Sep 4, 2019
I had such a great discussion with Lisa Heffernan, co-author of the brand-new book out this week called “Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults.”
This is one of those episodes that is not grief-specific. I was so glad to talk to Lisa about her new book because so often I hear from widowed parents that one of their challenges isn’t really related to grief at all – it’s that they find themselves in a new role as the “only parent” for their kids, and they need to handle everything alone. So, I figure the more information and insights we can get, the better, in terms of helping us with this job. Our discussion is also relevant, however, for your friends who are not widowed parents – so please share with them it you find it helpful.
Some topics Lisa and I cover in our discussion include:
- What parents most want to know about raising their kids during the older teen / young adult years;
- How parents can tend to feel isolated when their kids get older and face problems that can be more difficult to discuss with other parents than little-kid problems;
- Signs you might be overparenting your teen or young adult;
- The four main things your child needs to know to manage their health when they’re living away for the first time;
- Four key academic lessons that your teen should learn before college;
- Tips for getting through the 11th grade;
- Tips for parents to stay sane during the college search and application process;
- Tips for college drop off day;
- Ways to support struggling college students without taking over; and
- What surprises Lisa most about the late teen / early adult years.
I hope you enjoy my discussion with Lisa Heffernan of Grown and Flown.