Work in Progress

In this solo episode, Gayle Kalvert shares her experience in parenting teens, highlighting the growth, connection, and learning that comes with this phase. While it’s easy to focus on the struggles, Gayle explains how the teenage years can be a rewarding time of mutual respect and personal growth, both for parents and their kids.

Resources:
Gayle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylekalvert/

What is Work in Progress?

No one has it all figured out. And anyone who says they do? Well, they’re lying.

This is for the women who are trying. Trying to juggle all the things. Trying to make sense of what they actually want. Trying to keep their heads above water without losing themselves in the process.

Career. Money. Relationships. The pressure to do it all. The pressure to want it all. And the moments you secretly wonder, is it just me?

Here we speak openly, laugh through chaos, and ask questions instead of pretending to have all the answers.
Because we’re all a work in progress.

Gayle Kalvert [00:00:00]:
Little kids get all the press, all the books, all the apps, right, about like how do you mother, your little ones. and I just find these teen years to be. Amazing. I can say that I have learned a ton about myself and almost like reparented myself while I'm parenting teenagers.​

Gayle Kalvert [00:00:30]:
Hey guys. Is it just me or is anybody else really enjoying having teenagers? I know everything we see on social media is about like, ugh, the teenagers. But for me, I can tell you I have three kids, 11, 14, and 16, and a colleague told me once when mine were little and in the sippy cups and passi stages that.

Gayle Kalvert [00:00:55]:
It just keeps getting better and better. And I thought, oh wow, that's so nice to hear, right? Because as a mom, you know that everywhere you go, people tell you to savor it because they grow up so fast and they're never gonna be little again. And of course that is so true. It goes so fast and they're never gonna be little again.

Gayle Kalvert [00:01:13]:
But that turned out to be the best advice or tip that I really got, and I now tell new moms that all the time because. Instead of feeling sad every time my kids go through a phase and they're graduating up to the next one. Yes, of course there are things that I will miss. I. I really am so excited every time for that next phase and having three children that can talk to me and they have their own personalities and their thoughts and their feelings is really, really amazing.

Gayle Kalvert [00:01:51]:
And I also get to hang out with a lot of their friends, which is such. An absolute blessing. Like I literally tell my kids like, I am just so grateful that you let me into your lives and that your friends let me into their lives because what is cooler than watching these kids who, yeah, they used to be super adorable in diapers and all that, right?

Gayle Kalvert [00:02:15]:
Don't get me started on babies. Like I see them and I want to steal them. Don't worry not stealing any babies, but. Adore them for a little bit, but the teen years are freaking amazing. Like they literally are going from these little people to figuring out who they are. And I just think it is not talked about enough.

Gayle Kalvert [00:02:37]:
Little kids get all the press, all the books, all the apps, right, about like how do you mother, your little ones. and I just find these teen years to be. Amazing. And if there's anything I'm really sad about it is that then we're getting closer to them going off to college and out on their own.

Gayle Kalvert [00:02:58]:
But I hope that we continue to be close and I feel like if we all keep our eye on respecting each other and encouraging each other, and I say each other because. For us parents too. that kind of respect for each other and just letting each other learn and grow has really, really been incredible. And I can say that I have learned a ton about myself and almost like reparented myself while I'm parenting teenagers.

Gayle Kalvert [00:03:32]:
So, is it just me or is there anybody else out there who is absolutely thriving as a mother of teenagers, I would love to chat. I would love to hear about it. And if you're on the other side of it where, look, it's not always great, it's not always easy, then it's no one's fault. I wanna hear that too, because one of the things I'm thinking about is bringing on a guest who can talk to us about being a parent of teenagers and how to do that well, and how to help them thrive and how to deal with the hard things that come up.

Gayle Kalvert [00:04:06]:
Because like I said, at least for me, I feel like it's super easy to find people to help you, you know, when the babies are little, but like, what do we do now that they're growing and we really wanna help them? And we also, we need tools, right? So. Tell me what you think. Is it just me? How are you feeling about the teenage kids?

Gayle Kalvert [00:04:24]:
The good, the bad, the ugly. Please. I wanna hear it all. And if my kids and their friends are listening, I love you all.

Gayle Kalvert [00:04:33]:
So is it just me or any of you asking yourself the same question? DM me your "Is it just me?" moments because let's be real, none of us have it all figured out.