271: Prom Night: Do I Trust My Teen—or My Instincts?
From Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life by Dr. Lisa Damour
May 12, 2026 · 30 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges parents face when deciding whether to trust their teen's judgment or their own instincts during high-stakes moments like prom night.
It's prom season, and one mom is facing a tough call: her son wants to go to an unsupervised after-party two hours away. Other parents are saying yes. Her gut is saying no. And her son is saying he'll skip prom entirely if she doesn't let him go. Whether it's prom, spring break, or any other "big night" moment, dilemmas like this one can keep parents up at night. Should you trust your kid, or should you trust your instincts? Dr. Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author, and Reena Ninan break it all down with the warmth, honesty, and research-backed guidance parents of teens actually need. No judgment. Just real talk about the hard calls parents need to make. This episode is about every high-stakes moment when your teen's desire for fun and independence collides with your responsibility to keep them safe. And it's about knowing, with confidence, that prioritizing safety IS the right call, even when it's the hard one. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - Why your gut feeling about this isn't overreacting (and what the science says about teens, peer groups, and risk) - How to hold a firm safety limit even when every other parent seems to be saying yes - The "third…
People in this episode
Hosts: Dr. Lisa Damour, Reena Ninan
Topics covered
- prom night
- parenting dilemmas
- teen independence
- safety concerns
- risk assessment
- communication strategies
Keywords
- prom
- teen safety
- parenting
- risk
- independence
- communication
- decision making
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New York Times
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