Mind the Gap. Teens Talk We Listen

Back to school this year looks very different for many kids.  Some may be going back to a physical building with masks while others are logging in on a computer.  How do we safeguard our kids while online?  What to do if they see pornography? How to handle all the extra screen time?  Listen as we discuss these questions with Jeremy Leavitt LMFT, Sherry, Austin, and Luke Anderson.

Today we discuss the topic of modesty.  In our culture modesty is something that is talked about heavily, mainly with our young and teenage girls.  How do we talk about modesty in a way that helps girls feel confident in who they are?  What is modesty, exactly?  Can it be determined with a ruler?  Or is it something much more?  

Jeremy Leavitt LMFT along with his wife Vanessa discuss this topic with Sherry.

We would love to hear your perspective.  What is modesty to you?  How do you discuss modesty with your teens?

While maintaining social distancing Sherry, Jeremy and Austin discuss empathy and compassion.  What is empathy?  How do we cultivate empathy in teens?  How is what we are experiencing now with Covid-19 a good opportunity to help teens learn empathy and compassion for others?

Thank you for listening every week!  We are so grateful for you and the feedback we have received.   If you have any questions you would like us to address on the show you can email us at [email protected].  We would love to hear from you!

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We are doing a short series of interviews with teens around the world and how they are doing during COVID-19 pandemic.  Listen as Sherry talks with Sharese and her teen daughter Emma, a senior from Ohio, as they give us their tips on staying connected with others and being creative with the extra time.

You can follow us on Instagram for more content and inspiration on closing the gap with your teen @mindthegap.welisten and Facebook:  Mind the Gap.  Teens Talk We Listen.

We are doing a short series of interviews with teens around the world and how they are doing during COVID-19 pandemic.  Listen as Sherry talks with Naima and her teen daughter May from France as they give us insight on how things are for families in France.

You can follow us on instagram for more content and inspiration on closing the gap with your teen @mindthegap.welisten and facebook:  Mind the Gap.  Teens Talk We Listen.

We are doing a short series of interviews with teens around the world and how they are doing during COVID-19 pandemic.  Listen as Sherry talks with Nicole and her teen son Cooper from Millcreek, UT as they give us their tips on staying connected with others and being creative with the extra time.

You can follow us on instagram for more content and inspiration on closing the gap with your teen @mindthegap.welisten and facebook:  Mind the Gap.  Teens Talk We Listen.

This episode was recorded remotely to honor the CDC requests to distance ourselves.  We apologize for the sound quality as we work to find the best recording option while following social distancing protocols.

During the Covid-19 pandemic we wanted to give parents and teens help to strengthen their mental health.  For those that struggle with anxiety and depression as well as those who don't, isolation and social distancing can increase feelings of depression and anxiety.  Jeremy discusses tips from a brilliant study on reversing the course of depression done by Alex Korb, a neuroscientist.  Teens Austin and Quincy give us insight on how they're doing during this isolation period and discuss their feelings of missing out on finishing their senior year.  Sherry weighs in on her own feelings of missing out on her son experiencing his senior year as they had imagined it.

Alex Korb gives 4 tips that can help anyone who may be struggling mentally during this time of isolation and lack of school and sport activities to keep teens busy.  

You may listen to Korb's book "The Upward Cycle" on Audible: 

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Upward-Spiral-Audiobook/B00T3J3M54?ds_rl=1262685&ds_rl=1263561&ds_rl=1260658&source_code=GO1GB907OSH060513&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpfHzBRCiARIsAHHzyZqdBM2ct9apIPxYvQQHO9hCyB37eMN3JUoaeHXTzqn6FzgEC_5VjtkaArq4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Two weeks ago we posted on our social media pages a question:  Do you think teens should be forced to say yes when asked to dance in relation to a recent article about a school in Utah.  We were surprised by the responses we received and wanted to discuss on the podcast why we believe it's important to allow teens to make a choice that will help them feel safe.  

If you would like to see that post and some of the discussions are followers had regarding the topic you can follow us on facebook and instagram: @mindthegap.welisten