by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Encouragement, Inspiring Quotes, Parenting
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” I love this quote. For me, this plea for compassion hits home more than any other quote on the subject. It’s often attributed to Plato, but it comes from Ian Maclaren, 19th-century Scottish...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Self-Esteem, Teen Success
It’s true that when you came into this world, most of your situation was beyond your control. You didn’t get to choose the time in history you would appear or the place where you would grow up. You didn’t get to choose your parents or other members of your family. You...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Mentoring, Parenting, Teen Culture, Teen Success
About the teen brain, I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. Nearly every adult I talk to these days has heard about the teen brain. Fifteen years ago, this was not the case. At the turn of the century, the fact that the prefrontal cortex (PFC)...
by Dennis Coates | Parent-child Communication
The past, the present, and the future. Here are some things to keep in mind. The past doesn’t exist. Once you’ve experienced something, that moment is lost forever, except as a stored memory. Also, the images you’ve stored in memory are likely to be...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Interviews, Podcasts, Teen Success
I recently had a fascinating discussion about the adolescent brain with parent coach Andrea Zacharias. If you want to know more about what I do and think about every day, listen in! We talked about my new book: How Your Teen Can Grow a Smarter Brain. More...
