It's easy to keep trying to solve the same predictable problem in a crisis—like 7:14 a.m. chaos—then wonder why everyone's melting down. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude shares a 12-minute weekly family meeting that makes the plan visible (so your house stops running on mind-reading and vibes) and gives strong-willed kids a way to use their power in a useful direction. You'll get a simple structure, scripts for the messy moments, and one tiny experiment to try this week.

• Why family meetings work: they move problem-solving to a calmer window so everyone's nervous system has a fighting chance
• How to run a meeting that's not a tiny courtroom (or a "tiny Senate" where bedtime gets filibustered)
• The 12–15 minute structure that keeps it short, doable, and repeatable
• The school-psych lens: treat behavior like data (pattern, skill demand, support), not a moral trial
• A simple home–school bridge for transitions (and a ready-to-use "partnership language" script)
• What "derailing" can really mean for big-feeling kids—and how to keep them on the team without blame

• Start an "Agenda" paper on the fridge so problems go there during the week instead of exploding in the morning rush.
• Run one 12-minute meeting this week—even if it's awkward. Timer on purpose.
• Pick one bottleneck (after school, sports gear, bedtime, homework) and choose one one-week experiment to test.
• Use one structure tool (talking object or jobs like timekeeper/note-taker/idea collector).
• End with a 2-minute light closer so your kid's nervous system remembers: "We're okay."

Pick one. One is enough.

• Boredom Buster Guide — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/boredomebusterguide
• Big Feeling Decoder — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/bigfeelingsdecoder
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/aiprompts4parents

"This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area."

If your child can read the words but can't tell you what they just read—and homework turns into a fight—this episode is for you. Dr. Amy Patenaude takes you inside her brain during a psychoeducational evaluation and shows what school psychologists are actually watching for in reading comprehension + recall, especially in 1st–2nd grade. You'll walk away with a simple framework (hello, 813), a Velcro-vs-Teflon way to think about "it didn't stick," and a 7-day experiment you can use to get clearer answers fast.

• Why a psychoeducational evaluation is not a "verdict" (it's translation + detective work)
• The Velcro vs. Teflon reading metaphor for kids who can decode but can't hold onto meaning
• The 813 framework: the 8 silent questions an evaluator is tracking in real time, and the 3 big buckets that explain the pattern
• How to tell the difference between a comprehension issue and a recall/output load issue
• What "We don't see that here" often means—and how to respond without arguing
• Exactly what to ask for at school so support is specific (not "more time" and vibes)

• Run the 7-day reading experiment: compare answering questions with the text available (text-referenced) vs. without looking back (memory-only).
• Use "mastery sampling" for comprehension: fewer questions, same depth (one straightforward, one vocab-in-context, one main idea/inference).
• Try one scaffold one time: preview 1–2 questions before reading or do a one-sentence "gist" after each paragraph.
• Start a tiny clue log: what task, what demand (more language? more output? end-of-day fatigue?), what helped.
• Use this school script: "Can we compare text-referenced vs memory-only answering, reduce question load for 7–10 days, and track accuracy, prompts needed, and independence?"

Pick one. One is enough.

• Boredom Buster Guide — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/boredomebusterguide
• Big Feeling Decoder — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/bigfeelingsdecoder
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents — https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/aiprompts4parents

"This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area."

Middle school and high school phones aren't just "screens." They're belonging, identity, anxiety management, and a 24/7 stream of social information—right in your kid's pocket. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude helps you set boundaries that protect sleep, school focus, and mental health without turning your relationship into constant conflict… and without becoming the full-time group chat crisis manager.

Anchor line to keep in your back pocket: "Phones are a tool and a resource. They don't make up for connection."

• Why teen brains are extra sensitive to peer feedback (and why the phone feels urgent—even when it's "nothing")
• How dopamine works as seeking (not happiness), and why apps are built to keep the checking loop running
• Why "multitasking" during homework is really task-switching (and why focus falls apart fast with notifications)
• How to set boundaries around bedtime, homework, and family time that are firm—not shamey
• A simple way to handle group chat drama with structure + curiosity (instead of reacting or rescuing)
• How to look at your own phone habits without guilt—because attention is protective, and modeling matters
• What to ask the school when phone rules are inconsistent across classrooms

• Pick your 3 protected domains: sleep, school focus, and mental health. Let those guide your boundaries (not vibes).
• Do a 48-hour "Phone Trigger Audit": when does your teen spiral into the phone most—boredom, anxiety, avoidance, loneliness, social checking?
• Create one protected connection window: a daily 60–120 minutes where phones are down (adults too).
• Homework friction plan: Do Not Disturb + notifications off + phone out of reach; if it's needed, it's used like a tool for one task.
• Nighttime boundary for sleep: Do Not Disturb hours + charging station outside bedrooms (health, not punishment).

Pick one. One is enough.

• Boredom Buster Guide — quick ideas for the "I'm boooored" moments (without you becoming a cruise director). https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/boredomebusterguide
• Big Feeling Decoder — make sense of big reactions and stuck behavior, with calmer next steps and scripts. https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/bigfeelingsdecoder
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents — help drafting school emails, meeting questions, and in-the-moment scripts when your brain is cooked. https://psyched2parent.myflodesk.com/aiprompts4parents

"This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area."