197. Tween Mood Swings and Screen Time: What Parents Should Know

197. Tween Mood Swings and Screen Time: What Parents Should Know

Author: Therese Connolly September 30, 2025 Duration: 20:31

Is your middle schooler’s mood swings, tech obsession, or growing independence leaving you unsure how to parent them?

The middle school years bring huge developmental changes—emotionally, socially, and cognitively. Many parents of tweens struggle with screen time, shifting boundaries, and figuring out how to stay connected while giving more independence. If you’ve ever felt stuck between being “too strict” or “too lenient,” this episode is for you.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

  1. How to respond to mood swings and irritability with empathy while adjusting your parenting style.
  2. Why delaying phone use until high school helps protect your child’s mental health.
  3. The mindset shift that helps you move from manager to guide—while building trust and independence.

Press play now to learn how to reset your parenting approach for the middle school years and build stronger connections with your tween or teen.

👉Sign up for the next Tech Reset Masterclass here: https://mindfulkidsandfamilies.com/tech-reset-masterclass

⭐️Join MKF weekly Parenting Journal here: Mindful Kids and Families Journal

(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” session: Parent Reset Call

⭐Got screen time problems at home? Get the Tech Reset Agreement here 👉Mindful Kids and Families

⭐️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)

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


Navigating the tween and teen years alone comes with a unique set of daily tests, from managing defiance to negotiating screen time in a connected world. Single Parenting Reset Show: For Solo Parents of Tweens and Teens is here for that journey. Hosted by Therese Connolly, a licensed clinical social worker and family coach, this podcast moves beyond theory to offer actionable steps you can use immediately. Therese draws on both professional expertise and a genuine understanding of the solo parent reality, where you’re the only one setting boundaries and mending fences. Conversations focus on turning behavioral challenges into opportunities for growth, finding realistic ways to pull kids from their devices, and fostering a home where communication actually works. You’ll hear strategies for building your own confidence as a parent while strengthening your family’s connections, all without the sugar-coating. This is a space for single moms and dads seeking real-life support, where every episode aims to provide a practical reset for the week ahead. Tune in for a blend of compassionate guidance and concrete tools designed specifically for the solo parent raising adolescents.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Single Parenting Reset Show: For Solo Parents of Tweens and Teens — Manage Behavior Problems, Reduce Screen Time & Improve Communication
Podcast Episodes
256. How to Discipline Teenagers Without Yelling or Power Struggles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:13
Does disciplining your teenager leave you feeling drained, angry, or like nothing is working?If every boundary turns into an argument, every consequence becomes a negotiation, and every hard moment ends in distance, this…
255. How to Rebuild Trust With Your Teen or Tween after conflict [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:12
Has trust been strained between you and your teen or tween?Maybe there has been conflict. Maybe too many arguments. Maybe lying, secrecy, attitude, shutdown, or just that painful feeling of disconnection.If you have been…
251. Why Teens Shut Down When Parents Try to Talk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:56
Does your teenager shut down when you try to talk?Many parents feel frustrated when conversations with teens turn into silence, eye rolls, or one-word answers.But the reason teens shut down may not be what you think.In t…
248. How to Talk to Teenagers So They Actually Listen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:37
Trying to talk to your teenager and getting eye rolls, silence, or one-word answers?If conversations with your tween or teen feel harder lately, you’re not imagining it. Research shows that parent-teen conflict tends to…