Amanda: Raising a Middle Schooler (Part 1)

Amanda: Raising a Middle Schooler (Part 1)

From Development Desk by Ana

January 27, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

Ana interviews her friend Amanda about the challenges of raising a middle schooler today.

In this first conversation of a new parent interview series, Ana sits down with her longtime friend Amanda to talk honestly about raising a middle schooler in today’s world. What begins as light banter quickly unfolds into a thoughtful discussion about identity, safety, values, academic pressure, and the emotional weight parents quietly carry while trying to do right by their kids. Together, they explore how parenting decisions aren’t always about the “right” answer, but about resilience, tru...

People in this episode

Host: Ana

Guest: Amanda

Topics covered

  • parenting
  • middle school
  • identity
  • safety
  • academic pressure
  • emotional weight

Keywords

  • parenting
  • middle schooler
  • identity
  • safety
  • values
  • academic pressure
  • emotional weight

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