The holidays are upon us, and many teens want to participate in parties or other social celebrations. It can be really hard to know how best to keep teens safe and healthy – both from COVID and from typical risky behavior – while still allowing them to enjoy time with their peers. With that in mind, here are some tips:
Read moreDo you know a teen that has so much potential but just seems to fall short? Sometimes we develop negative behaviors or thoughts that hinder our success or prevent us from achieving our goals without even realizing we are sabotaging ourselves. Teens can easily fall prey to self-sabotage because they are under a lot of pressure and/or experience a lack
Read moreWhen teens behave badly, it can feel infuriating! Parents are bound to feel frustrated when their teen acts defiant, withdrawn, aggressive, or unmotivated. We might feel that our teen is ungrateful, entitled, disrespectful, or that he/she hates us. While these are perfectly natural reactions, we are missing an important key. Don’t guess or assume that your teen is acting out
Read moreThe gift giving season for the holidays is in full swing. Unfortunately, many families are finding this year’s shopping to be more difficult than usual. The pandemic has caused inflation to climb and wreaked havoc on supply chains around the world. As a result, finding affordable gifts in time for the holidays will not be easy. Today’s blog offers some
Read moreThis week is Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on all the things in our life that make us grateful. For many of us, family tops that list. Our family members can bring meaning, purpose and love into our lives… although we might be more grateful for some members than others. When our children enter the difficult season of adolescence, the
Read moreRejection can be incredibly painful, especially for adolescents who are developmentally wired to try to fit in and belong. Research shows that our brains experience rejection in the same ways as it experiences physical pain. It genuinely hurts! Unfortunately, rejection it is a normal part of life and impossible to avoid completely. If we don’t deal with rejection properly, it
Read moreAdolescents are not always the easiest people to talk to. They might mumble, roll their eyes, give one word answers or simply shrug when you ask questions. Rather than volunteer to talk, they might bury their nose in their cell phone. Parents often struggle in trying to draw out their reluctant teen into a conversation. Here are a few tips
Read moreAmerican culture does not value sleep. In fact, it almost seems a badge of honor to be slurping down coffee as you tell anyone who will listen how busy you are and how late you stayed up to get everything done. It’s no wonder then that our adolescents don’t seem to value sleep either. Why is Sleep Important? Both the
Read moreAll of us struggle with self-doubt from time to time, but adolescents especially struggle with acceptance due to their lack of maturity and perspective, as well as their search for their own identity. In fact, in their drive for independence, teenagers can seem to reject parents while still desperately wanting acceptance from them. Research shows significant links between a teen’s
Read moreThere have been multiple studies and reports that suggest social media has a negative impact on the mental health of youth, including poor self-ratings of mental health, increased levels of psychological distress, and suicidal ideation. But those ideas were solidified for many parents when former Facebook employee, Frances Haugen, recently testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee that internal company research
Read moreAs school begins, parents are often considering how to ensure their child has a successful school year. Ironically, one of the easiest ways to ensure a child’s success is a factor that is often overlooked: regular attendance. Research shows that consistent attendance at school helps children achieve better grades, develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behavior and have a better
Read moreThe majority of today’s teenagers are struggling with negative self-talk. Negative self-talk is an inner dialogue you have in your own mind that puts yourself down, focuses on weaknesses and minimizes strengths, limits your confidence, or blocks your ability to reach your potential. We all have an inner critic, which can sometimes be helpful in motivating us to improve, but
Read moreThe coronavirus pandemic changed our lives in many ways, but one change that surprised researchers occurred in colleges across the country. College students altered their substance use last year. A recent study discovered that alcohol use among college students declined, while marijuana use increased. The “Monitoring the Future” study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), has been
Read moreDo you have a teen who doesn’t ever give their best effort? Do they hide behind screens with no interest in extracurricular activities or finding a job or determining a future path? Many teens seem to struggle with motivation and the confidence to move forward. It could be due to the fact that teens have become more reclusive in their
Read moreThe new school year has begun. While many teens are grateful to be back in-person, the return to school also brings new stressors. Many youth are feeling a lot of social anxiety after being away from peers for so long. Teens often struggle with overcommitment in extracurriculars and the challenge of preparing for a life after high school. But one
Read moreOur New Jersey communities have experienced a devastating flood. So many of our families have lost homes and possessions. The recovery to normalcy for some locations, especially Manville and Bound Brook will be long and difficult. We stand strong with our neighbors! One of the best ways we can help our communities is to focus on what we do best,
Read moreTeenagers love social media, and they love dares. Unfortunately, sometimes these can mix into a bad combination. Lately, TikTok in particular has had several dares or challenges go viral that are quite dangerous. In the “blackout challenge,” young people are encouraged to hold their breath until they pass out. In the “Benadryl challenge,” youth intentionally consume large amounts of the
Read moreEye rolling. Door slamming. Loud sighing. Unexplained yelling. If you have a teenager in your house, you have more than likely experienced the “famous” adolescent bad mood. Everyone gets in bad moods sometimes – they are a part of life. Feeling cranky and irritable for no real reason can happen to the best of us, but teens are particularly prone
Read moreYour teenager may have over 500 followers on Instagram, but does he or she have a couple of close friends? A report released in July 2021 by the Journal of Adolescence stated that feelings of loneliness among teenagers rose sharply between 2012 and 2018 around the world, with higher increases among girls. Before 2012, the levels of adolescent loneliness (which
Read moreLife is full of changes. Teens have to deal with changing schools, peer groups, puberty, interests, as well as whatever changes are facing the family as a whole, such as moving, divorce, or loss. If your teen is headed to college, there are even more changes ahead that might feel daunting. And certainly, all of us have had to deal
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