Like many other adults across the country, I went to a viewing of Screenagers. It's a film that follows one mom's journey to understand the impact of the devices on teens. I won't give too much away because I think you should...
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If you want to provoke a room full of high school parents, tell them: Let your kids fail more. And then teach them how to fail better. Say what? You mean actually fail, like get an F? How will they get into college...
Read MoreAs adolescents and teens find their way to a sense of self...
Read MoreJanuary is a time when people commit to change, so it doesn’t surprise me that for therapists this is their busy time. But some are busy with a relatively new clientele: kids who experience the first semester college crisis and aren’t going...
Read More2017 was crazy. Like other people who study teens, my intention was to understand the impact of growing up in such dynamic times. For those of us who miss the good old days, take heart. Some old school parenting tricks still work....
Read MoreWhen I was an adolescent, one of my vocabulary words was "hirsute," which is a sophisticated word for hairy. I was a fuzzy kid, and I remember being mortified when the teacher asked for someone to use the word in a sentence....
Read MoreRecently, a parent explained that her son has what seems like an inexhaustible desire to fight. To prove a point. To make them see how they are right. I've heard this many times and though it feels terrible, this behavior can be...
Read MoreWhen I talk to parents, I share a list of ideal behaviors and attributes that they might want for their kids. The list is long and filled with both the practical and the lofty. Practically, they want them to clean up, to...
Read MoreFor the most part, high school freshman are immature. Very few 14 year olds know how to be their own advocates. They haven’t yet developed the confidence to speak their needs, and many don’t even know what those needs are. To help...
Read MoreCan you be a teen expert without having teens? Full disclosure: I don’t have teens and I consider myself a teen expert. I've spent 15 years working with teens exclusively. I bring them further along and into a better version of themselves. I...
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