Empathy exercise to break impasses

Is your teen pushing for another piercing? Are you feeling torn between setting limits and respecting their self-expression?

In this episode of “Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens,” Dr. Lisa Damour and Reena Ninan take on a question sent directly from a 16-year-old listener: How many piercings should a teen be allowed to have? 

What starts as a question about jewelry opens up a much bigger conversation about boundaries, autonomy, culture, identity, and healthy parent-teen tension. Together, Lisa and Reena explore why piercings can matter so much to teens, why they can feel so unsettling to parents, and how families can move toward compromise without power struggles.

💡 YOU’LL LEARN:

- How piercings function as self-expression and identity exploration during adolescence

- How the location of a piercing can affect social and practical considerations

- A powerful empathy-based exercise that helps parents and teens break through stalemates

- When compromise makes sense… and when it doesn’t

Whether you’re navigating piercings, hair color, clothing choices, or the next big boundary your teen wants to test, this episode offers grounded reassurance and practical tools to help you stay connected while holding your values.

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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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teens, parents, piercings, boundaries, self-expression, compromise, teen piercings,  ear piercing, nose piercing, family conflict
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