Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox has three teenage children. Her own teenage best friend, Clare Hamilton, now has two of her own too. Together, they have launched a podcast, The Teen Commandments, in which they trade stories, laughs and tips from the frontline of parenthood. So, what have they learned so far?

1) It’s not so different to our day…

Sara: ‘There’s lots that hasn’t changed. Teenagers are going through the same struggles; they’re still trying to find out who they are and what they’re about. Yeah, there’s a lot more screen time now, but flopping around, watching stuff, has always been a big part of being a teenager. We had our own version, but it was lying on your stomach in front of the TV watching Live & Kicking or Neighbours twice a day.’

2) It’s funny (in the end)…

Clare: ‘It’s a shocker how quickly everything changes. You go from hero to zero. One minute, it’s “Mummy, I love you”; the next, everything you do is just cringe. But once you’ve accepted the change, they’re really not a nightmare. A lot of the experiences you have parenting a teen are absolutely hilarious. And if it’s not funny in the moment, it will make a great story one day.’

What to read next

3) They teach you…

Sara: ‘They’re good company, too – it’s too easy to say they’re just a handful. They have their own thoughts and opinions…’

Clare: ‘They’ve taught me quite a lot about myself and my parenting. They’ll tell me about mistakes I’ve made – and often, they’re totally right.’

4) It’s liberating…

Sara: ‘When they’re toddlers, they’re really cute, of course, but there’s also a lot of brain-numbing activity – the routines, the school runs, remembering the school bags, the PE kits… You don’t have to worry about all that so much when you have an older teenager.’

5) The small things make you proud…

Sara: ‘You’re trying to raise them to be these well-rounded people, and most of the time, I just think, “How is that my job!? I’m not qualified! I’m not a fully well-rounded person yet!”’

Clare: ‘But it’s quite rewarding when you see these new signs of maturity and good decision-making, and you know that some of that, at least, came from you. You’ve done some good, at least. They’ll pick a good book, or get into good music, and you realise they’ve actually been listening and absorbing all this time.’

6) You can be friends (but not besties…)

Sara: ‘I never wanted to be one of those parents you used to see in trashy magazines, under a headline like “Me and my daughter are best friends”. There’d be photos of them in Lyrca, going out clubbing together – eurgh! Still, it’s really nice when you realise you’ve reached a stage where you can go out and do things together that all of you are enjoying – we all went to see Beyoncé last year and it was great.’

7) You can sneak quality time into surprising activities…

Sara: ‘To have some quality time, sometimes you have to splash the cash. You can tempt them out with the promise of shopping, then stop for an ice cream and build some good one-on-one time in. And actually, it’s really lovely.’

Sara and Clare’s podcast, The Teen Commandments, is out now, wherever you get your podcasts.