397: Honor Your Teen with a Coming-of-Age Celebration // Jennifer Brimhall

·31 min·3 clips

Rachel recalls a friend's stained dress at 13, revealing every teen girl's nightmare and a product that could prevent it.

This episode of 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms features an encore interview from January 2022 with guest Jennifer Brimhall, focused on coming-of-age celebrations for teens. Host Rachel Nielson introduces the topic by sharing a personal sponsorship story about period underwear for teen girls, then transitions to explaining the episode's relevance to her current teen parenting series. She updates that she recently hosted a coming-of-age backpacking trip for her son Noah's 13th birthday, involving male family members. Jennifer Brimhall is introduced as a mother of five children aged 10 to 20 and founder of Raise the Good, a website for parents. The conversation begins with Jennifer defining coming-of-age rituals as formal acknowledgments of leaving childhood, citing examples like bar mitzvahs and quinceañeras. She references the book 'Wild Things' by Stephen James and David Thomas, which warns that without created rites of passage, teens may find their own through risky behaviors. Jennifer explains her family holds celebrations at age 12, but they can be adapted for any age. The first takeaway is the power of recognizing transition points, which helps both children and parents adjust to changing roles. The second takeaway is reinforcing responsibility and maturity, linking privileges to responsibilities like chores or car maintenance. Jennifer emphasizes that emotional maturity requires deliberate work, unlike physical maturity. The third takeaway is the power of connection, where inviting mentors aged 15 and older bridges generation gaps. Jennifer shares a story about her 18-year-old son receiving mentorship during a hard time, highlighting long-term benefits. She notes that mentors often find the experience healing, as her brother did. Jennifer provides resources like blog posts and an ebook on her website for planning such events. Rachel concludes by summarizing the three takeaways and expressing gratitude for indigenous traditions that inspire this practice.

As heard by us

A thoughtful look at gathering mentors around a child and preserving their guidance through family milestones.

Coming-of-age rituals come across as a practical way to help a child feel noticed while moving into a new stage of life. The conversation centers on a celebration at 12, with mentors invited to offer guidance and a circle of caring adults gathered around the person the child is…

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Why you'd press play

You want to mark your child's next chapter with adult mentors, letters, and advice they can return to as they grow.

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