Many of us cringe when we think about our early adolescence and the emotional ups and downs of middle school or junior high, as it used to be called. We may recall being teased or bullied or inexplicably dropped by someone we thought was our best friend forever. Or perhaps we recall insensitive or downright cruel things we said or did to others. (Did you ever write nasty comments in a “slam book”? Or get tearful when you saw what someone wrote about you?)

To what extent is the social world of middle school still the same for today’s young people? And how might our own memories inadvertently shape our children’s experiences, for better or worse? Bestselling author Judith Warner has a fascinating new book on this complex topic, And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School, and joins Marti & Erin for a rich and personal discussion of those ever-timely issues!

 WHAT COMES UP WHEN YOU THINK OF MIDDLE SCHOOL?What are some of your strongest memories of your middle school (or junior high) experience? How did those experiences shape your confidence, determination and emotional well-being, both positively and negatively? What did you learn from those experiences and what do they lead you to say and do to support your children in navigating that time of opportunity and challenge in their own lives?

 WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPORTING YOUR MIDDLE-SCHOOLER?❉ THE POWER OF THE TEENAGE BRAIN: AN INTERVIEW WITH PSYCHIATRY PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR, DR. DAN SIEGEL In this conversation with Marti & Erin, Dr. Siegel debunks common myths of adolescence, illuminates exciting changes in the teenage brain and offers practical tips for parents and teens.

❉ CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES: WHAT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT SCIENCE TELLS US ABOUT HELPING ADOLESCENTS THRIVE, Dr. Laurence Steinberg, a well-known author, has spent decades studying adolescents and has arrived at a much more positive view of what he terms The Age of Opportunity (the title of his latest book). He joins Marti & Erin for a rich and hopeful discussion of how recent research on adolescent brain development can inform the ways we guide our teens to a healthy, happy, productive adulthood.

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