Healthy Family Connections

In this episode, Neil helps parents use summertime planning with their teen-agers to teach planning skills and help them utilize their time away from school to their best advantage. Neil offers some great ideas, some valuable resources, and some great ways to engage the parent-teen discussion. Sign up to get your free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are in a normal power struggle or a more destructive control battle - Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Neil dives into the discussion of the pros and cons of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and then offers parents some helpful advise for addressing it. As usual, Neil presents some interesting points of view and doesn’t mince words. Sign up to get your free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are in a normal power struggle or a more destructive control battle - Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Professional Moms often struggle to get the support they need from their families as well as from their employers. Neil shares some of the insights from Mogul, Mom, and Maid by Liz O’Donnell as she explores the challenges of woman in the home and work worlds. And while the challenges of High Performing Moms are plentiful, Neil offers down to earth advise for avoiding the pitfalls and getting the support Moms need and deserve. Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

A former client helps Neil learn that he needs to not take clients’ understanding basic concepts for granted. In this episode, Neil takes the basic concept of “listening” that many of his clients are struggling with, and breaks it down so we can all understand and be understood in a more productive way. Then he challenges listeners to take the one week test. Sign up to get your free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are in a normal power struggle or a more destructive control battle - Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Raising successful kids means teaching our kids to be comfortable with failure. In this episode Neil finds the concept of personal vulnerability emerging in many places and all pointing to the same thing, vulnerability, courage, and success all go together. Neil introduces listeners to a book by parents, Dale and Monica Vernon, How Imperfect Parents Lead Great Families as an example of embracing our vulnerable, imperfect selves as critical to our growth and success as parents. Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

At a recent presentation to middle school parents, parents wanted real solutions to dealing with aggressive pushback from their teenagers. In this podcast Neil shows listeners how to deal with four common forms of teen pushback and gives parents the critical skills to avoid Control Battles and Parental Burnout and set their teenagers on a healthy path forward. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

In this episode, Tracy of Victoria, Australia, wants to know how to deal with her 16 yr. old son who wants to be treated like a young adult yet isn’t managing his responsibilities. Neil addresses this question by helping listeners understand how parental self-doubt and burnout undermine empowered parenting and the ability to set healthy limits. Neil then inspires listeners to turn 3 critical causes of self-doubt and burnout into empowered parenting. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Healthy Expectations for your Depressed Teenager Should a parent lower expectations if their teen is dealing with mental health Issues? Let’s say you’ve already tried some combination of therapy, wilderness experiences, a residential treatment center, psychiatry, medicine, and your teen is still depressed and doesn’t want to go to school, complaining of head-ache, stomach ache, fatigue etc. Will requiring your kid to go to school cause them to get even worse? Should you excuse their absence from school, or should you let them suffer the consequences of an unexcused absence? What’s the best way to be a good, responsible parent and have the best out-come for your kid? This question goes to the very heart of successfully treating depression in teenagers. Listen in for actionable advice for what you as a parent can do. Sign up to get your free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are in a normal power struggle or a more destructive control battle - Enter your email address here >> http://eepu

In this episode, Mike of Salinas, is worried for his 39 year-old daughter. He’s concerned about the possibility of emotional abuse in her relationship with her 55 year-old boyfriend. Mike asks Neil how to intervene without causing further problems. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

In this episode, Neil addresses a question from Lisa, of Aptos California. Lisa’s 15 year old son spends a lot of time avoiding being at home and being with his parents, saying his parents are boring. She wants to know what she can do about this. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

This episode is focused on a question from Priyal from India, who is currently living in Iowa City, Iowa, and it’s one Neil never anticipated being asked. Priyal asks, “How do you help a child establish a relationship with God? How do you make him or her spiritually aware? And at what age?” Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Are we being picky if we require our gifted straight “A” son to get physical exercise? In this episode Neil discusses the importance of physical activity and setting limits with gifted kids, an excellent question from Marie of Dallas, Tex-as. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Jasiri of San Jose, California asks, “What are appropriate and effective methods of discipline for outspoken, independent and highly intelligent 6-8 year olds?” and Neil gives context for the question itself and a learning approach for such a spirited child to develop the skill of cooperation without making her gifts wrong. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

This week’s question is from Jennifer of San Francisco, California. Her question is about her youngest child who, different from her older siblings, seems especially anxious and angry. There are lots of pieces to this scenario and Neil addresses them with actionable advice. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you determine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

This week’s question is from April of Santa Cruz, California. April is asking “when should your wants and needs overrule your kid’s wants and needs?”… Neil gives practical tips for doing just that. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive a free checklist to help you de-termine whether you and your teen are having a power struggle or a control battle. Enter your email address here >> http://eepurl.com/bjMAiX Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

Neil responds to a question posed by Jennifer of Oslo Norway, who asks how to best parent her teen who has been diagnosed with autism after a “break-down.”

Shannon of Santa Cruz, California, asks what to do about a teenager who won’t do his homework! Neil provides insight into potential reasons for this which could require additional support, such as ADHD or other situations, and provides a strategy for empowering a teen to develop the ability to embrace challenge and take ownership of their own success.

Thanks to a question from Jessica in Gainesville, Virginia, Neil expands the control battle strategy conversation beyond the family environment to a middle school classroom, demonstrating step-by-step how “The Talk,” key in transforming control battles in families, can also be used successfully by teachers with their students.

The focus in this episode is about setting and holding healthy boundaries in families. Thanks to Jeremy, of Aptos, California, for asking an honest question about a situation that comes up all the time. My Inlaws are in my Business.

In this episode, Helping Your Depressed Teenager, Neil addresses a question for Tracy, a mother in Victoria, Australia, concerning a child who says “he doesn’t want a life.”