everyone wants to be right – which makes it hard to avoid arguments, especially with your teen
• Modeling to your teen what it looks like to be wrong and to be right is really important
• Finding ways to avoid arguing over the stupid stuff is crucial when trying to connect with your teen
• There are lots of strategies that you can add to your parenting toolbox that can help you take a step back, in the moment, to avoid arguing
• You're going to mess this up sometimes – the important part is how you make up afterward

Referenced in the Episode:

Mark Twain Quote

James Madison

U2's A Beautiful Day

Biggest Takeaways:

• At its heart, this is a story about change - and how hard it is
• The biggest theme of the story is figuring out who you are and being brave enough to be that person
• The book and the movie are both great conversation starters - but the book is always, always, always better!

Hot-topic issues covered:

• Bullying
• Drinking
• Friendship
• Identity
• Sexuality
• Secrets
• Social Media
• Teen/Parent Relationships

Links Mentioned:

• I Tried to Befriend Nikolas Cruz. He Still Killed My Friends.

Biggest Takeaways:

• Every phase seems like it will last FOREVER! But this too shall pass.
• Parenting teens takes mind-boggling emotional endurance.
• Rejecting parents is biologically programmed into teens.
• Every so often, we get a spark of hope.
• You aren't alone!!

Be sure to check out the resources at theishgirl.com!

Also referenced in this episode:

Biggest Takeaways:

• It's your job to stay "in the know" with your teen - even when it's hard!
• You need to stay open to who your teen is becoming.
• Getting outside of your normal routine can help in getting to know your teen.
• You need to be deliberate in when and how you connect with your teen.

Mentioned in this episode:

13 Reasons Why

Speak

For great links, resources, and recommendations be sure to download my freebie "Staying In the Know with Your Teen!"

Visit the Episode Page at theishgirl.com/ep5

In this episode, The Ish Girl talks about one of her all-time favorites, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Then, she compares the newest (2018) movie version of A Wrinkle in Time with the book.

She highlights the following issues and gives examples:

Bullying Love

Conformity Self-Esteem

Friendship Teen/Parent Relationships

Good vs. Evil

The main themes of the book are:

Embracing the things that make you different.

The one thing that can overcome the darkness is love.

Links from the show:

Madeleine L'Engle's acceptance speech when she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award

A Wrinkle in Time Movie Trailer

Download The Dish on A Wrinkle in Time, a resource that provides discussion questions based on the hot topics in the book.

BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS:

• DON'T tell your teen what to read!
• Try to avoid censoring ("Don't do" = "Must do")
• Figure out what your teen is reading and join them
• If there is something you want your teen to read, be SUBTLE about suggesting it
• Remember that, at first, this might not generate huge, life-altering discussions - but keep at it!
• The idea is for you to show up, consistently, undaunted by rejection, and let your teen know you value them and want to know them

Don't miss the freebie on my website! Go to theishgirl.com/ep3 to find it.

In this episode, The Ish Girl highlights the hot topics in The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee and explains how each plays out in the story line. Pair the episode with her downloadable questions about the book to start a great conversation with your teen.

Biggest Takeaways:

• Books are an AMAZING tool to create connection with your teen.
• Actions speak louder than words; when you read the books your teen is reading, you communicate a lot of positive things.
• The neutral ground of fictional characters and events is a great place to talk about big issues with your teen.
• It's not about being perfect - it's about showing up and connecting with your teen!
• Get started today! Download Questions for Any Book.