by Dennis Coates | Apr 10, 2015 | Adolescence, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Sex
The book Conversations with the Wise Aunt has a chapter entitled “A Nice Way to Say No,” in which Aunt Maria explains to her niece, Trisha, how boys are different from girls when it comes to attitudes about sex. This brief excerpt is about how a teenage...
by Dennis Coates | Apr 9, 2015 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Rebellion
A few years ago, I had a reunion with some old high school buddies that I hadn’t seen in nearly 50 years. It was an amazing experience and a lot of fun. But I remember one comment my old friend Brian made about me: “Coates, you were always up to something. I...
by Dennis Coates | Apr 8, 2015 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication
I’m just guessing, but it may be true that no teenager in the long history of planet Earth has ever been given “the brain talk,” even though it’s probably some of the most important information a teen can have. Nevertheless, imagine a young...
by Dennis Coates | Apr 8, 2015 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Parent-child Communication, Parenting
Adolescence is a perilous time. This is the period from about age 10 until the early 20s when the prefrontal cortex is going through the critical “use it or lose it” blossoming and pruning process on the way to establishing an individual’s foundation...
by Dennis Coates | Apr 7, 2015 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Parenting, Parenting Books, Rebellion, Teen Culture, Teen Sex, Teen Success
Do you have a teenager in your life? I ask this question a lot these days, because a young person’s developmental experience during the dozen or so years called adolescence has become my passionate interest. I feel fortunate that my life has brought me to my...
