Kids giving you the slip? Here’s how to spend time with your teens and preteens, without forcing it Podcast Episode Transcript

Please note: Transcripts for the No Guilt Mom Podcast were created using AI. As a result, there may be some minor errors.

JoAnn Crohn: Welcome to the No Guilt Mom podcast. I am your host, JoAnn Crohn, joined here by the delightful Brie Tucker.

Brie Tucker: hello, hello, everybody, how are you? Actually, you know, maybe, maybe today it’s the caffeinated Brie Tucker. I just had,

JoAnn Crohn: caffeinated Brie Tucker, you’re everywhere.

Brie Tucker: a, a Vente Espresso today, so,Oh, so I’m a little, it is rainy

JoAnn Crohn: and I’m a little caffeinated as well because I woke up at 5 45 this morning because today Today is Red Cup Day at Starbucks, if you did not know. And Red Cup Day is when they give you the red cu Yeah, you know Red Cup Day! Red Cup with the holiday drink. You, you went

Brie Tucker: I sent Miguel to get me this from Starbucks and you’re telling me that man missed my red cup.

JoAnn Crohn: he missed your red

Brie Tucker: Oh, someone is going down. He’s going

JoAnn Crohn: So, it’s only for holiday drinks, though. Or you have to, like, ask for a red

Brie Tucker: darn. I did not order a holiday drink. Oh.

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah, well, yeah, last night, my daughter, 14 years old asked me if, I can take her and her friend to Starbucks this morning for red cup day before school. And I mean, their school starts at 7 20.

And so we have to get there at like 6 30 a. m. at Starbucks and I wake up early anyways. And so I’m like, yeah, sure. I’ll do it. And I asked, I guess, like my 10 year old son, I’m like, do you want to wake up early and come do this? He’s like, yeah, I’ll do it too. So we all got out of the house and, uh, we went to go pick up her friend and her friend lives like only less than a mile from us.

And it’s so easy. We pick her up. and we go to Starbucks and we just, we hang out, we eat breakfast there. And then I take them both to the dreaded car line, which like, Oh, I have so many things to say about the high school car

Brie Tucker: So many feelings.

JoAnn Crohn: save that for something else. So many feelings about the high, like how it takes 30 minutes.

30 minutes for the car line and like every Sunday in the newsletter, the principal’s like, please, our neighbors in the surrounding neighborhoods have said a lot of parents are dropping off their kids at the park and in the neighborhood, we’re going to be forced to enact consequences for the parents who are dropping off outside the car

Brie Tucker: really? And what exactly are those consequences? I’m curious.

JoAnn Crohn: What are these consequences for using public streets and dropping my kids off at a public park to walk in to the school, which takes me by the way. from my house and back dropping off at that park. 10 minutes. If I did the car line 40 minutes, it’s ridiculous.

Brie Tucker: It is

JoAnn Crohn: It’s ridiculous. I went on another tangent there, but I thought it was deserving because I did go through the car line for these teenagers, which is what we’re talking about today about kids hanging out with you as an adult.

and we’re going to go into it, Brie, because you have stories as well

Brie Tucker: my gosh, yes, I do, because I have two teens right now. I swear, I run around the house, constantly trying to hang out with me. And I was singing to you before, as I was like, going through the title of today’s episode. I’m like, all I can hear in my head is Cheap Trick. I want you to want me. Like, that’s just me, 24 7.

JoAnn Crohn: 7. Begging, begging,

Brie Tucker: me, please.

JoAnn Crohn: So we have a lot to talk about here at the No-Go Mom podcast, and now on with the show in okay, Brie, I wanna dig a little bit more into this situation you have going on with your kid. what your feelings

Brie Tucker: well, okay, so like, I think, Um, I always say to our balance members that , I feel like everybody needs that ghost of, of kid future friend. You need the friend that can tell you what it’s like in five, 10 years ahead with their kids and can help get you out of the weeds. Because I remember when my kids were little and just wishing I could pee by myself, I could sit on the couch and not have my kids sticky fingers all over me, be laying on top of me, like all of that.

and then now, they’re teens, and I’m the one who’s like, laying on top of them, acting like a smart aleck, just trying, pay attention to me, you can’t ignore me when I’m right here. You know

JoAnn Crohn: Just needing that attention. Oh,

Brie Tucker: Like, I turned into, have I turned into a, a needy Yorkie? Like I

JoAnn Crohn: need, I hear the needy, Yarkie.

Brie Tucker: a little like they’re home, running up and down the stairs, chasing after my kids.

Oh my God, they’re here. Yeah.

JoAnn Crohn: You’re here. But you also have the situation where you don’t have your kids full time. And so I think that plays into

Brie Tucker: Oh, I totally think so. Like it just hit me when both of my kids hit high school. when my first, cause my kids are a year apart in school. So my son hit high school. I was like, okay, great. It’s this new experience. It’s fantastic. I’m also still dealing with two schools at that point because my son’s in high school.

My daughter’s still in junior high. But, it was still not that hard when I had two different schools going on because, you know, you’re dealing with it. You’re talking about driveline, right? I’m dealing with the driveline drop off at one school, driveline drop off at the second, and also just trying to get the times worked out between the start times at the two different schools, but then once my daughter started going to high school with my son, and my son had his, license, Pierced So then they’re driving on their own.

All of a sudden I’m like, Oh my God, they’re going to be gone in a couple of years. And the fact too, that they’re not here all the time. I don’t know when, like when they’re, when they’re at their dad’s, just the way that we do things. I don’t get to talk to them as much when they’re at their dad’s.

So I don’t know what happens in their life for like a whole week. And when it comes to these teens. You gotta take what you can get, right? sometimes your conversation is just the car ride home, and I lose out everything that happened that whole week. So, I don’t know.

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah.

Brie Tucker: this, like, withdrawal.

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah. I get that. I mean, I, there are so many ups and downs I feel like with both of my kids that, it’s a little easier I think on my end just because I see them all the time. Like I don’t have this withdrawal, that when they do have these downs, I’m like, okay, well that’ll pass versus like, oh, well that’ll pass and then they have to go away for a week And then I have like, I think I would seriously be freaking out for sure.

Brie Tucker: Well, you also have like a little bit because I have the two teenagers and you have at least one that’s still in upper elementary, you know, almost middle school there. So like, he’s still kind of likes hanging out with you.

I have two that are like, bye.

JoAnn Crohn: My daughter actually still likes hanging out with me as well. Like a little bit too much sometimes.

Brie Tucker: Well then

JoAnn Crohn: I’m like, well, I just like, cause I’m kind of like, one of our guests, when we first started the podcast, Dr. Lisa Bravo, I remember this very well.

She said, yeah, you have to like, be ready to talk to teens when they’re ready to talk. And a lot of times that’s late at night. Cause there’s circadian rhythms shift and everything. And I’m like, But Dr. Bravo, I can’t, I am the one who shuts down at night. that is when we talk about body budgets.

Like my body budget is full. I cannot handle any more peopling. even if it was my wonderful children, if they come to me, then I am like the most crankiest person in the world, because that is just how being sleepy affects me. and that’s when she comes in and talks. Of course, of course it is like last night, 10 p.

m. I’m reading in bed, my new spy novel, and I’m all comfy under my covers, uh, and she comes in and she’s like, Hey, mom, can you help me go through these questions for AP seminar and figure out how to answer these 20 questions. And I’m just like, And I’m so tired. And my eyelids are drooping closed.

And I’m like, I just want to read my spy novel. And I close it and I’m like, if you read me the questions, I will help you think through them. And I’m here breathing on my side because I get so irritated at night. That is when all my patients just flies out the window.

Brie Tucker: Because you’ve been holding it together all day. You’ve been

JoAnn Crohn: cause I’ve been holding it together all day.

Yeah. So we go through it and I ask her these things and part of them like teenagers are also very argumentative. my daughter was argumentative before, but I think as a teen it’s a higher level because like some of the questions are like, yeah, how did your group members change your perception of the issue?

My group members didn’t, they don’t do anything.

Brie Tucker: And you’re like, well, that’s

JoAnn Crohn: okay, so if they did something. Yeah, that’s a great reflection. If they did something kind of little, like the littlest thing. Well, they made me figure out like what I didn’t want to do. Okay, let’s think about that farther.

It’s like, it’s two things. you, you think like, yes, they’re here to talk, but also, okay, keep it together. They’re a child. They are in need of teaching. They’re not an adult. I will go.

Brie Tucker: know it’s,

JoAnn Crohn: It’s really

Brie Tucker: it’s so, it’s such a different, it’s such a different stage. And I think that’s like a big thing that we need to talk about that. Like this is a normal stage them having this extraction from you. And that it’s normal for you to sit there and suddenly feel a little bit of withdrawal from that connection that you had with them and just start doing all the things, the begging, the bribing that, and I’ve even had, okay, I, I’ve gotten it on, on good account from some teens that I know very well that,

JoAnn Crohn: Yes. Wait, wait, wait. We, we want to hear what these teens have to say. So let’s save it until right after this break.

So Brie, you were just about to share, you have it on good authority from some

teens.

Brie Tucker: I haven’t, I haven’t had good authority from some teens that they are getting forced to spend time with their family members or punished. If they don’t spend enough time with their family,

JoAnn Crohn: What?

Like, how?

Brie Tucker: like, just, I mean, and there’s something I for sure feel to be said for, Oh, we’re going to have family game night.

Oh, we’re going to go to the movies together. Oh, we’re going to go out to dinner together. But this is. Where like every week it’s, well, we, the parents want to do this. So you guys are going to sit and do this with us. Maybe it’s play a game. Maybe it’s, going somewhere, but it’s, they’re, they’re being told, you absolutely have to go and do this.

You have to talk to us and you have to smile and you have to act like you’re enjoying it. And that’s where I’m like, wait

JoAnn Crohn: that’s a hard one.

Brie Tucker: so what I’m hearing is you feel like you’re being. punished and forced every week to spend time with people that aren’t listening to you, have no care about what’s going on in your life or what your likes or interests are.

And they’ll be like, yeah, exactly. And I’m like, okay, that doesn’t seem like a very good method. Whoa.

JoAnn Crohn: No, I would be so mad. And like, I hear a lot of stories about like, you know, we were warned, get ready, your teen’s going to rebel. I don’t see this rebellion happening in either of our houses, really. the sneaking out the refusal to completely like disregard every single expectation we have of them.

Like, I don’t see this rebellion happening, but I do see the rebellion happening in houses where teens are forced to do things and aren’t listened to.

Brie Tucker: yeah, 100%. I think so. Like it’s normal that teens need some space and they need some development and we are, and I am by no means saying that I know all about teens. Like I am in the thick of it right now. I do have my friends

of of teens. Right. And, and we do have our friends of ghost future of, of kid future that are past this and can tell us like, yeah, that’s normal.

I can’t, I honestly, I call my oldest sister Shanna all the time. I’ll be like, did your kids do this? And she’ll be

like, Yeah, that’s normal or nope. My kids never did that. I’m sorry and i’m like damn it But because it makes me feel I know but it makes me feel so much better when I hear somebody go Oh, yeah, that’s totally normal.

My kids totally did that and i’m like, oh, okay good It’s not just it’s not just me screwing them up or my

JoAnn Crohn: Well, it’s also like a, a change in how we have to interact with them because, like my daughter’s very vocal when she doesn’t like something, which I’m really proud of her for because she has, I always tell her, I’m like, I want you to be able to grow up and be able to tell people when you don’t like something or when they’re disturbing a boundary.

And she’s like, mom, I have no problem with that. And I’m like, I believe you. I see this every single day. And I do believe you with that. But so she’s told us before, she’s like, I don’t like you guys making plans without talking to me about these plans first. And that’s what we did when she was little because she was excited about every single thing we did, every single thing we did.

And that is a, that’s a transition. And I told my husband, we were going to go to Topgolf on Saturday night and We were planning this and I’m like, wait, wait, wait, hold up. and my daughter was out somewhere with friends and I’m like, you better text her and you better ask her what if she wants to do this and if it’s okay.

and it feels so wrong to be asking your kids, Hey, is this okay? Do you want to come? Because it’s so different than the interaction we had in the past. And he’s begrudgingly like, okay. Okay. Cause he’s had to deal with the. fallout, as well, and we haven’t done

Brie Tucker: well, and I do think like real, just throwing this in there, there is a piece of it as a parent where you’re like, you see it from a distorted view outside and you’re like, Oh, wait a minute. I’m letting my kid call the shots because I’m asking them for permission, but that’s not what’s happening.

I’m just, I needed to clarify that for people listening to the story. You’re not letting one person dictate the whole family.

That’s not what you’re doing.

JoAnn Crohn: as a teen, as like almost 15 now, if she did not want to come, she could just stay at home, we’d be fine with it. We would still go and we would have a lovely time. and so, by him texting her. She replies, yeah, sure. That sounds fun. And he’s like, wow, you were right on that one. I’m like, yeah, yeah, she actually likes to be consulted with, you

know, things as everyone does.

Everyone-

Brie Tucker: Exactly. And I think that’s, that’s a big thing. So like, all right. So in this episode, we have three things that we’re going to share with you guys. Three tips on how to get more quality time with your kids. And I think that you Really just hit the nail on the head on that first one because the first tip is that you need to recognize that this stage where they’re wanting to be more independent and they’re withdrawing a little bit from their Hanging on to your your pants like all the time.

You need to recognize that that can start early like that could start It’s, it’s, to me, it was a little shocking when it started, for my, youngest did it before my oldest did. So my youngest started kind of having her own, I want to do things on my own when she was probably like 11. And then my oldest didn’t really get that way till he was probably like 13, almost 14.

But recognizing that they need this space and that they need to be able to articulate their boundaries and what they want a safe environment, because By teaching them that they can’t talk to you, they can’t say what they want to do, it’s only going to get them in trouble. Right? Like you were just talking about that with your, it kind of, it makes them in a place where they’re like, okay, I don’t speak up to authority.

I don’t speak up in general.

JoAnn Crohn: Yes. And that is something like I want my kids to be able to do. Like, you’ve got to speak up to authority because like my son, it started for him already. He’s already told me, he’s like, Hey, can you knock before you come in my

Brie Tucker: I love that. Can I say that? I love that.

JoAnn Crohn: And he’s very , matter of fact, because usually he’s playing like a video game and I’ll be interrupting him or he’s on with his friends and they play Minecraft.

And like you were just over yesterday and you heard him screaming on Minecraft to like, and it’s the. Funnest and cutest thing. And I love that he’s already saying those things to me and already saying boundaries, because that is something that I think our generation did not get. We did not get those, those boundaries. It was like, you need to come along. You need to smile. How dare you for acting that way during dinner? It was so immature. It was so immature.

Brie Tucker: remember the fad of taking the, a door is an, , is a privilege? Like when parents would take doors

JoAnn Crohn: taking the door off the Hi Hi room.

Brie Tucker: parents never did that. Oh, but I knew several friends who did. And it was all over, it was all over, like, TV shows and stuff too, it was like a normal thing! you don’t get privacy, you don’t get, you don’t get your own opinion and you don’t get privacy, and I don’t think any of us want that for our kids.

So, that first thing is just recognizing that this is normal for them to go through this, and that… It is a process and that you, like you just said, they’re kids and we can still help support them in it. The support just looks different than it did when they were younger.

JoAnn Crohn: it does look different. And those fears still go through your head. our parents fears of like, they had to take the door off because you don’t know what they’re doing in there and they can’t be doing anything bad in there. It was like when my, my son, my 10 year old son, and I joked about this with you yesterday.

He like called me on his ride home and he’s like, Hey, can I stop in the park for like 20 minutes? And I’m like, yeah, sure. You could stop at the park for 20 minutes. And I hang up and I’m like, Brie, what if he’s like stopping in the park to hang out with all the druggies? And they’re like all vaping in the park.

Brie Tucker: we started laughing. We’re like, Oh, he’s not hanging out with so and so and so and so. So it’s okay. Oh

JoAnn Crohn: friends because it’s like all of those ideas, like still enter our minds when we do this. But we recognize them. for what they are. They are ridiculous. They are placed there by like years of worry and these fears coming through TV shows, which are like dramatic.

Brie Tucker: drop of maybe personal experience when we were teens, like, you know, just a drop of that possibly. And I think that’s actually, that is a big piece right there, relating back to the things that you went through as a teen, like what would you have liked for your, parents to have been able to do or provide for you that they weren’t able to, or that they didn’t at that time?

Like, those are the things we need to look forward, but look. So, like, so moving into, tip number two,

JoAnn Crohn: Mm hmm. It’s my favorite not tip

Brie Tucker: we talked about this a little bit earlier, uh, Lisa Bravo talks about in episode 68, teens tend to prefer to interact in a different way. Which includes the fact that they are on a different schedule.

So again, And you talk about this a lot with your kids and my kids have told it to me over and over again and I literally have to bite my tongue to adhere to this tip of yours that you do with your kids All right, so

JoAnn Crohn: What do I do

Brie Tucker: you you don’t Start talking to them the second they get in the car or the second they get home after school.

You let them chillax a little bit. Remember the whole Yorkie thing? my kids walk in the door and I’m like, oh my god, oh god, you’re home! Yay! Yay! How was school? What’d you do? How did it end? And my daughter, thank god, because she’s a more articulate one, she’ll be like, mom, you are too much. It has been a long day.

I need to Decompress. And then she goes upstairs and my son follows suit because she’s the one who like said exactly what they were thinking. And you know what? That’s, that’s so true. I mean, think about it. When you’ve had a long day, you just want to be alone, quiet with your thoughts for a little bit sometimes.

JoAnn Crohn: Yes, and I think it also goes into, other people’s expectations, because putting all of our happiness and excitement to see our kids is like. Making them feel that they have to be excited at the same level or like it’s the good day comment And my husband really articulated this to me. Like did you have a good day?

Well, when you ask did you have a good day your expectation is that yeah, I had a good day It was good, even if that may not be what you’re feeling inside

So my best tips to deal with this is you just have to pretend like you don’t care and like nothing phases you. And I do this all the time when I’m trying to, uh, get a little bit more information out of my kids and trying to get them to talk more, both the 10 year old and the almost 15 year old.

I’m like, yeah. So like, you know, just a day at school. Yeah. It was just today. Did it turn out like you thought it would? And this is how I do it. Yeah. I mean, nothing was good. It was, it was just kind of a boring day. I’m like, oh, oh, cool. And I’ll just sit there and like, and then more comes out during that silence.

As long as I just pretend like I am not interested at all. I’m just like, whatever you say is

Brie Tucker: cool, you’re like, yeah,

JoAnn Crohn: You play it cool. Even I’m, I’m an excited Yorkie inside Brie when I’m playing it cool. Trust me. It’s like a big act.

Brie Tucker: Yeah. So meeting them where they are, giving them that space, understanding that they have a different schedule, their schedule has changed. they need to relate at different times and that they have different needs and that they can articulate them hopefully better than they could when they were younger.

JoAnn Crohn: Yes. And I would say that later schedule, knowing that the teens have this later schedule, it is the one thing that prevents me from completely losing all of my composure when I’m asked late at night to do things. Like that is the thing that is keeping me grounded. I still adhere to the boundaries.

I’ll still be like, okay, I can, I can do this for five minutes. And I can give those five minutes, but I, yeah, I have a really hard time interacting later at

Brie Tucker: Yep.

JoAnn Crohn: And we have a third tip for you too, which is like one of the biggest things I feel like Brie that you have put into action recently and have seen some results with. So we’ll talk about that right after

the break. So far, we’ve shared that with these teens recognize that the stage can start early than needing more space and that they tend to want to interact more on their schedule versus our own schedule. And then our third tip, Brie, you’ve had some experience with implementing

Brie Tucker: my gosh. Okay. So this third one, we actually just recently talked about this during the episode that we had, and I’m trying to remember which one did we have it with? I think it was, Tasha Shore we were talking about this with, about how you need to not come in with an agenda that this will only frustrate your kid.

A teen can smell your fear from a mile away, you know,

JoAnn Crohn: can spell any emotion or any intention

Brie Tucker: They can figure out that you’re trying an angle so easily. but no, in, in all seriousness, not coming in with an agenda. what that means is like me with the excited Yorkie. I want to have a run back to When we would snuggle on the couch and have hot chocolate and watch christmas movies together or just like where I want that hallmark moment with my kids I want to have the time where i’m feeling connected and I walk out and i’m like, oh my heart is full I know how my kids are doing.

They’re happy. They’re okay. Nobody is like really really sad because i’m always worried about that If you come in without that agenda, without all that pressure, which you kind of talked about with the whole, like, how was your day? It’s the pressure for them to be able to give you that whole, that relationship, that moment, that interaction that you’re dreaming up in your head. And when it doesn’t happen, you’re disappointed. And your kid is frustrated because they’re like, what the heck? So just coming in and just enjoying being around and not having that agenda makes it come easier. The connection. Yes.

JoAnn Crohn: one of my kids wasn’t feeling well. And was just sitting there the whole time, sad, withdrawn. And if I had approached the situation with, Oh my gosh, we spent so much money here, and we wanted to go out as a family, and we don’t go out as a family very often, and like, what’s wrong?

How can I help you? That would have been a really, really bad night. But instead, I approached the situation with like, I’m sorry, what can I get you? Anything I can do to help? No. Okay. And then I just went on and did my thing. I didn’t try to force anything on them. I didn’t suggest anything for them to do, which I have had to work on a lot. It’s like a lot.

Brie Tucker: Because we are, we want to fix it, right? Because as the moms we carry, a lot of us carry that mental load or that expectation that we’re supposed to take care of everybody’s mental health and the family. So we think it’s our job to fix any

JoAnn Crohn: That is something that goes through my head a lot. and I also want to tack onto that. That it doesn’t have to be that way. Like you hear so much about moms carrying the whole family’s emotional load. And while we do sense things going on, we don’t have to fix it to make sure people are taken care of.

Um, all we have to do is just be around. Like we, we don’t have to take that on ourselves. That is their feelings. That is their emotions. We have no control ultimately. On that,

and I know from experience. when I try to fix it, it just makes them matter and it makes it worse.

Yeah.

Brie Tucker: in our family deal with those uncomfortable emotions that we all know we all are going to have?

Because I don’t know what’s called life. Like we all have times where we’re bored. We’re frustrated. We’re mad. We’re sad. We’re sick whatever it is We all have these uncomfortable emotions that we have to learn to deal with and if you don’t Then it gets bigger and bigger and oh hello anxiety

How are you?

JoAnn Crohn: What I’ve learned recently is that dealing with those emotions and going through it is actually how people get to a mature adulthood level. it’s been shown that teens who engage in substance abuse or anyone who’s engaged in substance abuse when they’re younger aren’t at the same emotional level than people who aren’t.

if they look at like two 25 year olds, one has had substance abuse issues and has numbed the pain and then has numbed a lot of stuff while the other has gone through it and like sought. strategies and help and really felt those emotions. That 25 year old who felt the emotions would be more emotionally mature, more able to handle situations than that 25 year old who numb the pain through alcohol or

drugs or tried to make it go away. So

Brie Tucker: I’ve heard, yeah, I’ve heard similar stories with like adverse situations occurring and how that can cause those issues in your development.

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah. So emotions are really good thing to go through, especially the uncomfortable emotions. So that’s also what I draw from when my kids are experiencing those uncomfortable emotions. It’s me telling myself, okay, this is actually what’s going to make them emotionally stable later in life, letting them deal with this and just me being here for support instead of me trying to fix it.

Brie Tucker: and I think that that’s a big thing, too. It helps them be able to understand that is a gift that we can give our kids of that. There are people that will let you be you and that appreciate you where you are in life and that those are the people that you probably want to spend your life with.

And, and relationships of friends, romantic, whatever it is, as opposed to the people that are constantly trying to quote unquote fix you or get you to follow their plan. So again, like us doing this as a teen helps them understand that where they are as important, what they feel is important and that they do have the ability to work through it and to have relationships with people that don’t have.

preconceived expectations of them. So I know that sounds crazy and big, but like, so we’re saying that by you just coming in and hanging out with your kids and not necessarily having an agenda and not trying to have this hallmark moment happen 24 7 every time you’re around your teen. that you’re actually helping them understand how relationships work, how healthy relationships work, and you’re giving them those foundations for moving forward.

So.

JoAnn Crohn: Exactly. Because the people you lose it around or that you have lost it around and have gone in the dumps and they know exactly how you feel and you, you’ve risen up. they’re the people you feel closest to. Like I feel the closest to you, to Shana, to Josh and my sister who I’ve gone really head to head with my sister. But like

Brie Tucker: are always

JoAnn Crohn: Even like, oh, my sister in law too, because we’ve had disagreements in the past where we’ve been like really crying on the phone and yelling at each other and stuff. We’ve resolved them. And it’s one of those things letting people have those emotions without taking them personally and

Brie Tucker: that’s a big one with teens. You can’t

JoAnn Crohn: you have to take it personally.

Brie Tucker: I know we can say

that, and easy to say, and we’re here to tell you we know what’s hard to do,

JoAnn Crohn: emotionally gut wrenching when you’re in the moment,

Brie Tucker: Yeah, but you need to do it or else it’ll just drag you

JoAnn Crohn: long, long term, it’s going to be the best thing ever long term. So those are our tips for when you want your teens to spend time with you and they’re not and how to meet them at their level and really all the relationships that you want in your life. They’re great for those as well.

Brie Tucker: Yeah. and that we’re here also to tell you, it’s totally normal when you’re preteen is doing this, going and going down this path. It is a normal stage of development, but stick with those three things and, you’ll see some positive progress where you’re ghosts of, kids in the future.

It’ll get there.

JoAnn Crohn: hmm. So remember the best mom is a happy mom. Take care of you. We’ll talk to you later.Brie Tucker: Thanks for stopping by.