Skip to main content

Program: Parental As Anything

All Episodes Contact Us

Presented by

A woman with long blond hair and dark rim glasses smiling

Hormones. Anxiety. Angst. Raising teens is tough. Parental As Anything: Teens gives you practical tips on how to navigate your teen-sized problems, from porn to partying, body issues to bullying. Rebecca Sparrow, teen educator and author talks to parents and experts to unpack the biggest challenges of parenting teens.

Learn how to support your teenager while staying (mostly) sane.

Send your tricky teen questions to teens@abc.net.au

Listen for free from the ABC listen app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Get the ABC listen app
Take your favourite podcasts and radio with you

Latest

How can I help my anxious teen?

Today's teens are the "anxious generation" and anxiety is on the rise. It impacts their mental health and their ability to cope with school, friendships and everyday tasks.

Published: TueTue 2 Jul 2024 at 4:00pmwith Bec Sparrow

Duration: 25 minutes

More from Parental As Anything

Dear Bec—My teen's a couch potato

Does your teen love nothing more than slothing about on the sofa? And the mere idea of a walk, bike ride or jumping on the trampoline seems like too much effort? We know that movement and exercise is good for our mental and physical health, but…

Duration: 6 minutes 33 seconds

Published: 25 Jun 2024Tue 25 Jun 2024 at 5:00pmwith Bec Sparrow

SPECIAL—Teen misogynists in our schools

Female teachers are being sworn at, sexually harassed and physically threatened in high schools by male students. These young men are under the thrall of Andrew Tate and other online influencers and are taking his misogynist ideas into the classroom.

Duration: 27 minutes 19 seconds

Published: 18 Jun 2024Tue 18 Jun 2024 at 5:00pmwith Bec Sparrow

Dear Bec—My teenager wants a vibrator

Your daughter asks you to buy her a vibrator.

Duration: 5 minutes 7 seconds

Published: 11 Jun 2024Tue 11 Jun 2024 at 5:00pmwith Bec Sparrow

My teen hates me

When they’re little, our kids idolise us. Then, they become teenagers and start to push us away, refusing to chat and rolling their eyes.

Duration: 21 minutes 23 seconds

Published: 4 Jun 2024Tue 4 Jun 2024 at 5:00pmwith Bec Sparrow

Further reading

Your kid will grow up and probably grow away from you. Here's some tips on how to reconnect

Many children distance themselves from their parents as they grow up, but there are ways to reconnect with your tween/teen.

A mum and son sit in a cafe, the mum looks at her kid with concern, the son looks annoyed

Published: 5 Jun 2024Wed 5 Jun 2024 at 12:02amby Hannah Reich

Sam found out her son had hassled a girl for nudes, but she wasn't sure what to do next

Sam was shocked to discover her son had been badgering a peer for nudes. Teen educator Bec Sparrow and clinic psychologist Dr Sophie Li had some advice for her.

A boy with a blurry face holds a phone, the light illuminating his face against the darkened background.

Published: 23 Apr 2024Tue 23 Apr 2024 at 10:56pmby Hannah Reich

You can get burnout from parenting. Here's how to manage it

Before she was diagnosed with parental burnout, Anna knew she was dealing with something more than just fatigue.

A woman wearing glasses facing almost side-on smiles at the camera, the background is an arty pink and yellow design

Published: 10 Apr 2023Mon 10 Apr 2023 at 11:57pm

Maggie Dent - helping teenage boys grow into good men

Maggie grew up around boys, then raised four sons of her own. Now she helps parents understand the changes teenage boys are going through as they cross the bridge from boyhood to manhood

Duration: 53 minutes 15 seconds

Published: 7 Sep 2020Mon 7 Sep 2020 at 5:17amwith Richard Fidler

Videos

Maggie Dent's tips for teaching at home

Parents across Australia have had to slip into a role they never signed up for — being a teacher. How do you make that work if you haven't the first clue about teaching?

Parental As Anything with Maggie Dent

Published: 17 Apr 2020Fri 17 Apr 2020 at 5:42am

Staying connected to nature during coronavirus

Nature play expert Daniel Burton shares some tips about how our kids can still make the most of it, even during coronavirus.

Parental As Anything with Maggie Dent

Published: 17 Apr 2020Fri 17 Apr 2020 at 5:42am

Talking to kids about coronavirus

We’ve all been impacted by coronavirus. Many parents are anxious, scared and stressed out about the future and what’s going to happen. Maggie Dent steers you through how you can talk to your children about it

Parental As Anything with Maggie Dent

Published: 17 Apr 2020Fri 17 Apr 2020 at 5:42am

Is your child ready to go back to school?

School is about to start for another year, and many parents will be waving their child off at the school gate for the first time. But how do you know they’re ready to go?

Parental As Anything with Maggie Dent

Published: 17 Apr 2020Fri 17 Apr 2020 at 5:42am

Discover more podcasts

Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts

Footer