.png)
Connection First
A bilingual parenting podcast helping you raise connected, resilient kids, starting with you.
Connection First is the parenting podcast for mums and dads who want to raise emotionally healthy, connected, and resilient kids. each week, host Fabiana Coll — conscious parenting coach, writer and immigrant mum — shares practical parenting tips, tools for emotional regulation, and research-backed strategies to help you stay calm and connected.
Tune in for honest conversations about screen time, family routines, sibling relationships, raising readers and how to create a peaceful home environment. Whether you’re navigating toddler tantrums, school-age worries, or just trying to parent more mindfully, you’ll find encouragement, simple strategies, and inspiration to put connection first.
Connect with Fabi on Instagram @connection_first
Or reach out via email at connectionfirst@fabianacoll.com
Connection First
#37 Surfing adolescence: how to parent teens without trying to control the waves
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The teenage years can feel unpredictable, challenging and sometimes completely overwhelming... but what if we stopped seeing adolescence as something to survive and started seeing it as a wave to learn to surf?
In this episode, I share what I learned from my conversation with Grisel Guerra de Avellaneda about navigating adolescence with more intention, joy and connection. We talk about why every teenager is different, why parents can suddenly feel clueless after years of feeling confident, and how choosing our battles can make space for a more peaceful relationship.
Most importantly, we explore how to stay connected as our children become more independent, and how to make home a place where they still feel safe to come back to.
Because we can’t control the waves of adolescence. But we can learn to ride them, and maybe even enjoy the ride!
I hope you enjoy it and find some tips that are useful!!
Fabi x
*0:02 — Reframing the Teenage Years**
Approaching adolescence with curiosity rather than fear, inspired by the metaphor of learning to surf the wave.
**2:27 — Why Parenting Suddenly Feels Unfamiliar**
The shift from feeling confident with younger children to feeling lost when they become teenagers.
**4:04 — Enjoyment Over Reactivity**
Choosing to enjoy parenting, staying calm, and remembering that home should be where teens feel safe enough to show their hardest emotions.
**5:56 — Choosing Your Battles**
Letting go of small conflicts, focusing on what truly matters, and deciding with your partner which boundaries are important.
**8:22 — Don’t Take Teenage Behaviour Personally**
Understanding pushback and challenging behaviour as part of teenagers developing their own identity.
**9:33 — Boundaries Through Conversation, Not Control**
Agreeing on expectations and consequences in advance, then responding calmly when situations arise.
**11:24 — Keep the Door Open for Honest Conversations**
Understanding how overreacting or lecturing can make teenagers stop sharing, while listening first protects the connection.
**12:35 — Building a Bridge to Their World**
Parenting with curiosity, knowing when to stay quiet, and choosing the right moment to share guidance.
**13:52 — Finding New Ways to Connect as They Grow**
Letting go of old routines and finding new ways to connect through shared activities like cooking, running or reading together.
**15:26 — The Core Takeaway**
Stay connected, don’t take things personally, and lead with enjoyment, empathy and curiosity.
Connect with Fabi: