Hey everyone, it's Eve. The holidays can be a great time to connect with friends and family,

but they can also be a little stressful. We want to help. For a limited time, gift everyone on your

list, Headspace, for 30% off. Just go to headspace.com forward slash gift. Between December 19th and 25th for 30%

off an annual Headspace membership. We've got guided mindfulness exercises, meditations,

absolutely incredible sleep stories, and of course our podcasts.

Once again, that's headspace.com forward slash gift for 30% off Headspace gifts for a limited time.

Headspace Studios.

Hi, I'm Sam. Welcome back to Radio Headspace

and to Wednesday.

So if you're a parent of a teen or a teen yourself, you may relate to a general feeling of disconnection. It's just hard sometimes to relate to each other's feelings and experiences with such a big age and experience gap.

It's helpful to think of the teenage brain as being under construction.

It may take longer for teens to formulate a response to simple questions like,

how are you feeling, or how is school today? Over the last month, I've been spending more time

than usual with my stepdaughter.

She's 13 years old and in the throes of adolescence, complete with blaze shrugs and a hesitancy

to talk about anything related to feelings.

So after being in Sweden for a month, when my husband and I were preparing to go back to Los Angeles,

I could feel the tension among all of us.

We all wanted to address the elephant in the room, my stepdaughter going back to her routine

with her mom in Sweden, and my husband and I transitioning back to LA life.

It'd be a while before we'd see each other again, and I, of course, wanted us all to talk

about it with openness and vulnerability.

...