290: How to Prevent Failure to Launch | Dr. Mark McConville

Perhaps your kid has left college before graduation and seems to be drifting along. Or maybe your high school student doesn’t seem to be “lit up” about anything. If this is your teen, every well-meaning "how's your kid doing?" from a friend can feel like it’s poking at an emotional bruise. Are you worrying too much, or is this actually a problem? Is your kid “failing to launch” or have they simply hit a rough patch? While the answer may not be clear, one thing is: you’re not the only parent losing sleep about it. In this episode Dr. Mark McConville walks us through what's actually going on with unmotivated adolescents, underachieving young adults, and kids with ADHD who often struggle to adjust to systems that don’t celebrate their strengths. You'll walk away with a fresh take on how to think about your next conversation — from setting boundaries with a young adult who has returned home to supporting a teen with ADHD who's lost motivation for school. It’s not about fixing your kid, but about working with them instead of against them. Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and globally recognized expert on adolescent development who partners with UNICEF to support parents worldwide. Dr. Mark McConville is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience in adolescent and emerging adult psychology, and a senior faculty member at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. He is the author of the book Failure to Launch: Why Your Twenty-something Hasn’t Grown Up…and What to Do About It. ________________ GET DR. DAMOUR'S FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Guidance, strategies, and tips delivered straight to your inbox → ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/⁠ DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS - Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood – ⁠https://bit.ly/UntangledBook⁠ - Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls – ⁠https://bit.ly/UnderPressuretheBook⁠ - The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents – ⁠https://a.co/d/cbOmTKp⁠ UNTANGLING 10TO20 MEMBERSHIP Premium courses & resources for teens and the adults who care for them → ⁠https://lnkd.in/gr52MB-F⁠ VISIT DR. LISA'S WEBSITE → ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/⁠ ________________ Today's sponsors: OneSkin: Use the code ASKLISA for 15% off your next purchase at ⁠https://www.oneskin.co/ASKLISA⁠. Skylight: Get $30 off your 15-inch calendar a www://www.MySkylight.com/ASKLISA Warby Parker: Buy one prescription pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional prescription pairs at ⁠https://www.WarbyParker.com/ASKLISA ⁠⁠ ________________ Parenting a tween or teen? Buckle up. Ask Lisa: Untangling Family Life tackles the questions that keep parents up at night — academics, friendships, mental health, screens, meltdowns, and more. Every week, psychologist Lisa Damour teams up with a different expert to answer a real parent's real question — no fluff, no judgment, just practical, evidence-based advice you can actually use. Dr. Damour and her colleagues also turn their attention to the emotional rollercoaster of raising kids — the moments that leave you feeling uneasy, overwhelmed, or just plain alone. You don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to hit play. ________________ Episode keywords: failure to launch young adults, mark mcconville, college dropout living at home, unmotivated teenager help, teen won’t do schoolwork, ADHD executive function teens, anxious teen avoiding school, underachieving gifted teen, adult child living with parents, setting boundaries with adult children, house rules for adult kids at home, teen weed use signs, parenting teens lack of motivation, how to support college dropout child, shame about struggling child, parenting anxious ADHD teen Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices