by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Self-Esteem, Teen Success
Fifty years ago, I began my graduate work at Duke University. Although I was an Army captain, a graduate of West Point and the Army Ranger School, and a decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War, my main interest was literature. I was a published poet, I won First...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Parent-child Communication
Many years ago, my business partners asked me to change my behavior. They claimed that I sometimes lashed out at them. When one referred to my behavior as verbally abusive, I became defensive. I thought they were exaggerating. They gave me an example. Once, in a...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Education, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
In many ways, I’m thrilled to put 2020 in my rear-view mirror. The awful Covid-19 pandemic. Also, this was the year my family moved to a new home. It’s a nice home, and that’s the good news. The bad news is that moving was a mentally and physically...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Personal Strength, Self-Esteem, Teen Success
Even though kids are a work-in-progress, their current knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and motivation can lead to more learning and achievement. They may also bring a unique set of core personal strengths, such as patience, self-confidence, persistence, and many...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Education, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Programs, Teen Success
Communicating well is a foundation element of effective parenting. How can you be a parent to your child without communicating? Whenever there are problems between parent and child, ineffective communication is almost always a contributing factor. And yet, when you...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Guest Blog Posts, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Books
Once again, I’m delighted to feature a guest post from Elisabeth Stitt, author of Parenting as a Second Language and esteemed parent coach. Elisabeth is the founder of Joyful Parenting Coaching, which specializes in helping parents understand and communicate...
