The values that children believe are important to their parents have a significant impact on their development. In fact, researchers have found that children performed better in school – both in grades and behavior – if they believed that their parents valued kindness over personal achievement or success. Ironically, the research demonstrated that children whose parents pushed them to achieve
Read moreResearchers at the University of California San Diego have found that teenagers who start using cannabis show slower gains in memory, attention, and thinking skills over time than teens who do not use it. The findings were published in an April 2026 edition of Neuropsychopharmacology and were based on data from more than 11,000 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive
Read moreSelf-harm tends to begin in early and mid-adolescence, and it’s become more common in the last decade. One in five girls self-harms by the age of 18. Self-harm has risen 188% since 2010. While it might be confusing to understand why someone would hurt themselves, it is a highly treatable mental health condition. In this article, we will consider why
Read moreAs your child transitions from elementary school into middle and high schools, they are faced with many changes, but one of the most dramatic is the social scene. Suddenly, the kids at school are a little more judgmental, a little more particular about who they are hanging out with, and much more likely to form cliques. As kids navigate these
Read moreOne of the challenges of parenting is staying aware of the constantly evolving trends and threats that emerge among the youth. Our conversations with our teenagers must evolve in order to keep our teens informed of current risks and aware of our expectations. Today’s blog will explain the trend of “gas station drugs,” which will help you to update your
Read moreMany parents and educators tend to shy away from talking about dating with youth, but that’s a mistake. Dating is a major developmental milestone on the path to independence, so it’s an important topic to discuss with youth. Dating is not just an annoying distraction in your teen’s life; it actually helps young people learn to get along with others,
Read moreAs a new school year begins, finding a schedule that works for the family is important. One of the crucial factors of your children’s academic success is their sleep habits. Unfortunately, smartphones are having a negative effect on our children’s sleep. A study, published in the May 2026 JAMA Pediatrics, found that teens averaged over 50 minutes of smartphone use
Read moreLying is quite common among adolescents. Teens will lie to their parents in order to avoid punishment, seek attention, avoid a responsibility, go somewhere they think you will not allow, or to protect their privacy. Whatever the teenager’s reason, parents need to treat lying seriously. Teens may think lying is no big deal, so it’s our responsibility to teach teens
Read moreName calling may seem benign – it’s just words after all, and our society believes in freedom of speech – but it is a slippery slope. Studies show that name calling actually leads to anger and violence or withdrawal and fear. Avoiding the problem, or thinking a teen will grow out of this “phase,” does not work. In fact, research
Read moreLife isn’t always fair, and we all face setbacks in our journeys. Rejection, failure, disappointment, and unfairness happen to everyone. It’s important that we teach children how to deal with these setbacks in order to be successful in life. Unfortunately, it’s easy for people, especially children, to slip into a victim mentality – a person who has come to feel
Read moreRegardless of whether you hope that your teen will wait until marriage to engage in sexual activity or you believe your teen is already sexually active, the topic of consent is vitally important to discuss with your child now. While it might feel awkward to discuss, the topic of consent is actually about giving your teen the tools and skills
Read moreFriendships are vitally important to teens. In adolescence, it’s developmentally appropriate for teens to try to develop more independence and create their own identity separate from their family. As they prepare to pull away from their parents, youth need the acceptance and support of their peers. In addition to offering general companionship, adolescent friendships help teens develop conflict resolution skills,
Read morePeer pressure is a normal part of life. Right or wrong, humans tend to compare themselves to each other and pressure kicks in. Sometimes that pressure can be good, such as trying to get straight A’s like the smart kid in class, and sometimes that pressure can be bad, such as trying to be as “cool” as the popular kid
Read moreIf you have a student who will be a junior or senior in high school next year, then you will likely be spending some of your summer touring colleges. Visiting a college is absolutely one of the best ways for a teen to decide whether a school is right for them or not. It can be a fun bonding experience
Read moreWhen you first become a parent, your primary role is to take care of your child’s basic needs. As your child grows, your role as a parent is constantly changing – evolving from doing everything for your child to teaching your child how to do things for themselves. By the time your child reaches adolescence, you, in effect, become your
Read moreIf you interact with teenagers on a regular basis, then you have probably already figured out that telling them what to do often backfires. Adolescents are in the process of separating from their parents, establishing their own identity, questioning authority, developing critical thinking skills, and exploring new ideas, values, and beliefs. As a result, they do not want to be
Read moreThe U.S. drug crisis is evolving in incredibly dangerous ways that parents should be aware of and share with their teenagers. A new wave of ultrapotent synthetic drugs is flooding the illicit market. These lab-made drugs can be exponentially stronger than fentanyl, frequently go undetected by standard drug tests, can come in many forms, and don’t always respond to typical
Read moreSummer is a great time for teenagers to look for employment. Of course, many teens have no idea how to actually get hired. It can be overwhelming to a young person beginning this process, but it becomes manageable if the adults in their lives can break it down for them and offer a little guidance. If you know a teen
Read moreIf you’re not aware that online gambling has become a huge problem among youth, especially boys, please read our previous blog, Gambling is Rapidly Becoming the Newest Addiction for Teens. Because it’s growing into such a difficult issue for young people, parents should discuss gambling with their children just like they do for other threats to their well-being like alcohol
Read moreToday’s children have grown up in a world dominated by technology and as a result have faced pitfalls that many of their parents never had to consider when they were growing up. The latest tempting vice is online gambling. Teens are very familiar with the explosion of apps that make it easy to bet on almost anything, ranging from sports
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