A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend whose first-born will be starting freshman year of high school next week. She had some questions about what to expect and how to help her teen navigate high school. It reminded me of when my oldest started high school and how overwhelmed I felt. So, I decided to reach out to friends and the High School Hamster Wheel community to crowd-source some advice from parents of teens. I am certainly not the expert but I am surrounded by high school moms and dads who have “been there, done that” and who have wisdom and experience to share. I couldn’t think of anyone better to join me in this episode than my favorite podcast moms, Susan Borison and Stephanie Silverman from Your Teen for Parents. As I’ve said before more than once, the best advice and support I have received has been from parents of teens who are a few years ahead of mine. We thought it would be fun to share the “what to do” advice on the Your Teen podcast and the “what NOT to do” here on the High School Hamster Wheel podcast. So be sure to tune in to Your Teen when you finish this episode. While this conversation is geared toward parents of freshmen, there’s a lot here for parents of high schoolers no matter what grade they are in.
About Susan Borison
Susan Borison is the founder and editor of Your Teen Magazine, a parenting magazine for parents of teenagers. Prior to YTM, Susan went to Case Western Reserve School of Law and spent a few years practicing. For the next several years, she focused on raising her five children. When her oldest hit adolescence, she was in search of support. Your Teen Magazine was born out of need. Her children are very grateful.
Susan founded Your Teen Media because she wanted to read a magazine about raising teenagers and, at the time, none existed. Her experience as a mom held many valuable stories to share—getting it wrong and getting it right. Exposing her personal stories also meant talking about her kids. So the family agreed that kids and husband get final approval for any personal exposure.
The 14-year journey with YTM has been a personal and professional challenge and joy. Your Teen Media, because parenting teenagers is humbling and shouldn’t be tackled alone.
About Stephanie Silverman
An east coast native, Stephanie Silverman is the co-founder and co-publisher of Your Teen Media. She earned a Bachelor of Science as a Finance major at Miami University (Oxford Ohio) and began her career at NBD Bank in Detroit Michigan (MANY iterations later is now CHASE) in their commercial bank loan officer training program. Stephanie’s clients included middle-market companies in Michigan. After 7 years, Stephanie exited corporate America for 10 years and settled into managing the needs of 3 small stakeholders (currently 22, 20, and 17), keeping her hand in banking, marketing, and other short-term projects for clients and meaningful community work.
In 2008 Stephanie and her business partner founded Your Teen Media – and produced its first product, a niche publication for PARENTS. With a resounding WE NEED THIS from the community, the company added a website, social media, live events, webinars, podcasts, custom publications, branded content, and lead generation over the next decade. The brand is known and trusted for its award-winning content and authentic voice, giving like-minded brands a platform for sharing their stories, and building their audience and brand.
A strong advocate for women in leadership positions, entrepreneurship, and occupying more board seats, Stephanie was THRILLED when her Alma Mater launched its Advancement for Women in Entrepreneurship program in the fall of 2018. She was honored to be part of the panel that kicked off the program and is passionate about helping more young women see their paths to leadership in many forms.
Stephanie serves on the executive board of Bellefaire JCB, a child welfare agency in Shaker Heights, Ohio which serves 30,000 children per year. Bellefaire’s services include residential treatment, foster care and adoption, the Monarch School for Autism, Lifeworks (young adults living with Autism), and Transitional Living. She also serves on the overseas committee at the Jewish Federation in Beachwood Ohio.
In her spare time (ha), she can be found hiking, listening to a podcast, falling asleep to said podcast, chillin’ with the family, laughing at just about anything, and planning the next girls’ trip to do something restorative. She counts on her husband’s support and sense of humor, and the musings of Zach, Ethan, and Laine to keep things lively and fun.
Oh, and if she’s lucky enough, can be found wearing her pajama bottoms, puzzling and holding a glass of red wine.
Episode Highlights
1, Don’t have your teen buy lunch the first few weeks of school.
2. Don’t make high school about the college destination.
3. Don’t pummel your freshman with questions the minute they walk in the door.
4. Don’t focus on the grades. Recognize the effort and the growth.
5. Don’t take your teenager’s moodiness or bad attitude personally.
6. Don’t email your teen’s teachers.
7. Do NOT check your teen’s grade portal.
8. Don’t expect perfection from your teen.
9. Don’t over parent. It’s time for them to learn to be self-sufficient.
10. Don’t ignore your maternal (or paternal) instinct.
11. Bonus tip – Don’t clip your teenager’s wings. Encourage curiosity and exploration.
What we would do differently if given another chance.