Research shows that teenagers with involved parents are more likely to make better decisions, stay out of trouble, and develop into successful, independent adults. However, during adolescence, parents and children often begin to spend more time apart. It’s natural for teenagers to explore relationships with friends and other people outside their families as they try to establish their independence. In
Read moreEveryone needs a way to cope with their emotions when we face very difficult feelings, painful memories, or overwhelming situations. Hopefully, we find healthy coping skills, but sometimes, we turn towards more destructive methods to manage our feelings, such as substance abuse, promiscuity, overeating, or other damaging behaviors. For some people, when their emotions feel out of control, they turn
Read moreToday’s teenagers are more stressed and anxious than ever before. Big life transitions, such as attending college, can place additional stress on a still-developing adolescent brain. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in four college students has a diagnosable mental illness and 80% of them feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities. According to the Center for Collegiate
Read moreAnxiety is very common among teens. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that nearly one in three adolescents (31.9%) meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder. Researchers have found that anxiety in children has increased 20% over 5 years. All of us experience some anxiety throughout our lives, and it is normal for teens to feel anxious
Read moreThere are lots of good reasons for tweens and teens to see a therapist. Your son or daughter may struggle with an issue, such as defiance, anxiety, depression, anger, self-harm, an eating disorder, high stress, trauma, family discord, and so much more. However, knowing that your teen would probably benefit from counseling, does not mean that your teen will want
Read morePeer pressure is a common part of life for adolescents. 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 Judy, and sometimes that pressure can be bad, such as trying to be as “cool” as Tim when he smokes. The majority of youth
Read moreWhen we imagine sexual assault, we tend to think of a stranger jumping out of a dark alley to attack an unsuspecting woman. However, that is rarely the case. Nearly 85% of all victims of sexual assault knew the person who raped or assaulted them. Therefore, if we want to keep teens safe, then we must teach them how to
Read moreThe month of April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, so we will be posting a series of blogs the next couple of weeks that deal with preventing sexual assault among our youth. Today’s blog will discuss sexual consent. Regardless of whether you hope that your teen will wait until marriage to engage in sexual activity or you believe
Read moreOur culture doesn’t value asking for help. People tend to feel ashamed if they can’t do something themselves or embarrassed that they don’t have all the answers. Some have trouble trusting others or worry that others will judge them. There are lots of reasons that people don’t want to ask for help, but it’s actually an important skill we need
Read moreWhen your student enters high school, college seems like a long way off. You think, ‘we have four years to think about college!’ In reality, your student has three years to create the experiences that will make up their resume for their applications, and they need to at least consider how they want to present themselves to truly build an
Read moreOne of the most important skills we can instill in teenagers is financial wisdom. If we want them to develop into successful adults, our youth need to learn fundamental concepts, such as saving, compound interest, credit, budgeting, and consumer rights. Not all high schools cover this material, and even if they do, they don’t always make it relevant to teens
Read moreThe majority of parents would agree that they want to treat everyone in the family the same. We want to be fair and consistent with each of our children so that they feel valued and loved and don’t compare themselves to each other. While this is a worthy goal, in reality, it’s almost impossible to treat everyone exactly the same.
Read moreAs 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
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