As children enter adolescence, significant changes begin. Developmentally, teens are trying to create their own identity and cultivate independence. As a result, youth naturally begin to pull away from their parents. But these changes can be difficult for the family. Parents frequently describe situations, such as ‘my daughter used to tell me everything but now she seems to only share
Read moreNo one particularly likes conflict, but disagreements are a natural part of any relationship, and two people are never going to agree about everything. Children need to know how to handle conflict in a positive way with their friends, teachers, future employers, and future partners. Teenagers also need to know that it’s alright to express their own needs and opinions
Read moreToday begins a national awareness week for eating disorders. It’s estimated that 30 million Americans (20 million women and 10 million men) have struggled with an eating disorder at some point over their lifetime. Eating disorders can affect people of every age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group. They are a serious illness; in fact, eating disorders are the
Read moreMany high school students are currently in the process of choosing their courses for the next academic year. High schools offer many course options for students, including several that allow students to earn college credit. A growing number of teens across the United States are choosing to enroll in college-level courses, such as: Advanced Placement (AP). AP courses are college-level
Read moreAccording to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the most common crimes committed by youth from 2015-2020 were theft, simple assault, and property crime. Unfortunately, these types of delinquent acts can lead to major detrimental effects on a young person’s life, such as injury, drug use, dropping out of school, incarceration, and future adult criminal behavior. The next generation is
Read moreFebruary is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, which makes it a perfect time to promote safe, healthy relationships to youth. Teens should know that the term ‘dating violence’ does not refer to the occasional argument or bad mood, which are a normal part of any relationship. Rather, dating violence is when someone tries to control their significant
Read moreEver had that moment where you want to ask your teen, “What were you thinking?!?” As teens take the journey of becoming independent adults, exploring their limits and abilities is part of developing their identities. Risk-taking is an important way for teenagers to learn about themselves, and it’s a normal rite of passage. Some reasons that teens take risks include:
Read moreToday begins No Name-Calling Week, an awareness week organized by K-12 educators and students to end name-calling and bullying in schools. Name 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
Read moreGeorgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce recently put out a report in 2020 called Workplace Basics: The Competencies Employers Want. A person’s qualifications for employment are generally defined by a combination of their education, their experience, and their competencies. Competencies are the knowledge, skills, and abilities that workers use in their jobs and are essential to an employee’s
Read moreWith the start of a new year, many people are making resolutions, and the most common resolution is to eat healthier. This is a worthy goal! About one in three children in the United States is overweight or obese, and sadly an overweight child has a 70 to 80 percent chance of staying overweight as an adult. As a result,
Read moreThe holidays are normally full of fun social engagements. From New Year’s Eve parties to holiday gatherings with family to outings with friends, this time of year is normally a busy season of close encounters with those we love. Sadly, the 2020 pandemic has made almost all of those activities unsafe. While we could let these circumstances rob the joy
Read moreThe pandemic has impacted almost everyone’s mental health in some way. American teens are no exception, and many in the public health sector worried how the loss of school, social activities, and milestone events might impact adolescent substance abuse. Reasons substance abuse might decrease. With teens spending more time at home during the pandemic, they have less opportunity to obtain
Read moreFor some teens, standing up for oneself is intimidating. They might worry that they will lose social status or that the other person will be angry or not like them anymore. On the flip side, some teens have no problem standing up for themselves but have trouble responding in a calm, non-confrontational way. They come across as hostile. Neither style
Read moreEvery year since 2013, teens have consistently reported higher levels of stress than adults in the American Psychological Association annual survey. In 2019, teens reported worse mental health and higher levels of anxiety and depression than all other age groups. Then 2020 came and brought a whole new level of stress to youth. Our high schoolers are very stressed! In
Read more2020 might seem like an inappropriate year to be talking about gratitude. So many things have gone wrong this year, and so many people are suffering. However, studies show that people who are grateful, appreciative or thankful are happier, more satisfied, and healthier overall in their lives than people who are not – even during crises! Finding things you are
Read moreThe pandemic has stolen so many rites of passage from our teens – and our families – this year. From school to sports to gathering with friends, our teens have lost so many events that make life special. As we approach the holidays, every American family faces the difficult choice of gathering together as usual with the risk of spreading
Read more“Self-awareness” is the ability to accurately: recognize and identify your emotions, thoughts and values; judge your own performance, strengths and limitations; understand how your feelings and thoughts influence your behavior; and respond to different social situations. The term encompasses quite a bit, but it’s really about being able to see yourself objectively. Research has shown that people with high self-awareness
Read moreFamily members don’t always get along, and brothers and sisters are no exception. Siblings often experience jealousy, competition, and disagreements. However, there is a fine line between normal rivalry and behavior that is abusive. Today’s blog explains how to tell the difference between sibling rivalry and abuse and how to prevent and address abuse. Our society generally expects fights among
Read moreMost parents work really hard to raise their children in the best way that they can. Circumstances can make that job easier or harder, depending on a parent’s own stress level. Right now, the pandemic is making it much, much harder. With job losses, school closures, and political uncertainty, 2020 has made it difficult for anyone to reasonably hold it
Read moreOctober is National Bullying Prevention Month. With so many students learning remotely this school year during the pandemic, bullying is most often taking place online, so today’s blog will focus on how we can prevent cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior involving a real or perceived power imbalance that takes place over digital devices like cell phones,
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