Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life

276: ENCORE: Lessons from Netflix’s “Adolescence”

Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life

Show Notes

If watching "Adolescence" on Netflix left you feeling worried about your son, this episode will help you turn your concerns into action.

Dr. Lisa Damour breaks down what the show gets exactly right about adolescent boys: why they're emotionally constrained by culture, how that vulnerability gets exploited by toxic online figures like Andrew Tate, and what parents can do right now to connect with their sons. This is our most-watched episode ever on YouTube — and we think you'll understand why.

💡 YOU'LL LEARN:

- Why boys are often only "allowed" to express anger and pleasure at others’ expense

- How feelings of inferiority in middle school can make boys uniquely vulnerable to toxic influencers who offer them a shortcut to feeling powerful

- Why modeling emotional honesty is one of the most protective things a father can do — and why moms alone can't close this gap

- How toxic and misogynistic content finds boys through algorithms, even when kids aren't looking for it — and the concrete steps parents can take to intervene

- How to watch "Adolescence" with your teen and use it to start a real conversation built on curiosity and care, not fear and anxiety

With Father's Day around the corner, there's no better time to revisit this episode.

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DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS

- Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood – ⁠https://bit.ly/UntangledBook⁠

- Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls – ⁠https://bit.ly/UnderPressuretheBook⁠

- The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents – ⁠https://a.co/d/cbOmTKp⁠

UNTANGLING 10TO20 MEMBERSHIP

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Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday.

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Episode keywords: parenting teen boys, raising adolescent boys, helping teen boys with emotions, teen boy mental health, middle school boy struggles, boys and anger issues, dads and sons relationship, father son communication, teaching boys to talk about feelings, breaking toxic masculinity, boys and online misogyny, Andrew Tate influence on boys, protecting kids from social media, teen cyberbullying help, Netflix Adolescence series, discussing difficult shows with teens, helping non athletic sons, building teen self worth

Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr l

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