TPP 321: Chris Balme on How Parents Can Navigate the Tricky Middle School Years

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Debbie Reber

Education, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Middle school might not feel like a very enchanting time in our lives — it definitely didn’t feel that way for me when I was living through it. But according to my guest Chris Balme, middle school is a time of great magic and opportunity for our kids, and for us as parents, if we know what we’re looking for. In our conversation, Chris explains the three stages of identity development a child goes through in middle school, how we as parents will want to adapt our parenting styles change as our kids reach these stages, and how to navigate our child breaking our trust. We also talked about what individuation is and what it means to become a better companion for our kids, which is a reframe I really love. Chris Balme is an education leader and writer, passionate about helping young people discover more of their human potential. As Co-Founder and Head of School at Millennium School, a lab school in San Francisco, Chris helped pioneer new learning methods for middle schoolers, based in developmental science. Chris then founded Argonaut, an online program to bring social-emotional learning to more students. He now serves as the Founding Principal of Hakuba International School in Japan, developing learning approaches that foster human and environmental well-being. Things you'll learn from this episode Why Chris believes the middle school years are magical What the three stages of identity development for middle school students are how kids may progress through them What individuation is and how to navigate it with your children Advice for parents regarding scaffolding in a way that supports their child’s development How to navigate a child breaking our trust What companioning is and how to do that for our kids Resources mentioned Chris Balme’s website Finding the Magic in Middle School: Tapping Into the Power and Potential of the Middle School Years by Chris Balme Chris’s Growing Wiser newsletter (Substack) Not Much, Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers by Linda Perlstein Maria Montessori Anders Ronnau on How He’s Transforming ADHD (Tilt Parenting podcast) Ned Johnson and Bill Stixrud on How to Motivate Kids and Build Their Stress Tolerance (Tilt Parenting podcast) The Self-Driven Child with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson (Tilt Parenting podcast) Support the show Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're listening to this podcast, it's probably because a child you love and care for is differently wired.
0:07.0	Are they also struggling in their current educational setting, seen only for what they're doing wrong, while longing for positive relationships with peers and
0:14.8	others?
0:15.8	Envision a world where your child's unique abilities are not just recognized but celebrated.
0:21.0	A world where they can connect with others and their true potential is seen and
0:24.9	appreciated. The Strength-based Assessment Lab's mission is to build a world for your child just
0:30.7	like that. Through its innovative approach that aims to empower students, families, educators, and professionals
0:36.3	to create positive, effective, and collaborative learning experiences.
0:40.2	Be a part of shaping a brighter future for your child.
0:43.0	Visit W.
0:45.0	BGS.ed.edU to learn more about what a strength-based assessment could mean for your family.
0:51.0	That's BGS. Edu.
0:54.3	If we can see it through that developmental lens, what are they really trying to do here?
0:59.2	And how do we accompany them to meet those developmental needs, then I think you see kids who are just not the typical middle school story, not rolling their eyes on ignoring you, but actually very motivated people when you're helping them do what they need to do.
1:17.8	Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at
1:22.4	inspiring, informing, and supporting parents
1:24.9	raising differently by our kids.
1:26.9	I'm your host Debbie Reber and I have a great episode for you today.
1:31.1	Middle school may not feel like a very enchanting time in our lives. It
1:35.4	definitely did not feel that way for me when I was living through it. But according
1:40.4	to my guest, Chris Baum, middle school is a time of great magic and opportunity for our kids, and for us as parents, if we know what we're looking for.
1:50.0	Chris Baum, an education leader and writer, is passionate about helping young people on their journey of discovering their human potential, which he writes about in his new book, Finding the Magic and Middle School.
	...

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