by Dennis Coates | Jan 17, 2022 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Education, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Success
I often reflect on what my life was like as a kid. My early childhood happened in the 50’s and my adolescence happened in the 60’s. It was, I think, a typical lower-middle class upbringing. I had five brothers and two sisters and a father and mother who...
by Dennis Coates | Jan 2, 2022 | Education, Encouragement, Parenting
Photo of Tywi Forest in Wales by Roger Kidd Fresh air! Today is a cool, sunny day and the air I breathe is delicious. Of course I’m not conscious of this all the time. But my diaphragm works to fill my lungs with air several times a minute, whether I think about...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 29, 2021 | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Success
While each of the ten high-impact parent-child communication skills described in Connect with Your Kid are amazingly effective, their power magnifies greatly when used in combination. Without question, my favorite one-two combo is open-ended questions to encourage...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 4, 2021 | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Books, Teen Success
The last time you visited my website, did you notice the banner at the top of the page? Along with my smiling face, it displays two books: Connect with Your Kid and Parents Coaching Parents. Parents Coaching Parents is a brief, easy read that explains how one parent...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 1, 2021 | Alcohol, Behavior Change, Drugs, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Teen Driving, Teen Success, Uncategorized
All my writing these days is about how you talk to your child. But parents communicate in other, very powerful ways. When my two sons were small boys, I had never heard the term “parenting.” I knew nothing about techniques or skills that would make me a...
