Power Your Parenting: Moms With Teens

Is your teen using AI in ways you don't even know about? Artificial intelligence is becoming part of nearly every digital tool our kids use, from homework apps to search engines to AI companions. While AI offers exciting opportunities, it also raises serious concerns about privacy, learning, and emotional well-being. How can moms protect their teens without creating fear or shutting down conversations?

In this episode of Power Your Parenting: Moms with Teens, Colleen O'Grady talks with Jaclyn Kalani, co-founder and CEO of SafeMinds and a digital safety specialist, about helping tweens and teens navigate AI safely and responsibly. Jaclyn explains why banning AI altogether isn't realistic and why parents need to become curious, informed guides. She shares practical questions moms can ask to open conversations about AI, protect their teens' privacy, and establish healthy boundaries around technology.

Jaclyn also addresses two growing concerns: teens relying on AI to complete schoolwork instead of developing critical thinking skills, and teens turning to AI companions for emotional support and relationships. She offers a powerful strategy for using AI as a learning tool: ask for the smallest helpful hint rather than the answer. Most importantly, she reminds moms that AI should never replace meaningful human relationships. By modeling responsible AI use and keeping communication open, parents can help their teens embrace the benefits of technology without sacrificing their independence, learning, or human connection.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Lead with curiosity, not fear. Ask your teen how they and their friends are using AI, what they find helpful, and whether they've noticed AI getting things wrong. Open, nonjudgmental conversations create opportunities to teach privacy, safety, and responsible use.

2. Teach your teen to use AI without letting it do the thinking. Encourage your teen to try assignments independently before asking AI for help. Teach them to request a small hint instead of an answer so they develop confidence, critical thinking, and genuine learning.

3. Keep human relationships at the center. AI may sound compassionate and understanding, but it cannot replace genuine human connection. Encourage your teen to bring emotional struggles, friendship problems, and relationship questions to trusted people rather than relying on AI companions.

About Jaclyn Kalani

Jaclyn Kalani is the co-founder and CEO of SafeMinds and a digital safety specialist focused on helping families navigate artificial intelligence safely and ethically. As a mother of two, she understands the challenges parents face in a rapidly changing digital world. Through SafeMinds AI Institute, she provides education, workshops, and practical tools to help parents and educators teach children responsible AI use while protecting their privacy, learning, and emotional well-being.

Learn more at: https://safeminds.ai/institute

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safemindsai.institute/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I love this next guest. I love metaphors. I love humor. And I love authenticity and she has all three. If you ever have felt buried under a mother load, you will really enjoy this real conversation. We talk about invisible battles, toxic positivity, and how moms crave real.

MEREDITH ETHINGTON is a mother, author, and founder of the Perfection Pending blog, which presents mothers with encouragement, humor, and heart. Her debut book, Mom Life: Perfection Pending was published through Absolute Love Publishing and debuted online as the #1 choice in the motherhood category. She is the co-owner and editor at FilterFreeParents.com.

Meredith resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, and you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where she encourages mothers to laugh at themselves and admit that while parenting is the best thing ever, it’s also the hardest job on earth.

Learn more about Meridith and her newest book Mother Load at ⁠https://perfectionpending.net/about-meredith-ethington/⁠

Follow Meridith at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/perfectpending/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you talk to your teens about consent?

If you have a daughter you worry that if she wears that short skirt she could get sexually assaulted. If you have a son you can worry that he would be accused of sexually assaulting a girl. You think not my daughter or not my son. Today we are going to be talking about consent and what it is and . what role does drugs and alcohol play in the overall consent conversation. We'll talk about the do’s and don’t’s of consent and how to talk to our teens about it.

To address these issues I have invited Christy Keating to be our guest.

Christy Keating is the founder and CEO of The Heartful Parent. Christy is a Certified Parent Coach® , a Certified Positive Discipline Instructor, a Certified Instructor with the Gottman Institute. She is also a long-time leader and speaker at the Program for Early Parent Support,

In addition to her work as a parent coach, Christy is a licensed attorney and former prosecutor of 20 years with an expertise in the prosecution of sexually violent predators, as well as an active member of the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. Through The Heartful Parent’s sister company, Savvy Parents Safe Kids, Christy offers child safety workshops, presentations, and consulting to both parents and professionals.

Take advantage of her free resource: Do's and Don'ts for Talking Consent

⁠https://www.theheartfulparent.com/consent⁠

Website https:/⁠/www.theheartfulparent.com/⁠

⁠ https://www.savvyparentssafekids.com/⁠

Facebook Page URL

⁠https://www.facebook.com/theheartfulparent⁠

Instagram Handle

⁠https://www.instagram.com/theheartfulparent/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most powerful question you could ask yourself as a mom is, “What is the most courageous choice I can make right now?” Parenting teens can bring up so much fear—fear about their choices, friendships, and future. But what if instead of letting fear lead, we learned to parent with courage?

In this episode of Power Your Parenting: Moms with Teens, Colleen O'Grady talks with Dr. Jennifer Miller, author of Humanissance: Igniting Courage in Our Teens and Ourselves, about how courage can transform our parenting. Jennifer explains that courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the intentional choice to pause, listen to our inner wisdom, and act from our values. You'll discover why teens are naturally wired to take risks, explore their identities, and push boundaries—and how moms can encourage courage without becoming controlling or overprotective.

Colleen and Jennifer also explore how to help teens move through social discomfort, stay true to themselves despite peer pressure, and build resilience through their mistakes. They discuss replacing fear-based conversations about technology with curiosity and collaboration, and why modeling courage is one of the greatest gifts we can give our teens. Jennifer, who has spent over 30 years helping families and educators support children's development, reminds us that courage is a skill we can strengthen every day—and it starts with us.

3 Key Takeaways

Courage is a choice, not a feeling. Fear is a natural part of parenting, but it doesn't have to drive our decisions. Pausing to ask, “What's the courageous choice here?” helps moms respond with wisdom instead of reacting from fear.

Help your teen move toward discomfort instead of avoiding it. Social anxiety, uncertainty, and risk-taking are part of adolescence. Encourage your teen to take small, courageous steps that build confidence and resilience.

Model the courage you want to see in your teen. Whether it's having difficult conversations, navigating technology, or owning mistakes, your teen is watching. When moms practice courage, they teach their teens to face life's challenges with confidence and integrity.

Learn More at: https://confidentparentsconfidentkids.org/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you teaching your teen to be themselves—or unintentionally pressuring them to become who you think they should be? As moms, we want our teens to be confident, authentic, and true to their values. But what happens when their values clash with ours? How do we help them fit in without losing themselves? And how do we stay true to ourselves while protecting our relationship with our teens?

In this episode of Power Your Parenting: Moms with Teens, I talk with Dr. Patricia Hewlin, author of Staying True to You: Unlock the Power of Your Middle Self and Live with Confidence, Integrity, and Peace of Mind. Dr. Hewlin challenges the popular advice to "just be yourself" and introduces the concept of the middle self—finding a healthy balance between authenticity and conformity. She explains why being authentic isn't always helpful, why fitting in isn't always bad, and how knowing our core values helps us make wiser choices in our relationships.

We explore how moms can unintentionally impose their own values on their teens, especially around achievement, friendships, college choices, and independence. Dr. Hewlin encourages moms to practice "vigilant curiosity" instead of reacting to resistance. When our teens push back, they may be protecting something deeply important to them. By asking better questions, we can discover what matters most to our teens instead of assuming we already know.

You'll also learn the three essential practices for developing your middle self: introspection, discernment, and temperance. These skills help both moms and teens recognize their non-negotiables, avoid unhealthy extremes, regulate their emotions, and build relationships based on mutual respect. Instead of simply telling our teens to "be yourself," Dr. Hewlin encourages us to help them "be your empowered self."

Three Key Takeaways

Authenticity and conformity aren't all-or-nothing. Being true to yourself doesn't mean saying everything you think, and fitting in doesn't mean losing yourself. The middle self allows you to honor your values while respecting others.

Get curious about your teen's resistance. When your teen pushes back, ask what value may feel threatened. Their need for autonomy, connection, or individuality may be different from yours. Understanding their values can transform conflict into connection.

Model the middle self. Practice introspection to know your values, discernment to understand what a situation requires, and temperance to regulate your responses. When moms learn to navigate these tensions, they give their teens the tools to do the same.

Follow at https://www.instagram.com/patriciahewlin/

Learn More at: https://patriciahewlin.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices