In this Mental Health Awareness Month crossover, the Tell Me It Will Be Okay podcast features Leah Davidson—speech language pathologist, nervous system resilience coach, host of Building Resilience, and founder of Resilient Brilliance—sharing an episode on “Parenting Older Kids Without Overfunctioning.” Leah explains that as kids become teens and young adults, parents’ roles shift from constant doing to observing, which can bring grief, relief, confusion, and longing. She argues older kids don’t “borrow” a parent’s regulation the same way; they react to it, so parental urgency, advice, and fixing can feel like pressure or control and create distance. Leah emphasizes regulating yourself to respond rather than reflexively react, set clear boundaries without escalation, and create space that communicates respect and trust. She offers practical cues like pausing, using non-withdrawn silence, and reflecting on effort versus connection.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:58 Why Older Kids Hit Hard

03:28 Midlife Focus and Community

05:40 From Borrowing to Reacting

07:36 Regulate Yourself and Set Boundaries

10:00 Space Builds Connection

12:31 The Real Work Is You

14:05 Practical Regulation Tools

15:31 Stop Overfunctioning for Closeness

17:34 Reflection Questions and Wrap Up

19:13 Community Invite and Outro

Mentioned in this episode:

🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE?

Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of sensitive kids. TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice is a weekly, guided practice that gives quiet, calm, reflective space for you to connect with your wisdom and intuition. For July, we're writing about and exploring the topic of ANGER -- ours, our own, and what we are trying to understand about it.