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How grandparents can talk with teens about stress and substance use
Summary
Dr. Safdar Medina offered concrete tips for grandparents: stay involved, lead with curiosity about teens' lives, avoid recreating past norms, and give calm, nonjudgmental support while letting parents handle discipline.
Emily Tylik invited practical advice for grandparents who may feel out of step with modern teen life. Dr. Safdar Medina said the "short answer, of course, is grandparents don't wanna try to recreate the world they knew," and encouraged elders to stay engaged rather than withdraw.
Medina listed specific behaviors grandparents can adopt: be part of their grandchildren's lives even if teens "roll their eyes," ask open questions about daily life, and share coping strategies that worked in the past without insisting those approaches are superior. He stressed that grandparents should let parents handle discipline while offering calm emotional support and stability, which can make a "big, big difference" in teens' willingness to open up.
He also advised modeling adaptability instead of nostalgia: "I think that if they model adaptability, they're those teenagers will also become adapt adaptable," Medina said, arguing that flexibility helps grandparents remain relevant and supportive.
