by Dennis Coates | Oct 4, 2023 | Parenting
My wife and I once spent a lovely vacation near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. One night I woke up and went to the back porch to look at the stars. I saw them more clearly than at any other time in my life. As I let the reality of the vision sink in, I was filled with awe,...
by Dennis Coates | Sep 24, 2023 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books
Have you ever heard somebody use the term “lean in”? It quickly became common as a business motto in 2013, taken from the title of the book. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, and Nell...
by Dennis Coates | Jul 30, 2023 | Adolescence, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture
A classic conflict: a teenager who is discovering who they are and wanting to be popular is tempted to give in to peer pressure to do things that are ill-advised or even dangerous. It’s the kind of conflict that few teens know how to deal with. Have you tried...
by Dennis Coates | Jul 8, 2023 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Teen Success
An obvious fact: very young children don’t understand about the future. If they’re 6 years old, they simply can’t conceive of the fact that in a few years they will be in high school. This inability to comprehend their own desired or possible future...
by Dennis Coates | Jun 23, 2023 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books
I recently talked with a mom who was discouraged because her attempts to try some new listening techniques hadn’t worked for her. She said they felt strange and she often forgot to use them. So she gave up trying. This is not an uncommon story. And there are...
