Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris

Bridget KerMorris, JD, MA
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Parenting

The middle school years look like the years your kid pulls away from you. What nobody says out loud is that parents quietly start pulling away too. This is not because parents (or kids) stop caring. For parents, it's because the stakes feel higher, the rejection hits deeper, and so we start editing ourselves. We stop saying the true thing. We manage, we worry, and we hold onto what we want to say, waiting for a better moment that never comes. This is the podcast where we stop waiting. Each week, Bridget KerMorris answers a real question from a real middle school parent, submitted anonymously from her coaching community, using Steady + Connected Parenting™, the only parenting framework built specifically for the middle school years.  This is real moments with real families and at the end of every episode, one simple invitation: say what is true for you. Say it to the person who needs to hear it most . . . while the window is still open in these middle years because it will not stay wide open forever. Bridget is a Stanford-trained lawyer with thousands of hours of education and experience as a marriage and family therapist specializing in family systems, neurodivergence, and relational trauma. She is also a mom of seven currently parenting her fourth middle schooler. She has an Instagram page, @bridget.parentcoach, with over 100k parents where she posts daily helping middle school parents "say what's true for you."

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 3: I Hate Tech (when parenting in the digital world feels impossible)

    Technology might be one of the hardest parts of parenting middle schoolers because technology asks us to lead through uncertainty. In this episode, Bridget answers two questions from parents who are struggling with phones, screen time, pornography exposure, social media, and the pressure to help their children belong in a digital world that often feels overwhelming. Together, we'll explore why the tech battle isn't actually about tech, how UPDATE can help parents understand what technology activates inside of them, and why connection remains one of the most protective factors in a child's life. You'll learn: Why technology conversations are often really about autonomy, belonging, and regulationHow to approach pornography and difficult online experiences without fear or shameWhat to do when your child lies, hides, or sneaks technologyWhy family values matter more than finding the perfect tech rulesThe difference between protection and controlThe safest middle schooler online is the one who knows: "I can bring anything to my parent." You can find Bridget on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bridget.parentcoach/). If you'd like to learn more about Steady + Connected Parenting™, go here: https://bridgetparentco.samcart.com/products/unbreakable-bond

    28 min

  2. 3d ago

    Episode 2: My Son Says He's Too Young to Date (but little sister thinks he has a girlfriend)

    A mom discovers that her 12-year-old son may have his first crush, but he insists he's "too young to date." So what do you do when you know something about your middle schooler that they haven't chosen to share with you? In this episode, Bridget explores the difference between privacy and secrecy, why connection isn't measured by how much our children tell us, and how to become the kind of parent your child knows they can come to when life gets complicated. If you've ever worried that your middle schooler is pulling away, this episode is for you. You can find Bridget on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bridget.parentcoach/). If you'd like to learn more about Steady + Connected Parenting™, go here: https://bridgetparentco.samcart.com/products/unbreakable-bond

    14 min

  3. 3d ago

    Episode 1: My Daughter Was Furious With Me

    In the very first episode of Middle Years, Bridget answers a question from a mom whose sixth-grade daughter was furious with her after a difficult parenting decision. When her daughter skipped volleyball practice and asked her mom to send an email that wasn't truthful, the mom found herself wrestling with a question so many middle school parents face: Should I step in and help, or should I let my child experience the outcome of their choices? Together, we'll explore why this isn't really a conversation about consequences. It's a conversation about leadership, connection, integrity, disappointment, and what our job actually is when our middle schoolers are upset with us. In this episode, you'll learn: Why disappointment and disconnection are not the same thingHow Bridget's approach to parenting the middle years can help you make decisions from steadiness instead of fearThe four relationships that were present in this parenting momentHow to hold onto your values without losing connectionA simple way to repair and reconnect after a ruptureIf you've ever wondered, "Did I do the right thing?" this episode is for you. Because middle school parenting isn't about getting it right all the time. It's about staying connected, staying steady, and continuing to show up even when you're unsure. You can find Bridget on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bridget.parentcoach/). If you'd like to learn more about Steady + Connected Parenting™, go here: https://bridgetparentco.samcart.com/products/unbreakable-bond

    18 min

  4. Season 1 Trailer

    Episode 0: Welcome To Middle Years

    Most parents of middle schoolers are trying so hard to get it right. We want to stay connected without hovering, help without overreacting, and raise a kid who feels deeply loved and also capable in the world. Even with the best intentions, these middle years can be tough and it can start to feel like everyone else got a parenting manual you somehow missed. In Middle Years, Bridget KerMorris answers real parenting questions from parents of middle schoolers with honesty, humor, thoughtful insight, and deep respect for the parent-child relationship. Each episode explores what is happening underneath the behavior and how parents can stay steady, connected, and relational through some of the most emotionally intense years of family life. Bridget is a Stanford-trained lawyer, parenting coach, mom of seven, and creator of the Steady + Connected Parenting™ framework. Drawing from thousands of hours studying and engaging in clinical work around family systems, neurodivergence, relational trauma, and middle school development, she helps parents build rock-solid relationships with their kids without perfection, fear, or constant power struggles. Middle school is not the beginning of losing your child. It's an opportunity to know them more deeply than ever before.

    1 min

Trailer

About

The middle school years look like the years your kid pulls away from you. What nobody says out loud is that parents quietly start pulling away too. This is not because parents (or kids) stop caring. For parents, it's because the stakes feel higher, the rejection hits deeper, and so we start editing ourselves. We stop saying the true thing. We manage, we worry, and we hold onto what we want to say, waiting for a better moment that never comes. This is the podcast where we stop waiting. Each week, Bridget KerMorris answers a real question from a real middle school parent, submitted anonymously from her coaching community, using Steady + Connected Parenting™, the only parenting framework built specifically for the middle school years.  This is real moments with real families and at the end of every episode, one simple invitation: say what is true for you. Say it to the person who needs to hear it most . . . while the window is still open in these middle years because it will not stay wide open forever. Bridget is a Stanford-trained lawyer with thousands of hours of education and experience as a marriage and family therapist specializing in family systems, neurodivergence, and relational trauma. She is also a mom of seven currently parenting her fourth middle schooler. She has an Instagram page, @bridget.parentcoach, with over 100k parents where she posts daily helping middle school parents "say what's true for you."

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