by Dennis Coates | May 10, 2022 | 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 | Apr 25, 2022 | 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 | Feb 14, 2022 | Adolescent Brain, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parenting, Parenting Books, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Success, Work
The pandemic has been tough on kids. Online classes, more time at home…kids could be excused for spending more time in front of screens. While it’s true that technology has some amazing benefits, there’s this: It’s addictive. The rewards from...
by Dennis Coates | Jul 19, 2021 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Parent-child Communication, Teen Success
Driving home, I saw a young man walking on the sidewalk. Shirtless in the midday sun, he sported a tanned, muscular body. He seemed oblivious to a future consequence: excessive exposure to solar radiation (sunlight) can cause skin cancer. The sight reminded me of a...
by Dennis Coates | Sep 7, 2020 | Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parenting, Parenting Books, Podcasts, Teen Culture
It’s well documented: how kids with growing brains can be adversely affected – for life – by too much screen time. It’s a scary issue for parents, because the new technologies are both amazingly useful and amazingly dangerous. And practically...
by Dennis Coates | Aug 5, 2020 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Health & Nutrition, Parenting Books, Rebellion, Teen Culture, Teen Suicide
As Tom Kersting points out in his new book, Disconnected, kids graduating from college these days are the first generation to experience their entire adolescence while owning a smartphone. As a result, they spend hours a day glued to the small screen while engaged...