Episode 247: When Is It More Than Teen Behavior? Signs Your Teen May Need More Support
Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Teens Into Adulthood
Kenneth Wilgus, Cynthia Yanof
4.8 • 801 Ratings
🗓️ 21 April 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today’s conversation, we address a topic no parent wants to face—but many find themselves navigating: What happens when things at home feel truly out of control?
We move beyond typical discipline struggles and talk about the moments when a teen may no longer be functioning within the basic boundaries needed to live safely and responsibly at home.
Dr. Ken outlines three key areas parents should pay close attention to—situations that may signal it’s time to step back and consider whether additional help is needed. We also talk about the weight of that realization, and why needing outside support is not a reflection of failure as a parent.
Specifically, In this episode, we cover:
- how to recognize the difference between normal teenage behavior and deeper concerns
- why consistency matters—and what it can’t solve on its own
- how to approach difficult, honest conversations with your teen
- what residential treatment is, when it’s considered, and what it can offer families
If you’ve ever wondered where the line is—or what to do if you’re nearing it—this conversation will give you a clearer framework for how to think about those next steps.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to feeding the mouth that bites you, a weekly podcast guide on parenting teens and launching them into the world. |
| 0:15.3 | I'm Cynthia Yanov, and as always, I'm joined by psychologist and author Dr. Ken Wilgus. |
| 0:38.0 | Dr. Ken, how's it going over there? Not bad. Beautiful weather. How are you doing, Cynthia? We're great over here. I've been thinking about this. I just feel like everyone deserves to know a little bit more about Dr. Ken. And I was thinking, I'm going to ask you once in a while, maybe not every week. It's not a new addition to the show. |
| 0:39.3 | But here we are. |
| 0:42.2 | What was your first concert she went to? |
| 0:46.8 | I think it was yes. |
| 0:49.3 | No, you can answer. |
| 0:50.5 | Oh, that was the answer. Good. |
| 0:51.2 | Oh, that's good. |
| 0:51.9 | Who's on first? |
| 0:52.6 | Yeah, I think I saw yes in Dallas. |
| 0:56.0 | And I was a high class rock and roll fan. |
| 1:02.4 | So. |
| 1:03.0 | Obviously. |
| 1:04.2 | Yes, that was very fancy. |
| 1:07.9 | And yes, had a, the lighting thing was like a giant crab with three heads and the heads |
| 1:16.9 | raised up and that's where uh each of the band members uh lighting was it's very similar to a scene |
| 1:25.1 | from um spinal tap which if you haven't seen, it's a parody on rock |
| 1:32.6 | and roll bands, and they get stuck in this weird cocoon thing. |
| 1:39.3 | It just malfunctioned, and it reminds me a lot of this kind of uh progressive rock cool that |
| 1:47.3 | could be ridiculously funny if it goes wrong so yeah yes what was yours my first was you two |
| 1:54.5 | i mean oh that's a pretty great one to go to no listen i didn't want to i didn't mean to show |
... |
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