Episode 250: Your Teen Summer Checklist Starts Now
About this episode
Dr. Ken and Cynthia discuss practical summer planning for parents of teenagers, covering topics like screen time, jobs, and family vacations.
Dr. Ken and Cynthia are talking all things summer — because somehow it’s already almost here, and if you have teenagers at home, now is the time to start thinking ahead. In this episode, they walk through a practical summer checklist for parents: screen time, jobs, sleep schedules, dating relationships, family vacations, summer reading, and how to keep teens from spending three straight months attached to a phone or gaming system. Cynthia shares the story of the year she created an ambitious “Summer Bucket List” for her kids that completely fell apart within days, while Dr. Ken explains why boredom actually matters, why teens need meaningful responsibility during the summer, and how parents can create structure without making summer miserable for everyone involved. They also tackle the tricky balance of family time versus independence, how to think about summer jobs and volunteering, and why dating boundaries become even more important once school is out and teens suddenly have endless free time. If summer tends to sneak up on you every year, this episode will help you plan ahead. If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other…
People in this episode
Hosts: Dr. Ken, Cynthia
Topics covered
- summer planning
- teen responsibility
- screen time management
- family time
- independence
- dating boundaries
Keywords
- teen summer checklist
- parenting teens
- summer activities
- screen time
- family vacations
- teen independence
- dating relationships
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Feeding The Mouth That Bites You, Life Is Messy, God Is Good, How'd I Miss That
More episodes of Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Teens Into Adulthood
- Episode 253: What If Anxiety Is a Habit?
- Episode 252: Powering Up Your Words
- Episode 251: When Parents Parent Differently Than We Do
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