The majority of teens today struggle with poor self-image. Our culture and media are constantly feeding them messages that imply they are not enough – not good-looking enough, not cool enough, not smart enough, not rich enough, etc. Social media, in particular, encourages teens to compare themselves to everyone else’s highlight reel. Inside, many teens wonder if they are valued
Read moreCritical thinking skills are the ability to imagine, analyze, and evaluate information in order to determine its integrity, importance and validity. Critical thinking is an important life skill that is necessary for a person to succeed at school, in the workplace, and while living independently. Students with this skill are more successful academically. Employers value this skill because it helps
Read moreBeing part of a team can teach young people responsibility, good communication skills, perseverance, and how to work together for a common goal. Additionally, good teamwork is a highly desired skill in the workplace, so youth who develop it now are more marketable in their adulthood. Being a good teammate doesn’t always come naturally, especially to youth. Children learn how
Read moreThanks to technology, our world is so much more interconnected than ever before. As a result, our children will be exposed to a wide variety of people with many differences, including race, language, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, disabilities, age, economic circumstances, customs, culture, and lifestyles. It’s important that we teach youth to behave and make decisions based on respect and tolerance
Read moreConfidence or self-esteem is how your child feels about themself and their abilities. These feelings develop as your child interacts with you and others. A child with a healthy self-esteem values themself as a person, trusts their feelings and abilities, believes they are capable, and is able to work toward their goals. All parents want their children to have a
Read moreIf you ask parents what they want most for their children, the majority will answer, “I want them to be happy.” But that’s hard to define. Happiness is an emotion, a momentary state of being, not a permanent state. Additionally, happiness can mean different things to different people. If we, as parents, have a goal to raise our kids to
Read moreWe all know that adolescents face an extraordinary amount of peer pressure, and unfortunately, when humans are under pressure, we don’t always make the best decisions. Despite our intelligence, we are not great at considering all of the consequences of our decisions while people are staring at us waiting for our decision. This is true of adults, but it’s even
Read moreLeadership is a valuable skill set to have, especially in adulthood. Employers are always looking for good leaders, and even if a person is not in a leadership role in their workplace, leadership skills are still helpful at home or in the community. While some people are more natural leaders than others, leadership skills can be learned, developed and improved.
Read moreTeens with self-advocacy skills are more likely to have higher self-esteem, a positive sense of identity, greater social connections, more leadership qualities and enhanced problem solving abilities. Self-advocacy is an individual’s ability to effectively communicate, negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs and rights. Self-advocacy can be used in many ways, for example a student with learning
Read moreIt’s that time of year again where we feel the urge to reflect on the past year and hope for all the possibilities in the coming year, and that often results in the all-too-famous New Year’s Resolutions. While it’s a great idea for teens to practice goal-setting, so often, resolutions seem to become a way that people punish themselves. Some
Read moreAs Thanksgiving approaches, many parents might be wondering how to make the holiday meaningful to their teens or how to raise their teens to be more grateful… or at least less entitled. Raising a teen who is grateful or who appreciates the good things in their life is a worthy goal. Years of research convincingly shows that, when compared with
Read moreThere is a lot of talk in our culture about misinformation particularly on social media platforms. Since youth spend a huge amount of time on social media and even get their “news” from these platforms, it’s important that we raise adolescents to be able to distinguish the difference between real facts and possible fabrication. We want the next generation to
Read moreAlmost every adult wants a magic formula that will make conversations with teens easier. There actually is one, but it’s likely not what you expected or want to hear. Communication with teens always improves when we practice active listening. Most of us aren’t as good at listening as we’d like to think. Hearing someone talk is different from concentrating on
Read moreWith summer rapidly approaching, many teens are considering part-time employment. A first job for a teen can be a really exciting and positive entry into the adult world! A job can help teenagers develop responsibility, gain confidence, learn new skills, obtain increased autonomy, achieve new accomplishments, and build their resume. Having part-time employment demonstrates that a student has a good
Read moreThere’s been a lot of talk about “mindfulness” in our culture lately, but many people don’t fully understand the term. Mindfulness is when we try to stay consciously aware of an experience while it’s happening. This can be a helpful practice in any number of situations, but it can be especially useful while eating. Many Americans will eat junk food
Read moreMany parents look toward the teen years with dread. They hear the horror stories of back-talking, eye-rolling, and rebellion, and wish they could just skip the whole thing. If you’re in this category, we first encourage you to read our previous blog, Reasons to Be Thankful for Teenagers, because there are some real upsides to teens that are often overlooked!
Read moreSetbacks in life are inevitable. No matter how hard we try, we all fail sometimes. However, even though we all know that failure is a normal part of life, we fear it. We wonder how it will define us, what other people will think about us, how we will recover, and whether we will ever be successful. Ironically, despite our
Read moreThe beginning of a new year feels like a fresh start, which is probably why so many of us resolve to improve something about ourselves. Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions can be hard to stick to. Whether you’re a parent or a teen, today’s blog will help you follow through on making your resolution become a reality. Be realistic. Create a
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 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
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