Between school, homework, part-time jobs, social outings, and extracurricular activities, adolescents are always on the go. Sometimes it’s hard to coordinate parents and teens to be in the house together for more than a few minutes! Since our families are so busy, many of us have turned eating into an afterthought. Everyone just grabs what they can whenever they are
Read moreParenting advice comes from all sorts of sources and often feels contradictory. Be involved in your children’s lives! But not TOO involved! To be honest, it’s a fine line that’s hard to find. Both consistent under-involvement and over-involvement in a teen’s life can be detrimental to their mental wellbeing and academic performance. It’s best when parents can find that sweet
Read moreEven in the best of relationships, conflict is inevitable. Whether it’s a best friend, a dating partner, a parent, a classmate, a difficult teacher, a sports teammate, a college roommate, …well you get the point, every relationship has the potential for challenges. Conflicts by themselves are not the problem, but rather how we deal with them. One of the best
Read moreChildren, especially adolescents, are masters of pushing boundaries. It’s actually a normal part of development for children to test limits, break rules, rebel against expectations, and do anything to avoid punishment. Although this behavior is irritating for parents, it’s important to realize that children are actually learning through this process. By recognizing this is a normal part of childhood, parents
Read moreHumans love to label things. We have a deeply ingrained tendency to classify and categorize objects, situations, and even people. On the one hand, labeling helps us to make sense of the world. Without this ability, we’d quickly get overwhelmed in every new encounter. Unfortunately, our tendency to label people can be very limiting or damaging to others, especially to
Read moreHave you ever noticed that we are quicker to notice the negative than the positive? Your teen might be having a great day at school when a classmate makes an insulting comment. Even though their day was overall quite good, they tell you it was terrible because they are still stewing over that one negative incident. Or maybe your teen
Read moreNot all abusive relationships are romantic. Not all abuse victims are women. Not all abuse is physical. Abuse is a pattern of behavior used by one person to gain and maintain power and control over another person. Friends can be just as likely to abuse their peers as love interests, and manipulation and harsh words can be just as likely
Read moreWhen your adolescent child acts defiantly, rebels, or withdraws, it is normal to feel angry, worried, upset, hurt, frustrated, or a mix of many emotions. In many ways, it’s so much easier to raise younger children because you are more in control of their lives. Parents of teens quickly realize that they have very little control over their teen’s behavior,
Read moreA deepfake is a video, photo, or audio recording that has been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to appear real, but has been altered to replace a person’s face or body with someone else’s. While deepfakes are a problem worldwide in creating and spreading misinformation, today’s blog will discuss them in the context of an epidemic facing teen girls in the United
Read moreWhen asked what a child or teen with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) might behave like, many people might use words such as “hyper,” “full of energy,” “inattentive” or even “destructive” to describe these individuals. While this can often be the case, there are several other symptoms that sometimes go unnoticed in children and teens with ADHD, especially girls. Lack
Read moreTeens can often come across as rude and disrespectful to their parents, teachers or other authority figures. Eye-rolling, backtalking, door slamming, dramatic sighing with a dash of know-it-all attitude can frustrate even the most patient adult. Understandably, many adults will respond by being rude and disrespectful back. Unfortunately, whenever a teen sees you being disrespectful, they assume that their behavior is
Read moreWith the new school year beginning, many parents are wondering how best to help their child be successful in school. Experts suggest helping children develop good study habits is one of the best methods. While studying is likely not your child’s most favorite pastime, it is essential to their academic success. The habits and work skills they develop now will
Read moreVirtual reality (VR) headsets, a head-mounted device that provides an immersive virtual experience, are very popular! Sales of VR headsets rose from 5.4 million units in 2019 to more than a projected 14 million for 2024. These headsets are widely used with video games, but can also be used in other applications, such as training simulations. Many teenagers love to use
Read moreIf your child tells you that they are gender fluid, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ), you will likely feel a wide range of different emotions. It’s very normal for parents to feel stressed, confused, scared, or surprised, but no matter how you feel, don’t pull back from your child when you’re needed most! For many LGBTQ youth, breaking
Read moreMoving is one of life’s top stressors. Giving up the familiar—friends, favorite places, and routines— is not easy for anyone and can cause fear, sadness and stress. Teens are especially prone to these feelings because they are very focused on fitting in with their peers. Being the new kid is very challenging. It’s important to acknowledge your teenager’s feelings with
Read moreWithin the past decade, mental health problems in teens have been increasing at a rapid rate. A new report from the United Hospital Fund shows that 6.7 million U.S. adolescents have at least one behavioral health condition. Some of these mental health conditions may include depression, anxiety, and ADHD. While these numbers might seem alarming, the good news is that
Read moreTime management is an important skill for a variety of reasons. First, managing our time well decreases our overall stress and increases our productivity. It also helps us to achieve goals and enjoy our free time more. Time management is also a highly coveted skill for employers. If your teen can learn it now as a student, they will excel
Read moreIt is a natural human desire to have some sense of control over our own lives. Having control gives us a feeling of order, stability, and safety. Research consistently shows that when people believe they have choices and can change their circumstances, they feel more hopeful and optimistic about the future. We tend to fight against anyone, or any situation,
Read moreTeens display many types of behavior – ranging from mood swings to rebellion – that are challenging for the adults in their lives but that are considered normal adolescent behavior. However, experimenting with substance use is not one of the “normal” rites of passage in adolescence. Your teen might proclaim that “everyone vapes” or “everyone drinks” but in reality, this
Read moreAmerican media is full of troubling images and messages. Whether it’s video games, movies, social media, or other media outlets, our youth are bombarded with negativity. For example: The repeated exposure to disturbing media desensitizes children, and adults as well, to the negative emotional reactions that these experiences would normally produce. Studies have shown that, after enough exposures, the physiological
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