Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episodeThere are teens out there that have NO idea how to do the laundry, cook a meal, manage their time, pay bills--the list goes on. And that’s not even mentioning the poor behavior and attitude they throw at their parents and other adults. It’s frustrating to say the least! When will they “grow up”?? When will they listen?Katherine Lewis wondered the same thing after a run in with some rowdy boys on a playground. They were throwing a ball around without any regard to the littler kids nearby. When she asked them to stop, she says they looked at her...and then carried on exactly what they were doing. She was shocked. Katherine came to the conclusion that the way we are told to raise kids and teens has had detrimental effects on how they turn out. After more than a year researching current trends for her book The Good News About Bad Behavior, Katherine had some answers. One thing that stood out to Katherine in her research was that all the “saving” parents have been told to do is actually working against our kids. Rather than rescue our teens from stressful situations, the science shows that kids who muster through conflict and minor trauma, come out more resilient on the other side. Katherine believes it’s no coincidence that behavioral and mental disorders are at epidemic levels: we haven’t given our kids the opportunity to manage their minor stressors on their own! And so all the small things become overwhelming. Maybe to the point that a teen might give up on trying to balance it all (eating, sleeping, doing laundry, getting good grades, cleaning, etc) in favor of doing nothing. The Apprenticeship Model that Katherine teaches in her coaching sessions helps parents to shift their mindset and  parenting practices toward helping their kids acquire skills and knowledge necessary for them to become happy, healthy, contributing adults. Let teens fail and mess up when they’re young, Katherine argues. That’s a teen’s job!In addition to walking going through Katherine’s Apprenticeship Model for parenting, you will discover:
Why minor traumas are good for your teen
How to impose logical consequences when natural consequences aren’t an option
The problem with Perceived Criticism
Why teens should do homework on a timer
How to draw out a reluctant teen