About this episode

This episode discusses how to effectively communicate with tweens about difficult topics like porn, dating, and consent.

What if the reason the hardest conversations with your middle schooler keep going badly isn't the topic — it's that we keep starting them like a lecture? This episode is for any parent who has braced themselves to "have the talk" about porn, dating, nudes, or consent and watched their kid mentally exit the room before the second sentence. I'm joined by Michele Icard, parenting expert and author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School. What you'll learn: Why most thorny conversations go wrong before they start, and the BRIEF model that fixes it. Why shame is the wrong tool. What you might be missing about middle school dating, consent, and touch hunger. The throughline of the whole conversation is practice. These aren't talks you nail on the first try, and the goal isn't a single perfect conversation — it's becoming fluent enough at curiosity that you stop needing an agenda at all. Great Wolf Lodge: Bring your pack together at a Lodge near you. Learn more at GreatWolf.com Tumble: Machine Washable Rugs, Made Better. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off + free shipping at…

People in this episode

Host: Aliza Pressman

Guest: Michele Icard

Topics covered

• parenting
• communication
• middle school
• consent
• dating
• shame
• curiosity

Keywords

• tween conversations
• parenting advice
• middle school
• communication strategies
• consent
• dating
• shame
• curiosity

Sponsors

Great Wolf Lodge, Tumble, Merit Beauty, Ooma

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School

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• Perfectionism Isn't High Standards. It's Hurting Your Kid · May 15, 2026 · 28 min

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