170 episodes

Raising kids can be a bumpy, stressful, and uncertain process – which is why Dr. Lisa Damour is here to help. The author of bestsellers Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers brings her sane, informed, and practical perspective to your timely and timeless parenting questions. Co-host and journalist Reena Ninan, a former White House and foreign correspondent, gets the answers parents need. In each episode, Dr. Lisa and Reena blend expert knowledge with their experience and struggles as parents themselves to tackle real-life questions sent in by listeners.

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting Dr. Lisa Damour/Good Trouble Productions

    • Kids & Family
    • 4.8 • 582 Ratings

Raising kids can be a bumpy, stressful, and uncertain process – which is why Dr. Lisa Damour is here to help. The author of bestsellers Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers brings her sane, informed, and practical perspective to your timely and timeless parenting questions. Co-host and journalist Reena Ninan, a former White House and foreign correspondent, gets the answers parents need. In each episode, Dr. Lisa and Reena blend expert knowledge with their experience and struggles as parents themselves to tackle real-life questions sent in by listeners.

    167: Weed's Legal. How Do I Talk With My Teen About It?

    167: Weed's Legal. How Do I Talk With My Teen About It?

    How can adults steer teens away from marijuana in states where the drug is now legal? A parent writes in asking for guidance on raising teens in a community where pot use is wide-spread and normalized. To complicate matters, the parent uses recreational cannabis at home but worries, appropriately, about how early experimentation with the drug could compromise her teens’ safety and well-being. Dr. Lisa and Reena address several crucial questions: What are the risks associated with adolescent marijuana use? How do adults have effective conversations with teens about the potential harms of using pot? And how do we help our teens make good choices now that we are raising them in a cannabis-friendly world?

    Listen to Reena's interview with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on FAFSA:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnobVC432HE

    Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast
    And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan.
    Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/

    Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 33 min
    166: My Kid Is Being Bullied. What Should I Do?

    166: My Kid Is Being Bullied. What Should I Do?

    How do you respond when your child is being bullied? A concerned parent writes in about her 12-year-old daughter who is being taunted by three older boys on the school bus. Dr. Lisa unpacks the dynamics of bullying and answers several key questions: What’s the difference between conflict and bullying? Why do kids bully? What is the impact of being bullied? How and when should adults step in? The conversation addresses the step-by-step process adults should consider when addressing bullying in order to not make the situation worse. Reena asks what adults can do to support children who are being mistreated by their peers and what really works to prevent bullying.

    Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast
    And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan.
    Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/

    Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 32 min
    165: How Do I Support my Heartbroken Son?

    165: How Do I Support my Heartbroken Son?

    A parent writes in about her 17-year-old son who is reeling from a tough breakup with his long-time girlfriend. As the teen faces the transition to college and grapples with intense sadness his parents have several questions: Should they be concerned about his reaction? How can they support him, especially when he shuts them out? And must high school sweethearts part ways before college? Dr. Lisa describes the many ways that adults can help teens cope with heartbreak including offering empathy, providing comfort, helping the teen establish healthy boundaries with the ex, and more. Reena asks if there’s any way to prevent heartbreak in teens and the conversation covers how best to help young people navigate the loss of their first love.

    Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast
    And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan.
    Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/

    Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 32 min
    164: Why Is My Kid Hooked on Luxury Skin Care?

    164: Why Is My Kid Hooked on Luxury Skin Care?

    Dr. Lisa and Reena respond to a letter from a parent who feels uneasy about her ten-year-old’s sudden interest in expensive skin care products. The parent finds herself stuck between two bad options: buying her daughter products that are costly and unnecessary, or being at odds with her daughter because she refuses to do so. Dr. Lisa and Reena unpack the many forces that come together - some new, some age-old - to drive the current trend of tweens and teens taking an interest in high-end skin care routines. Their conversation addresses how kids’ interest in luxury skin care can open up critical conversations about peer pressure, social media marketing, and unrealistic beauty standards.

    Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast
    And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan.
    Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/

    Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 32 min
    163: Encore: My Kid Looked at Porn. What Should I Do?

    163: Encore: My Kid Looked at Porn. What Should I Do?

    It’s not always comfortable to talk with our kids about pornography - but it’s something all parents need to do. Indeed, research shows that 12 is the average age at which kids first encounter pornography, and that by age 18, 79% of teens have been exposed to violent porn. Dr. Lisa and Reena address how it is that so many kids end up seeing pornography and the harms associated with viewing it. They also provide clear, actionable guidance on raising this delicate subject with kids and what to say once the conversation gets going. Before the episode ends, Reena gets practical tips from Dr. Lisa on making these discussions less uncomfortable for both parents and their children.

    Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast
    And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan.
    Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/

    Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 30 min
    162: How Do I Talk with My Teen about Fentanyl?

    162: How Do I Talk with My Teen about Fentanyl?

    Illicit fentanyl has contaminated the drug landscape and is causing record deaths among young people. How should parents talk with their teens about this fast-moving crisis? What can we say to help keep our kids safe? In this critically important episode, Dr. Lisa and Reena are joined by Ed Ternan and Marcia Lee Taylor of Song for Charlie, a national non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. Ed, who tragically lost his 22 year-old son to a counterfeit prescription pill, and Marcia, former President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, cover the basics about fentanyl and offer concrete guidance on how to have effective conversations with teens about its dangers.
    Be sure to check out The New Drug Talk resources available at their website: www.songforcharlie.org

    Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast
    And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan.
    Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/

    Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 33 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
582 Ratings

582 Ratings

guerragram ,

Thank you, thank you Lisa!

I appreciate Lisa’s books so much and am so excited to discover this podcast! I love her voice of informed reason that has helped me be a much more calmer, informed, effective parent. The clarity and how actionable her gems of wisdom are—priceless! Thank you Lisa for being you and sharing your knowledge and expertise with all of us parents! 10/10 HIGHLY recommend to every parent and know.

Runner850 ,

Invaluable resource

I listen to the Ask Lisa podcast episodes multiple times, as I have an almost-13-year-old and they have been an incredibly helpful resource! I understand my child better and have some great tools to help her and our relationship as she grows. THANK YOU and please keep the episodes coming!

JennyD11244 ,

Love the content, but I almost don’t want to listen

I have to agree with other reviews regarding the voice level and the low talking or whispering by both hosts. I absolutely love Lisa’s books which is why I gravitated towards this podcast. So much relevant material. But, I feel that the whispering is unnecessary and just wish that both hosts would speak in normal clear voices so they can be heard well and listeners can focus on the content. I also have an issue with the co host, not having teens of her own but little kids I find she doesn’t often relate to the topic at hand, which makes it not as relevant. Thank you for all you do and please keep up the good work in general.

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