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Remember when your child wore whatever they wanted, said whatever came to mind, and couldn't have cared less what anybody thought? Then middle school happened. Suddenly, they're questioning how they look, who they hang out with, and whether they're good enough. And somewhere along the way, fitting in can start to feel more important than being themselves. In this episode of Middle School Mayhem™, I'm joined by children's author Heidi Solomon-Orlick for a heartfelt conversatio

Sometimes a father doesn't have to say a single word. Just showing up can make all the difference. But what does it really mean for a father to be present? And how do we make sure our children feel supported, especially when family life doesn't look the way we originally imagined? In this episode of Middle School Mayhem™, I'm joined by educator and award-winning author Dwight DeRamus for a candid conversation about fatherhood, family relationships, and the importance of raisi

What if your child is being bullied and you have absolutely no idea? Or what if the school calls and tells you that YOUR child is the one doing the bullying? Neither is a conversation any parent wants to have. In this episode of Middle School Mayhem™, I'm joined by author Gary Rivera for an honest conversation about bullying, the stories we don't always see, and why parents need to look beyond the labels. Drawing from his own childhood experiences and his book The Reluctant B

One minute, your child needs you for everything. The next, they're rolling their eyes, demanding independence, and acting like you've never raised a child a day in your life. Sound familiar? Middle school is a season of big changes, and sometimes parents are just trying to keep up! In this episode of Middle School Mayhem™, I'm joined by Dr. Terri Daniels, retired middle school administrator, educator, and certified parenting coach, for a candid, funny, and encouraging convers

Have you ever had a blowup with your middle schooler, walked away, calmed down, and thought, “All right…what next?” The yelling stopped. Everybody went to their separate corners. The house is quiet again, but it still feels weird. Maybe you know you didn’t handle everything the best way but your child was still dead wrong. So, do you apologize? Wait for them to apologize? Talk about it? Pretend nothing happened? And if you reconnect, does that mean the consequence goes away?

Your middle schooler looks at you and says, “I don’t agree with you.” And something in you immediately goes, Excuse me? Because sometimes we aren’t actually responding to disrespect. We’re responding to the fact that this child we have kept alive since birth suddenly has the audacity, the unmitigated gall to have a different opinion. The funny part is, that’s exactly what we’re raising them to do. We want our children to think independently, advocate for themselves, develop

You tell your middle schooler to do something. They push back. You explain. They challenge your explanation, so you explain again, because apparently the first explanation didn’t have enough razzle-dazzle on it. They get louder. You get louder. Their attitude shows up. Your attitude decides to join the party. And somewhere along the way, what you originally asked them to do isn’t even the issue anymore. Now you’re arguing about the argument. And this is where we parents can g

Your teen may be starting some of these arguments, but Mom, you might be the one keeping them going. Your middle schooler may be starting some of the arguments in your house, but friend, you might be the one helping keep them going. I know. Nobody wants to hear that. But think about the last argument you had with your child. At what point had you already made your point, but you just kept going? You gave a direction. Your child pushed back. You responded to the pushback. They

If it feels like you’re arguing with your teen about a hundred different things, you might actually be having the SAME argument over and over again. One day it’s the phone. The next day it’s homework. Then it’s chores, bedtime, missing assignments, or the condition of their room. The subject keeps changing, but somehow the argument feels exactly the same. If that sounds familiar, you and your middle schooler may not actually be having dozens of different arguments. Instead, t