Welcome to another exciting episode of the Collide Kids Podcast! Host Christen Clark talks with Ashley Bohinc, an expert in supporting middle schoolers with over 20 years of experience in education, athletics, and ministry.
Ashley, founder and CEO of Make it Middle School and Executive Director of Carry 117 a non-profit in Ethiopia, joins Christen to discuss navigating the beautiful and challenging transitions of middle school life. Ashley's insights and practical advice are invaluable for families and students in middle school, or getting ready to enter this transformative period.
The conversation dives into handling change, fostering open family dialogues, and the importance of our faith. Ashley's personal stories and wisdom make this episode a must-listen for anyone facing life's transitions. Plus Kids Only segment featuring Presley!
Clip Finder:
The Inevitable Changes of Growing Up: "What I've learned after 20 plus years is not only does your body start changing when it comes to, you know, the changes that happen during puberty in middle school, but your friendships might start changing a lot. You start changing classes, your interests might start changing. Your, you know, the way that you think about things or your opinion on things might change. Your friendships, for sure, will change."
— Ashley Bohinc [00:09:31 → 00:09:53]
Navigating Middle School: "Be ready for change and have a family plan for when change happens."
— Ashley Bohinc [00:10:11 → 00:10:16]
Navigating Change: "The truth is we're all human. Like, we've all walked through these things and just happens to be."
— Ashley Bohinc [00:12:40 → 00:12:46]
**Creating Meaningful Conversations with Your Preteen**: "I love the idea of even a parent asking their preteen or middle schooler, like, what are three questions that you would be totally fine with me asking when you get home from school every day?"
— Ashley Bohinc [00:14:37 → 00:14:49]
Navigating Big Emotions During Change: "And so a lot of times when somebody asks us about it, we have an outpour of those emotions before we can even get to what's causing it."
— Ashley Bohinc [00:15:58 → 00:16:07]
"Drifting Apart in Friendships": "And just because you drift apart in a friendship doesn't mean you don't like each other. It doesn't mean you can't be for each other."
— Ashley Bohinc [00:18:52 → 00:19:00]
Friendships Over Time: "As I think through my life, like, there are friends that were there for a season of life. And I'm so grateful for them. They taught me so much. They helped me become a better version of myself, and then they moved on... And then there are friends, just a couple that I can see like, woven through a lot of seasons of my life, and I'm grateful for that."
— Ashley Bohinc [00:20:19 → 00:20:31]
Parent Participation Hilarity: "Well, we did a bring your parent to basketball practice day, and I don't think I have laughed so hard in my entire life."
— Ashley Bohinc [
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