Single Parenting Reset Show: For Solo Parents of Tweens and Teens — Manage Behavior Problems, Reduce Screen Time & Improve Communication

You know something is wrong.

Your teenage son is quieter than usual, irritated, withdrawn, or clearly upset.

So you ask:

“What happened?”

“Are you okay?”

“Did something happen at school?”

And all you get back is:

“I’m fine.”

Or worse:

“Mom, leave me alone.”

When you’re worried about your child, it can feel almost impossible not to keep asking.

But sometimes, the harder we pursue connection, the farther away our teenager moves.

In this short Thursday...

Your teenage son may be taller than you, stronger than you, pushing for more independence—and acting like he needs you less.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean he needs less connection.

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, I’m joined by relational and men’s coach Mike Elliott for an honest conversation about what teenage boys may be communicating underneath the shutdown, defensiveness, anger, and “Leave me alone.”

Because sometimes what looks like disrespect or withdrawal is actually a young person who doesn’t yet know what to do with everythin...

You tell your teen it’s time to put the phone away.

They say:

“One more minute.”

You wait.

Then you ask again.

And suddenly a simple phone limit turns into a full-blown power struggle.

If this happens in your house, the answer usually isn’t repeating yourself louder, threatening a bigger consequence, or grabbing the phone out of your teen’s hand.

In this Quick Reset, I’m giving you a simple three-part response you can use when your tween or teen won’t get of...

You tell your teen it’s time to put the phone away.

They say, “I’m almost done.”

Ten minutes later, you’re asking again.

And suddenly you’re no longer talking about a phone.

You’re arguing about fairness, trust, independence, and whether you’re “too controlling.”

If screen-time limits keep turning into nightly power struggles, the answer may not be a bigger consequence.

It may be a clearer plan.

In this episode of the Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains how to set screen-time b...

Your teenager looks you in the eye and says:

“You can’t make me.”

Those four words can make a parent feel as though their authority is being tested—and that they need to win the moment immediately.

But responding with “Oh, yes I can” usually turns the original issue into a power struggle. Now the conflict is no longer about the phone, chore, curfew, or family expectation. It’s about who will back down first.

In this Quick Reset, Tess gives you a calmer and more effective response:

“I’m not going to...

Your teenager rolls their eyes, insults you, says “whatever,” or slams the door—and your entire body reacts.

You immediately think:

They cannot speak to me this way.

So you take the phone, cancel the weekend, or announce a punishment. But now the original problem has disappeared, and you are trapped in an even bigger power struggle about the consequence.

Teen disrespect should not be ignored, but it does not always require an immediate punishment.

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains what to do...

Your teen walks through the door, barely looks at you, and heads straight to their room.

You ask what happened.

They say, “Nothing.”

You try again.

They answer, “I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”

For many parents, especially single parents carrying the emotional weight of the family, this moment can feel deeply personal. You may worry that your teen no longer trusts you or that the distance between you is becoming permanent.

The more worried you become, the more questions you may ask. But when your teen is ov...

Your teen comes home, closes their bedroom door, and gives you one-word answers.

You ask how their day was.

“Fine.”

You ask whether anything happened.

“No.”

You ask if they are upset with you.

“I don’t know. Can you please leave me alone?”

You are asking because you care—but the more you try to get your teen talking, the further away they seem to move.

Teen silence can trigger enormous fear in a parent. You may worry that something is wrong, that your teen n...

You find a vape in your teenager’s room, backpack, or pocket. When you ask about it, they shrug and say:

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Everyone does it.”

“It’s only nicotine.”

“I can stop whenever I want.”

“You’re completely overreacting.”

Those statements can immediately pull you into an argument. You may feel compelled to prove how dangerous vaping is, demand a confession, or give a severe consequence before you understand what is actually happening.

But you do not have to convince your teen that vaping is ser...

You find a vape in your teenager’s backpack, bedroom, sweatshirt, or car.

Within seconds, fear takes over:

How long has this been happening?

Where did they get it?

Is this nicotine or marijuana?

Are they addicted?

What else are they hiding?

You may want to immediately take their phone, ground them, demand the whole story, or deliver a long lecture about what vaping can do to their health.

But the first few minutes of this conversation matter.

If your teen fe...

You have asked your teen to put down their phone three times. They have barely looked up, and “just one more minute” is quickly turning into another family argument.

What can you say without yelling, lecturing, or giving up on the boundary?

In this practical Quick Reset, Tess Connolly, LCSW, gives single parents five specific scripts to use when their tween or teen:

Does every request to put down the phone turn into arguing, negotiating, or “I’m almost done”?

Many parents try stricter limits, longer lectures, or bigger consequences—but the same screen-time battle returns the next day. The problem may not be that you need a harsher rule. The problem may be that the boundary only becomes clear when everyone is already frustrated.

In this flagship episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains how to reset teen screen-time boundaries without treating every type of screen use the same.

You will learn:<...

Your teen looks at you and says:

“I’m not going to school.”

Before you argue, lecture, threaten consequences, or immediately agree to let them stay home, pause.

What you say next can either increase the power struggle—or help your teenager move toward the next manageable step.

In this Quick Reset episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly gives you five calm, practical scripts for the most common school-morning situations.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR TEEN:

• Flatly refuses to go to sch...

Your teen says their stomach hurts, they barely slept, and now they are refusing to go to school.

Do you push them to attend? Let them stay home? Or call someone for help?

Back-to-school anxiety is common, but not every “I’m not going” means the same thing.

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains the important differences between normal reluctance, anxiety, school avoidance, and a pattern that requires professional support.

You will learn:

• Why anxiety-related physical symptoms can be genuine

• How avoida...

What do you say when your teen looks you in the eye and denies something you feel almost certain happened?

What if they blame a friend, a sibling, a teacher, or their other parent?

When you believe your teenager is lying, it is easy to get pulled into questioning, proving, arguing, and trying to force a confession. But you do not need your teen to admit everything before you can respond clearly and protectively.

In this Quick Reset episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, shares five practical scripts for...

Has your teen ever looked you directly in the eye and told you something you knew was not true?

Teen lying can make you question more than the story your teen is telling you. It can make you question your relationship, your judgment, and whether you can trust anything they say.

When you are parenting on your own, this can feel especially destabilizing. You may not have another parent in the home to compare notes with, and you may feel completely responsible for figuring out what is true and how serious the situation is.

Does it feel like nothing gets through to your teen anymore?

You take away the phone.

You give a consequence.

You lecture.

You warn.

You try to be firm.

And your teen still says, “I don’t care.”

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about what to do when consequences stop working with your tween or teen.

Instead of becoming harsher or creating bigger punishments, Tess shares a calmer and more effective way to think about conseq...

Your teenager refuses to put down the phone.

They argue about homework, curfew, chores, getting out the door, or nearly every request you make.

You repeat yourself. They get louder. You get louder. Before long, the original issue has disappeared, and you are fighting about their attitude, your parenting, and who is going to win.

The first 10 minutes of that power struggle matter.

Not because you have to win, but because this is where the argument either escalates or begins to settle.

In this episode of the Single Parenting...

You created the rule.

You explained the reason.

Your teen may have even agreed to it.

But now they are still scrolling after bedtime, refusing to stop gaming, bypassing parental controls, or sneaking the phone back into their bedroom.

Many parents respond by repeating themselves, raising their voice, or creating a major punishment in the middle of the conflict. Unfortunately, that can turn one broken phone rule into a much larger power struggle.

In this episode of the Single Parenting Reset Podcast, Tess Connolly explains how to respond with...

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...

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...

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...

If your child has ADHD or ADHD-like symptoms, you may feel like you are constantly managing meltdowns, screen battles, irritability, impulsivity, emotional explosions, or big reactions that seem to come out of nowhere.

But what if your child’s behavior is not only a discipline issue?

What if their behavior is also communication?

In this episode of the Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks with ADHD and nutrition expert Dana Kay about how gut health, inflammation, nutrition, sleep, screen time, and nervous system overload may affect ADHD behavior problems in kids.

Single mom burnout is real, especially when you are raising tweens and teens through behavior problems, screen time battles, emotional ups and downs, curfews, money stress, and hard conversations that you may not feel ready to have.

When you are parenting alone, every decision can feel heavier. Every boundary can feel like a battle. And when your teen pushes back, it can be easy to wonder, “Am I doing this wrong?”

In this episode of the Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, is joined by life coach and fellow solo parent Carrie Spranzi for an h...

If your teen's behavior has been pushing every button lately—attitude, eye rolling, lying, shutting down, refusing to help, or constant battles over screens—you are not alone. Many parents start to wonder if they've lost control, lost connection, or lost influence altogether. When these struggles happen day after day, it's easy to take them personally and feel exhausted.

This episode offers a different perspective: your teen's behavior matters, but it isn't the whole story. Behavior is often a signal of something deeper. When parents focus only on stopping the behavior, they can get trapped in a cycl...

Does every conversation with your teen seem to turn into an argument?

You ask about homework, and they snap back. You remind them about a chore, and they roll their eyes. You bring up the phone, the attitude, the curfew, or the messy room — and suddenly you are in another exhausting back-and-forth.

For single parents, this can feel especially draining because there often is not another adult there to step in. You are the one holding the boundary, absorbing the reaction, and trying to stay calm when your teen knows exactly how to push your bu...

Summer can make screen time harder for families.

There is less school structure.

There is more downtime.

Kids may be home more.

Parents may be working.

And screens can quickly become the default activity.

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about how to create screen time rules for kids in summer without turning the whole season into a power struggle.

This episode is for parents of kids, tweens, and teens who want a calmer, clearer screen time plan.

⭐Got screen ti...

Does your teen’s attitude instantly pull you into a fight?

The eye rolls.

The sarcasm.

The “whatever.”

The rude tone.

The way one comment can shift the whole mood in your home.

If you are parenting a tween or teen, teen attitude problems can feel exhausting, disrespectful, and deeply personal.

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, shares three practical parenting scripts for handling teen attitude without yelling, lecturing, or losing your cool.

This episode helps parents unders...

Your teen misses curfew. You take away the phone. They shrug.

Your tween talks back. You ground them. They say, “Whatever.”

You try to follow through, but nothing changes.

If consequences have stopped working with your teen, you are not alone—and it does not mean you are a bad parent.

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about why traditional consequences often stop working with tweens and teens, especially when those consequences are random, reactive, or disconnected from the behavior.

Instead of focusi...

Do you feel like you repeat yourself all day long with your teenager?

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW shares practical parenting scripts that help reduce power struggles and improve communication with tweens and teens.

You’ll learn:

Subscribe to The Parenting Reset Show and share this episode with another parent navigating the tween and teen years.

⭐Got screen time problems at home...

Do you ever feel stuck between being the "too soft" parent who gets walked all over and the "strict" one who yells and regrets it later?

Many single parents find themselves swinging between two extremes—permissive parenting that lacks boundaries and authoritarian parenting that shuts kids down. But what if there were a third way that builds trust, reduces screen-time struggles, and creates more peace at home?

If your teen explodes over homework, screens, chores, tone of voice, or being told no, it can feel like you are living with constant tension. Teen anger issues are one of the most common concerns parents bring into coaching.

In this episode, Tess explains why teen anger is often a signal, not the real problem. You’ll learn what is happening in the teen brain, why lectures usually fail during emotional escalation, and how to respond without becoming permissive or reactive.

You’ll walk away with practical scripts for angry moments, a simple anger plan to u...

Are screen time conversations turning into constant battles in your home?

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about digital boundaries for kids and teens — and why clear, calm boundaries can reduce fighting and protect what matters most.

You’ll learn how to create digital boundaries around sleep, school, safety, and connection, while still maintaining trust and relationship with your tween or teen.

Grab Tess’s Tech Reset Agreement or book a Parent Reset Strategy Session if you need help creating a realistic digital boundary plan for your family.

In this episod...

Does your teen seem unable to put the phone down, even when they know they should?

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains why phone limits matter, but why limits alone are often not enough to change the pattern. If you have tried taking the phone away and still end up in the same screen time battle, this episode will help you understand what may be happening underneath.

You’ll learn how to look at what your teen is getting from the phone — connection, escape, entertainment, relief, or a sense of control — and how to pair l...

Are your screen time rules constantly turning into arguments, reminders, threats, or power struggles?

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains why many screen time family rules fail and how to create rules that are clear, realistic, and easier for tweens and teens to follow.

You’ll learn how to move away from vague rules like “get off your phone” and toward practical agreements that protect sleep, homework, family connection, and emotional regulation.

Grab Tess’s Tech Reset Agreement or book a Parent Reset Strategy Session if your family needs a calmer, more connecte...

Is your teen constantly on their phone, gaming late at night, scrolling endlessly, or melting down when you ask them to get off a screen?

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks about digital addiction in teens in a practical and non-shaming way. You’ll learn why screens feel so hard for tweens and teens to stop using, what signs may show that screen time is out of balance, and how to respond without turning every night into a battle.

You’ll walk away understanding that the goal is not to become the screen police. The...

Have you ever wondered what parent coaching actually is?

Maybe you have heard the term but are not sure whether it is therapy, parenting advice, family coaching, or something else entirely.

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explains parent coaching in clear, simple language and shares how it can help families move out of repeated conflict and into better communication, stronger boundaries, and deeper connection.

Parent coaching is not about blaming parents or fixing kids.

It is about helping families understand the patterns they are stuck in.

Why does...

Does your teen shut down, give one-word answers, snap back, or avoid hard conversations altogether?

If so, the issue may not be that your teen does not care. They may not yet have the skills to communicate when they feel overwhelmed, judged, anxious, embarrassed, or defensive.

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, explores teen communication coaching and why communication is one of the most important life skills tweens and teens can build.

Communication is the foundation of every relationship your teen has — with you, friends, teachers, coaches, siblings, future partners, and eventually coworkers an...

Teen mental health struggles are rising fast — and many parents are seeing more anxiety, emotional shutdown, irritability, hopelessness, and overwhelm in their teens than ever before.

According to the CDC’s 2024 Youth Risk Behavior Survey using 2023 teen data:

Parents are scared, exhausted, and often unsure how to help without making things worse.

In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, breaks down:

Is your teen or preteen having big emotional reactions, shutting down, snapping back, or melting down over what seems like a small issue?

In this episode of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW, talks with Dr. Rosina McAlpine, work and family wellbeing expert from Win Win Parenting, about how parents can help tweens and teens build emotional intelligence and learn to manage their emotions more effectively.

Dr. Rosina explains that emotional intelligence is not just about “calming down.” It includes several skills: knowing your own emotions, managing those emotions, recognizing emotions in others, and...