By now, 21 podcasts have been released. Below you will find a list of the topics and a brief explanation.
We discuss alcohol and drug use among teenagers. What is the best way for parents to respond? And when should you start to worry? We discuss this with Ninette van Hasselt, who works at the Trimbos knowledge centre, and Shereen Shaban, a youth and prevention worker at the Jellinek addiction institute in Amsterdam.
For teenagers searching for their sexual identity, there are many options. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual. For one person it is an easy process, while for another it is a huge journey of discovery. Our guests are Floor Brands, initiator and project leader of ‘Zien’ and a columnist for the Gaykrant, and Winfried, father of a 17-year-old transgender son and a volunteer with a group for parents of ‘gender children’ at Transvisie.
Many young people are consciously engaged with the world around them. They do not eat meat, take part in climate protests and fight against injustice. This episode is about the ideals of today’s youth. Our guests are Femke Kaulingfreks, lecturer in Youth and Society at InHolland University of Applied Sciences, and Stijn Sieckelinck, who obtained his PhD at VU Amsterdam with his dissertation The Best of Youth.
How realistic is it actually to think in terms of generations? Is it based on anything? This episode is about that question and grew out of the television series Oogappels, in which different generations regularly clash. Margreet Reijntjes (Generation X) speaks with Jos Ahlers (Generation X), psychologist and author of the book ‘Gen Z: longing for change’, and Susan Branje (Generation X), psychologist and professor in the Youth and Family department at Utrecht University.
In the television series Oogappels, we see a great deal of loneliness. Not only among adults, but also among teenagers. That is why this episode is about loneliness. Our guests are Marlies Maes, a researcher at Utrecht University specialising in social relationships and loneliness among young people, and Siona Oosterkamp, founder of the platform ‘Jij hoort erbij’, where lonely young people can connect with one another.
If you are seriously ill as a parent, how can you best behave towards your children? How many emotions can you share with them? This episode is about these questions. Our guests are Dineke Verkaik, psychotherapist at GGz Centraal, an outpatient clinic for young people aged 12 to 18, and Sandra Vermeulen, educationalist who works at Stichting Labyrint-In Perspectief on the ‘KOPP/KOV aan ZET’ project.
#15 - I raise, therefore I am (S02)
I raise, therefore I am. What is a parent’s most important task? In other words, what is actually the purpose of raising children? Margreet Reijntjes discusses this with Stine Jensen, philosopher, writer and programme maker, and Frank Meester, also a philosopher and writer. Together they also wrote the book: How Do I Raise My Parents?
Many books have been written about the best way to raise our children. Opinions differ considerably and are also culturally and historically determined. So there is plenty to talk about with Cecile Winkelman, educationalist and director of Triple P Netherlands, and Dionne Nelson, trainer of Triple P’s teenage programme.
How do you make sure your children listen to you? In this episode, we discuss this question. Our guests are Jelle Jolles, neuropsychologist and professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Yvonne van Sark, adviser and partner at YoungWorks, an agency specialising in youth communication.
Commenting on other people’s children and their way of parenting is a very sensitive matter for many parents. Apparently, parenting is a vulnerable subject. In this episode, we discuss interfering with other people’s parenting. Our guests are Fadma Bouchataoui, parenting specialist and facilitator of the Wijkacademies Opvoeden in Rotterdam Zuid, and Sylvia Vlaardingerbroek, head of the Growing Up and Parenting department at the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJI).
Does having children make you happy? This question cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. In this episode, Margreet Reijntjes discusses the theme of ‘happiness’ with psychologist and happiness researcher Ad Bergsma and Carolien Gravesteijn, also a psychologist and, in addition, lecturer in Parenthood and Parent Counsellor at Leiden University of Applied Sciences.
#10 - Absolutely perfect (S02)
In the Netherlands, around 130,000 young people suffer from depressive symptoms. Is there too much pressure on teenagers to be perfect? How do you teach children to deal with setbacks and disappointments? And what do you do as a parent when a child takes a different path than you had hoped? Journalist Magreet Reijntjes speaks with Tischa Neve, child psychologist, parenting specialist and writer, and Yvonne Stikkelbroek, assistant professor of orthopedagogy and clinical psychologist.
How does the development of guilt work in teenagers? Margreet Reijntjes discusses this with Frans Schalkwijk, endowed professor of conscience development, and Meta Herman de Groot, psychosocial therapist and teenage coach.
Many teenagers want to live a grand and eventful life. How important are those dreams? And how can parents make sure their child does something that suits them? Margreet Reijntjes speaks with Eddie Brummelman, developmental psychologist and researcher at the University of Amsterdam, and Stephanie de Vaere, The Hague Youth Coach.
Secrets. We all have them. And that certainly applies to teenagers too. They do not want to share everything, especially not with their parents. How important is privacy for young people? And how can parents deal with it? Margreet Reijntjes speaks with Loes Keijsers, developmental psychologist and author of the book ‘Why Teenagers Can Be So Irritating – And How You Can Learn to Live with It as a Parent’, and Freek Zwanenberg, affiliated with Bureau Youth and Media and a media educationalist.
Shame is a social mechanism. From an early age, we learn that it is not acceptable to cheat or steal sweets. If we do so and get caught, the feeling of shame ensures that we do not do it again. In this episode, Margreet Reijntjes speaks with youth nurse Elly Verbruggen and endowed professor of developmental psychology Carolien Rieffe.
#6 - The green-eyed monster (S02)
Jealousy is an unpleasant feeling that can sometimes really confuse young people. What is the best way for adults to respond? In this episode, due to all the coronavirus-related issues, Jiska Peper, a researcher at Leiden University, and Saskia Smith, freelance journalist and co-founder of the website Tis hier geen hotel, call Margreet Reijntjes in the studio.
Peer pressure, exclusion, ‘bad’ friends… ‘Belonging’ often has a negative connotation for parents. Due to insecurity and a desire for acceptance, teenagers can be influenced too much by the opinions of their peers. As a parent, you are outside the group dynamic and may feel powerless. What should you do? In this episode, Margreet Reijntjes speaks with Dr Anna van Duijvenvoorde, developmental and educational psychologist, and Marina van der Wal, parenting expert and coach, columnist and author of, among other works, ‘The Only Truly Honest Book on Raising Teenagers’.
#3 - Mind your own sex life (S02)
Compared with parents in, for example, the US, Dutch parents are generally relaxed about sex. They consider it normal for children to experiment and see it as part of their development. However, that does not mean that Dutch parents find it easy to talk about sex, or that they have a realistic view of their children’s sex lives. So what is the reality of young people’s sex lives? Margreet Reijntjes speaks with Sanderijn van der Doef, psychologist and sexologist, and Nandy van Kroonenburg, workshop leader at Sexmatters.
Are we spoiling our children too much? Have we become helicopter parents who clear away all obstacles, leaving them unable to become resilient? In episode two of Echte Oogappels, Margreet Reijntjes, journalist and mother of two teenage sons, speaks with child psychologist Tischa Neve and Saskia Smith, founder of Tis hier geen hotel.
#1 - Separate or stay together (S02)
In the first episode of the Echte Oogappels podcast, presenter and mother of two teenage sons Margreet Reijntjes speaks with experts Patricia Heije of Stiefgoed.nl and Marsha Pinedo of Villapinedo.nl about separating or staying together. Should you stay together if you have children?