There’s a kind of shift that happens in schools, and at home, that’s hard to explain if you haven’t felt it yourself.

Everything looks normal on the surface.

The routine is the same.

The plan hasn’t changed.

And yet… something feels off.

A student walks in quieter than usual.

A child comes home holding something they can’t quite name.

The room feels heavier, even though no one has said anything out loud.

If you work with tweens.

If you live with one.

If you care for kids in that in-between space where emotions move faster than words…

You’ve probably seen this.

Not the full story.

Just the moment where learning, connection, and safety seem to slip slightly out of alignment.

This week’s podcast sits inside that space.

Not to fix it.

Not to analyze anyone.

But to stay with the moment long enough to notice what’s really being asked of the adults in the room.

It’s a conversation about what quietly competes with learning…

and what it takes to respond with steadiness when emotions arrive first.

If this feels familiar, you’re not alone.

And you’re not imagining it.

If this resonates, I invite you to listen.

After a school break, many tweens and teens return to the classroom:

• Looking unmotivated, disconnected, or shut down.
• Homework goes missing.
• Work feels overwhelming.
• Some students freeze, avoid tasks, or ask to leave the room altogether.

In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen helps parents and educators understand what’s really happening beneath these behaviors, and why they’re not signs of laziness or defiance.

Drawing on her background as a school counselor, Karen explains how breaks can disrupt routines, confidence, and academic stamina, making learning feel hard again.

You’ll learn how to decode common post-break behaviors, re-establish classroom routines with compassion, and support students as they rebuild focus and engagement.

Karen shares practical, trauma-informed strategies for easing students back into learning, strengthening home-school partnerships, and recognizing effort in ways that restore confidence and connection.

This conversation is a reminder that when adults respond with understanding instead of pressure, students feel safer, and learning can begin again.

Returning to school after a break can feel unexpectedly emotional for middle schoolers and the adults who support them. In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen explores why the transition back to routine is often bittersweet for tweens and teens.

Karen breaks down what’s really happening beneath irritability, overwhelm, and big reactions to small problems, explaining how freedom, structure, and a developing nervous system collide at the start of a new school period. She offers trauma-informed insight into why these behaviors make sense developmentally and how adults can respond with empathy without lowering expectations.

Parents and educators will walk away with practical, compassionate strategies to help middle schoolers regulate stress, feel emotionally safe, and rebuild routines at a healthy pace. This episode is a reassuring reminder that with connection, validation, and consistency, families and classrooms can move through transitions and bounce back stronger together.

Family gatherings are meant to bring people together, but for many tweens and teens, they can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and emotionally draining.

In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen helps parents and educators understand why family visits can be so hard on developing nervous systems, especially for middle schoolers who value authenticity and emotional safety. What looks like irritability, withdrawal, or “attitude” is often a sign of social overload, not disrespect.

Karen breaks down what’s really happening beneath the behavior, explains the emotional messages tweens and teens are trying to communicate, and shares 7 practical, compassionate strategies adults can use to prepare children before family gatherings and support them afterward.

This episode offers trauma-informed insight, realistic expectations, and simple tools to help families reduce stress, honor boundaries, and create more positive experiences, without forcing kids to perform or comply.

If you’ve ever wondered why your child seems “done” before the visit even ends, this conversation will help you see their behavior through a more empathetic, empowering lens.

When middle schoolers are home during long breaks, boredom can quietly turn into emotional overwhelm or risky behavior. In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport. Former school counselor Karen Brisport explains why boredom is not harmless for tweens and teens and what it’s really communicating beneath the surface.

You’ll learn how boredom can lead to meltdowns, withdrawal, or thrill-seeking behaviors, and why these responses are often about a child’s need for control, connection, and purpose. Karen breaks down how parents and educators can interpret these behaviors with compassion instead of fear.

This episode also shares six practical, developmentally appropriate ways to help middle schoolers stay engaged during the holidays, while building emotional regulation, confidence, and family connection. You’ll walk away with simple strategies that create structure without pressure and support kids as they learn to manage big feelings and growing independence.

If you support tweens or teens, this episode will help you better understand their behavior and guide them toward safe, meaningful ways to thrive at home.

When a family goes through major changes for example divorce, remarriage, a new baby, or shifts in routines. Middle schoolers often feel the impact more deeply than they can express. In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, we explore how these transitions can create stress, confusion, and emotional withdrawal in tweens and teens.

You’ll learn why children may retreat, act out, or seem “unbothered” even when big feelings are brewing beneath the surface, and what the adults in their lives can do to help them feel safe, supported, and understood.

We walk through six practical, heart-centered strategies that parents and educators can use right away, including helping kids express their emotions, encouraging journaling, providing reassurance, strengthening connection, and creating predictable routines during uncertain times.

This episode is a compassionate guide for anyone hoping to help a young person navigate family change with confidence, resilience, and emotional clarity.

When a middle schooler snaps, “Don’t raise your voice at me,” it can feel disrespectful, frustrating, and emotionally charged. But underneath that pushback is usually a very different message: “I’m overwhelmed,” “Your tone is stressing me out,” or “I don’t feel heard.”

In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, we break down what tweens and teens are really communicating when they use this phrase and why it’s less about volume and more about emotional safety. Karen helps parents and educators understand the developmental factors at play, how tone impacts kids’ sense of security, and why middle schoolers often express themselves defensively when they’re dysregulated.

You’ll learn three practical strategies to shift the energy in the moment: taking care of your own emotional state, using a calm reset phrase that brings everyone back to center, and teaching respectful communication by modeling it and tying it to positive classroom or home outcomes.

This episode is a grounded, compassionate reminder that connection, not control is the goal. And with a few simple adjustments, you can respond in a way that keeps the relationship strong, reduces power struggles, and encourages healthier emotional expression in the young people you care for.

The holidays are often filled with excitement, tradition, and anticipation, but for many middle schoolers, this season also brings hidden pressure, comparison, grief, and emotional overload. In this episode, Karen breaks down the silent stress students carry this time of year, why it often goes unnoticed by adults, and what behaviors, like distraction, withdrawal, or missing assignments, may actually be signaling.

You’ll learn three simple, compassionate strategies parents and educators can use to help students feel grounded, emotionally safe, and supported throughout the holiday season. Because when we slow down, get curious, and truly listen, we give kids the space to breathe, and the chance to enjoy this time of year again.