Parenting the Mental Health Generation

What if connecting with your kid didn’t require a big heart-to-heart or even a lot of time?

Teacher and parent Buffy Sallee aims for something much more manageable: 15 minutes daily of real connection - time together that isn’t about grades, schedules, college applications, or getting something done.

In this episode of Parenting the Mental Health Generation, Buffy joins CATCH founder Amy Oberholtzer to talk about what she’s seeing in teens at school and at home.  After more than two decades in the classroom, she has some tried and true ideas about what parents can do to help kids slow down, get curious, and figure out what matters to them.

 Amy and Buffy, explore how parents can model curiosity instead of rushing to provide the “right” answer,  thus allowing our kids to understand their own values and opinions more authentically. They also discuss why kids need opportunities to sit with disagreement and uncertainty rather than immediately dismissing what makes them uncomfortable.

You’ll also hear practical ideas for creating more connection at home, including:

• Finding small, realistic opportunities for one-on-one time
• Asking questions instead of immediately correcting
• Helping kids identify their values through everyday choices
• Modeling humility, vulnerability, and repair
• Making room for conversations that don’t have easy answers

It's noisy and chaotic out there. Come in and connect with your kids. You don’t need hours. You don’t need the perfect question. Sometimes, 15 good minutes is a meaningful place to start.  

Try this after you listen

• Name one emotion out loud. Share something you felt that day or week, and give your child space to do the same without judgment.
• Lead with curiosity. When you hear something you disagree with, try asking, “I wonder what I don’t know yet?”

Music Credit: Line Up/Pond 5

CATCH 2026

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

In this episode of Parenting the Mental Health Generation, Amy talks with therapist Karen Cloyd about how parents can help kids navigate a world full of constant headlines, graphic images, and overwhelming information. Together, they explore what it looks like to respond rather than react, how to open age-appropriate conversations, and why curiosity, calm, and connection matter so much when kids are trying to make sense of hard things.

Karen shares practical ways parents can support children of different ages, help them name their feelings, sort truth from misinformation, and understand the impact of social media and comparison. This conversation is a reminder that parents do not have to have perfect answers—they just have to keep showing up as a safe, steady place for their kids.

Action item: Learn what your kids are seeing and hearing. Be curious. Prioritize connection with your children and find a regular time to normalize conversation about feelings and vulnerabilities including yours.

Some of the news to which our kids are exposed in this ever-changing world may cause them to experience big feelings or feel overwhelmed. Use the safe place you've created to help them process and better understand with your guidance. 

SHOW NOTES:

Family Service Center, Northfield IL

Music Credit: Line Up/Pond 5

CATCH 2026

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

In this special, closer-to-home episode of Parenting the Mental Health Generation, host Amy O. shares a real (not scripted, not polished) conversation with her daughter, Shawn. It was recorded for a CATCH “Parenting with Grit” event on February 25, 2026. Together, they talk about what it looked like to grow up in pressure-filled community, chase achievement for a sense of self-worth and battle crippling anxiety- all while trying to stay connected. 

They get honest about the moments parents miss, how reassurance can feed anxiety, and why kids need space to feel what they feel, without being rushed, fixed, or talked out of it. This episode isn’t about quick solutions. It’s about presence, repair, and building trust that can hold steady when things get messy.

Action item: Over the next few days, choose one moment to validate instead of fix. Reflect back what you see or hear, “That sounds really hard,” “I can see why that upset you,” “Thanks for telling me”, and stop there. No lesson. No solution. Just connection.

SHOW NOTES:
Letting Go and Trusting What Matters Most | A Parenting with Grit Conversation

music credit: Line Up/Pond 5
©CATCH 2026

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

As the school year settles in, so do the big feelings our kids carry with them. In this episode, Amy O. sits down with our podcast producer, Anne Neumann, to share real-life parenting stories and strategies for noticing what our kids need. From giving them space to express emotions, to balancing structured activities with free time. Walk away with one powerful takeaway you can start practicing today: simply noticing. 

SHOW NOTES:
CATCH Parent Support Network (Parents Connect)

Ross Greene The Explosive Child / CATCH Talk Enough with the Consequences

Lizzy Appleby (Youth Services Glenview/Northbrook) S.O.Y.

music credit: Line Up/Pond 5
©CATCH 2025

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

It's CATCH Moms at the Pod today!   Rachel Tzinberg, CATCH President and Julie Weinberg, the Vice President, join us to share heartfelt experiences and lessons learned on our parenting journeys thus far.  We recorded in the very living room where CATCH began, too!  Join us to discover practical advice, have a few laughs and find yourself in our conversation. We cover the gamut from fostering open communication to validating our kids.  We have learned a lot and this is an easy, compassionate,  wisdom-filled conversation that just might leave you with some real-life parenting strategies.

We hope you enjoyed Season 3! We'll see you in the fall for Season 4!

SHOW NOTES:
Dr. Becky Kennedy
Good Inside, Dr. Becky Kennedy
Sitting With Kids Through Hard Feelings - Breathing Space
 Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Wendy Mogel PH.D.
Julie Lythcott Haimes Bonsai vs. Wildflower
CATCH Parents Connect Groups
CATCH Lunch and Learn: Be Curious Not Furious
CATCH Learn from Experts: Judith Joy Finding Gratitude Playlist
Feelings Wheel

music credit: Line Up/Pond 5
©CATCH 2024

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

Today you'll meet Adison Schwartz, an inspiring high school senior erasing the mental health stigma every day!  She is joined by her school staff mentor, Robyn Corelitz, a social emotional learning specialist.  Together, they are making a difference at Deerfield High School.  Adison will take us on an audio tour of the amazing space she created, dedicated to student wellness at her school. She will also introduce us to You Are Enough, the organization she founded when she was only 14. Discover how a student-led project is providing a safe haven for students to decompress, reset, and find support. Tune in to hear about the impact of You Are Enough.

SHOW NOTES
You are Enough Not-For-Profit
JED Foundation
Haley Hoffman Smith, Her Big Idea
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

music credit: Line Up/Pond5
©CATCH 2024

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

When Glenbrook North High School delayed finals at the last-minute due to the weather, it launched a firestorm of anger aimed at the administration.  In response, student editors at the school newspaper took a stand that brought its own criticism.  In this episode of Parenting the Mental Health Generation, we meet the authors of that editorial, Avery Copeland, and Kaitlyn Lu. They share the backlash they faced and why they believe their peers need to "suck it up" in the face of adversity. Tune in to discover how teenagers and parents alike can cultivate resilience and embrace growth in the face of challenge.

SHOWNOTES:
The Torch Editorial: Students, Suck It Up

Music Credit: Line Up / POND 5
©CATCH 2024

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

If you’re stuck in the muck of parenting, you can make positive change without sticker charts and timeouts.  Yes, there is another way, and you’ll find it by searching for glimmers, those minor moments that deliver peace and joy.  During this episode, we meet an artist who made a big life change for the better and shares how you can follow her lead with small steps.

SHOW NOTES:
B Kez website
B Kez Instagram (@BKez)

Music Credit: Line Up / POND 5
©CATCH 2024

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

How often are you or your child checking their grades?  How is that impacting your relationship with your child? In this episode of Parenting the Mental Health Generation, we dive deep into the addictive nature of online grade tracking systems for both parents and students. Join us as we look at the toll these systems take on our families and learn how we can break free from what Julie Lythcott-Haims calls the "insidious parent portal."

SHOW NOTES
00:28 Julie Lythcott-Haims One Week Cleanse
00:30 NY Times Article: Snowplow Parents Are Ruining Online Grading
02:30 Deerfield Parent Network
13:24 Guest's One Week Cleanse Experience and Lessons Learned
23:10 PMHG Episode 3 (Season 3) Setting Students Up for Success, A Teacher's Perspective

music credit: Line Up / POND 5
©CATCH 2024

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance. 

Parents are facing real pressures to keep kids active, focused, and accomplished.  But to what end?  The award-winning documentary, Chasing Childhood, emphasizes the importance of free play and independence as the keys to a kid’s success.  In this episode of Parenting the Mental Health Generation, we dig into what’s best for our children and offer guidance on avoiding the overparenting trap.

SHOWNOTES:
Chasing Childhood Documentary

If you would like to host an intimate documentary viewing and discussion with your friends, email [email protected]. 

Music credit: Tune 2 go / POND 5
©CATCH 2023

To find all of the resources CATCH provides to caregivers of young people struggling with their mental health, go to www.catchiscommunity.org.

Follow us on social media
Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Bluesky: @catchiscommunity

CATCH, Community Action Together for Children's Health, is a 501(c)3 that provides support and education for families around mental health topics. Original content and materials from CATCH and its collaborators are for informational purposes only. They are provided as a general resource and are not specific to any person or circumstance.