by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Health & Nutrition, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Suicide
First, a new word: “esports.” Makes you think that playing video games is a legitimate sport, something like poker, which is featured on ESPN and in the sports sections of most newspapers. So, mom and dad, maybe it’s ok, right? Dozens of small...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescent Brain, Parenting Books, Uncategorized
A “feral child” is one who spent a significant part of early childhood isolated from civilization, often raised by wild animals. A consistent theme of these stories is that the foundlings had no language or social skills, which are normally learned early...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Health & Nutrition, Parenting, Teen Culture, Teen Success
In my posts, “Video Game Addiction and Brain Damage” and “Teen Smartphones and Social Networking – Buyer Beware” I described potential threats to normal teen brain development. If you read these articles, you know there are serious...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Critical Thinking, Health & Nutrition, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture
My doctor asked me if I drink alcohol. I told her I usually have a glass of red wine with dinner and another glass later. She said, “That’s probably OK. The research says red wine has a number of health benefits. Men can drink up to two glasses of red wine...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parenting, Teen Success
My wife and I share a lot in common, but in one interesting way, we are quite different. She drinks a lot of water every day. Wherever she goes, she carries a bottle of filtered water. She’s always hydrated. I, on the other hand, rarely drink water. I’ve...