You ask your teenager to put down the phone, start their homework, walk the dog, or get ready to leave.

They do not respond.

You ask again.

And again.

Before long, you are yelling, your teen is defensive, and a basic request has become a full argument.

When teenagers appear to ignore their parents, the answer is not usually a longer explanation or a louder voice.

Your teen may not have shifted their attention toward you. They may be struggling to transition away from what they are doing. They may disagree with the request—or they may have learned that they do not need to respond until you have asked several times.

In this episode, Tess explains how parents can interrupt this pattern without becoming passive or controlling.

You will learn:

• Why your teen may not respond the first time
• How repeated reminders accidentally become part of the problem
• How to get your teenager’s attention before giving a direction
• Five practical scripts for common parent-teen conflicts
• How to validate feelings without changing the boundary
• What calm follow-through looks like
• When withdrawal or unresponsiveness may indicate a larger concern

1. “Pause for a second. I need your attention.”
2. “I’m not going to keep repeating this. I’ll come back in five minutes.”
3. “You don’t have to like this, but I do need you to follow through.”
4. “I’m going to stay calm, and we’re still going to handle this.”
5. “We can talk about the feeling, but the expectation still stands.”

Follow or subscribe to the Single Parenting Reset Podcast for practical parenting support for the tween and teen years.

Join the family through the link below for parenting tools, updates, and upcoming resources.

For individualized support with communication problems, screen battles, family conflict, or challenging teen behavior, schedule a Parent Reset Strategy Session.

⭐Got screen time problems at home? Get the Tech Reset Agreement here 👉Download the Tech Reset Agreement

⭐️Join the Family and get your weekly Mindful Kids and Family Journal here: https://www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com/join-the-family (Get ready for lessons, podcast leads, offers for parents, and ways to win free parent coaching or masterclasses)

📧Connect with Therese (Tess) Connolly, LCSW, CCC here👇: therese@mindfulkidsandfamilies.com Website: www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com

🆘 Need 1:1 Support? Book right here to connect with Tess for a 45-minute FREE “Parent Reset Strategy Session”: Parent Reset Strategy Session

The Single Parenting Reset Show supports single moms, working moms, and all parents with practical parenting tips on screen time, emotional regulation, co-parenting, stress relief, setting boundaries, building trust, and raising confident tweens and teens, while tackling tech addiction, behavior problems, and parent burnout with conscious parenting strategies for stronger family connection.

#singleparents #parentingtweensandteens #ScreenTime #behaviorproblems #Communication

Is screen time the battle that keeps showing up in your home?

Maybe your teen is on their phone late at night. Maybe gaming turns into an argument every time you ask them to stop. Maybe social media, YouTube, texting, or endless scrolling have started to affect sleep, mood, homework, motivation, or connection.

And if you are a single parent, this can feel even more exhausting because you may be the only one holding the line.

In this episode of the Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about how to limit screen time for teenagers in a way that is firm, realistic, and relationship-centered.

This episode is not about shaming teens or pretending technology is going away. Teenagers are growing up in a world where phones, schoolwork, friendships, entertainment, gaming, and identity are all tangled together.

The real question is:

How do we help teens build healthier limits with screens without creating constant conflict at home?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why screen time with teens is different than screen time with tweens
• Why sleep should be the first screen time boundary parents protect
• How to separate school screens from entertainment screens
• Why screens often become a coping tool for teens
• How to talk to your teen about screen time outside the heat of the moment
• How to create a teen screen time agreement that is clear, calm, and realistic
• What to do if your teen says, “Everyone else is allowed”
• How single parents can hold screen time boundaries even when the other home has different rules

The goal is not to control your teen forever. The goal is to help your teen slowly build internal regulation, responsibility, and healthier habits with technology.

If your family needs a clearer starting point, grab Tess’s Tech Reset Agreement through the link in the show notes.

⭐Got screen time problems at home? Get the Tech Reset Agreement here 👉Download the Tech Reset Agreement

⭐️Join the Family and get your weekly Mindful Kids and Family Journal here: https://www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com/join-the-family (Get ready for lessons, podcast leads, offers for parents, and ways to win free parent coaching or masterclasses)

📧Connect with Therese (Tess) Connolly, LCSW, CCC here👇: therese@mindfulkidsandfamilies.com Website: www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com

🆘 Need 1:1 Support? Book right here to connect with Tess for a 45-minute FREE “Parent Reset Strategy Session”: Parent Reset Strategy Session

The Single Parenting Reset Show supports single moms, working moms, and all parents with practical parenting tips on screen time, emotional regulation, co-parenting, stress relief, setting boundaries, building trust, and raising confident tweens and teens, while tackling tech addiction, behavior problems, and parent burnout with conscious parenting strategies for stronger family connection.

#singleparents #parentingtweensandteens #ScreenTime #behaviorproblems #Communication

Is screen time already becoming a daily battle in your home?

If your 10-, 11-, or 12-year-old argues every time screens end, asks constantly for more time, sneaks devices, or says “everyone else gets to,” you are not alone.

The tween years are a key window for building healthy screen habits before the teen years bring more complicated challenges like smartphones, social media, group chats, gaming, and late-night scrolling.

In this episode of the Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about how to limit screen time for tweens without turning every day into a power struggle.

This is not about making screens the enemy.

It is about helping your tween learn balance, responsibility, emotional regulation, and healthy device habits while you remain the steady parent, guide, and coach.

Tweens are old enough to want more independence, but they are still young enough to need clear structure, support, repetition, and limits.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why screen time feels so hard during the tween years
• Why vague rules like “not too much screen time” often create more arguments
• How to create screen time limits that support sleep, school, movement, and family connection
• Why devices should not be in bedrooms overnight
• How to talk to your tween about screens without shaming or lecturing
• How to create a simple family screen time plan together
• What to do if your tween gets angry when screen time ends
• Why parental controls can help, but cannot replace parenting

If you want help getting started, grab my Tech Reset Agreement through the link in the show notes. It will help you create clearer expectations around devices, screen time, bedtime, and family agreements so you are not trying to make rules in the heat of the moment.

And if screen time has become a bigger battle in your family, or you need more support setting up a plan that actually works for your tween and your home, you can also schedule a free Parent Reset Strategy Call through the link in the show notes.

⭐Got screen time problems at home? Get the Tech Reset Agreement here 👉Download the Tech Reset Agreement

⭐️Join the Family and get your weekly Mindful Kids and Family Journal here: https://www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com/join-the-family (Get ready for lessons, podcast leads, offers for parents, and ways to win free parent coaching or masterclasses)

📧Connect with Therese (Tess) Connolly, LCSW, CCC here👇: therese@mindfulkidsandfamilies.com Website: www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com

🆘 Need 1:1 Support? Book right here to connect with Tess for a 45-minute FREE “Parent Reset Strategy Session”: Parent Reset Strategy Session

The Single Parenting Reset Show supports single moms, working moms, and all parents with practical parenting tips on screen time, emotional regulation, co-parenting, stress relief, setting boundaries, building trust, and raising confident tweens and teens, while tackling tech addiction, behavior problems, and parent burnout with conscious parenting strategies for stronger family connection.

#singleparents #parentingtweensandteens #ScreenTime #behaviorproblems #Communication