by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Alcohol, Drugs, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Blogs, Peer Pressure, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Sex, Teen Success
Teens need to be liked and included by friends. And in all sorts of ways, friends can pressure your child to conform and get involved in what they’re doing. Not all peer pressure is bad. If your child’s friends have good values, they can influence your...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
If you like to read, here’s a good article from the Stanford Children’s Health website about the developing teenage brain. It attempts to explain how teens eventually grow out of thinking emotionally to thinking logically. As the article says, not all...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Parenting, Peer Pressure, Personal Strength, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Suicide
As I write this, I’m aware that these are troubled times. So I was alarmed but not surprised at reports of a rising trend in teen suicide. The CDC says that suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers. The word “unthinkable” comes to...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success, Teen Suicide
Across the street lives a beautiful family: a nine-year-old boy, a four-year-old girl, and parents who spend a lot of time with them outdoors teaching them things. A lot of fun. A lot of love. I’ve enjoyed watching the kids grow up. I sometimes wonder what the...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Encouragement, Inspiring Quotes, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Personal Strength
As I write this, Vladimir Putin has decided that he wants Ukraine to become a part of Russia. The people of Ukraine don’t want this; they want to remain their own nation, separate from Russia. But rather than enter into peaceful relations with Ukraine, Putin has...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books
In Chapter 4 of my book, Connect with Your Kid: Mastering the Top 10 Parent-Child Communication Skills, I place special emphasis on the skill, “Listening to Understand.” The main reasons is that a parent’s ability to listen well is crucial in so many...
