by Dennis Coates | Jul 5, 2022 | 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 | Nov 1, 2021 | Alcohol, Behavior Change, Drugs, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Teen Driving, Teen Success, Uncategorized
All my writing these days is about how you talk to your child. But parents communicate in other, very powerful ways. When my two sons were small boys, I had never heard the term “parenting.” I knew nothing about techniques or skills that would make me a...
by Dennis Coates | Aug 16, 2020 | Adolescence, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Education, Interviews, Parenting, Peer Pressure, Teen Culture, Teen Sex, Teen Success, Work
One parent I know pushed her child hard to punch all his tickets in high school. He was a smart kid, but lazy. She felt she had to manage him to meet his requirements. His real love was playing video games, so he decided he wanted to be a game programmer. At college,...
by Dennis Coates | Mar 30, 2020 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Education, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Blogs, Peer Pressure, Teen Culture, Teen Success, Work
It seems like yesterday when I published Conversations with the Wise Uncle: The Secret to Being Strong as a Teenager and Preparing for Success as an Adult (First Summit, 2012). Eight years ago! It’s a series of stories about a young boy named Chris and his uncle...
by Dennis Coates | Dec 17, 2019 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Education, Parenting, Personal Strength, Teen Success
I once had a conversation with an intelligent woman about the value of team sports. She said emphatically that the idea that team sports promoted teen development was utter nonsense (not her words) and that team sports promoted aggressiveness and generally callous...
by Dennis Coates | Oct 2, 2019 | Adolescence, Alcohol, Drugs, Education
For years now, instead of saying “Drive safely!” when people I care about are getting into their cars, I tell them, “Watch out for the crazies!” I know, it sounds a little weird. But not really. What I’m referring to are the “other...
