Reframing Me - Self-Development & Parenting Teens for Midlife Moms

Your kids are growing up - but so are you. Reframing Me is the podcast for moms of teens ready to reframe family, identity, and self-development in midlife.

Parenting teens is hard -and parenting while rediscovering yourself in midlife can feel even harder. Reframing Me is the parenting podcast for moms raising teenagers who are also navigating the transition out of hands-on motherhood, identity shifts, and the search for balance, fulfillment, and self-development.

Hosted by Dr. Jennifer Brubaker, a Communication Studies professor, mom of three teens, and intrapersonal communication expert, each episode blends family communication strategies, honest conversations about parenting teens, and self-reflection tools to help moms strengthen family relationships while rediscovering who they are as women.

Together we’ll talk about the issues moms face but don’t always say out loud: changing family dynamics, feeling invisible, letting go of control, and creating new purpose. Through research, theory, and compassionate conversation, you’ll find support, strategies, and a sense of community in this season of parenting and personal growth.

Join the Reframing Me community to connect with other midlife moms, share your stories, and reframe how you see yourself, your family, and your future.

Send emails to jen@reframing-me.com; or on socials: Reframing Me on FacebookAND join the Facebook group Reframing Me: The Podcast Community; @reframingme on Instagram; Reframing Me on YouTube @reframingme on TikTok

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Reframing Me - Self-Development & Parenting Teens for Midlife Moms

Are you Fighting for the Fun of It? Recreational Arguing in Families

December 05, 2025 • Episode 240

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Welcome back to the show! I’m so grateful you’re here! And I’m so happy to have my voice back to normal after an icky cold that I may have rambled a bit more than usual – hahaha! But today, we’re talking about something many families do without ever naming itn - recreational arguing. You know the dynamic: nothing is actually wrong, but yet somehow you’re in a debate about tone, or not listening, or why someone “waited until now” to mention something. But underneath the surface-level conflict is something surprisingly human: connection attempts very ungracefully disguised as friction.

I walk through why teens (and adults) use tension to create closeness, how patterns from childhood homes show up in present-day relationships, and why some people only feel seen when things are slightly dramatic. We talk about how conflict can become ritualized, how certain personalities need emotional activation before they can bond, and why disengaging can change the entire system.

This isn’t an episode about fixing anyone. It’s about understanding the function behind the friction, and remembering that sometimes a raised voice isn’t hostility – it’s actually a clumsy, but familiar, way to reach for connection. And when you can see it clearly, you don’t have to take the invitation to argue to still meet the need underneath it.

Thank you for listening and being part of this community! Let's get social. Follow me on Facebook, on Twitter @reframing_me, on Instagram @reframingme and on TikTok @reframingme
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