by Dennis Coates | Jul 8, 2023 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Teen Success
An obvious fact: very young children don’t understand about the future. If they’re 6 years old, they simply can’t conceive of the fact that in a few years they will be in high school. This inability to comprehend their own desired or possible future...
by Dennis Coates | Jun 1, 2023 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Education, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
As i write this, swallows have built a nest above our front entrance way, and the momma and poppa swallows are busy catching bugs and feeding them to their three hatchlings. On occasion, we see three little heads peeking above the rim of the nest. Before long, the...
by Dennis Coates | Jan 22, 2023 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Driving, Teen Success
60 years ago, I drove the family car through the heart of Stuttgart, Germany. No one else was in the car. I was a responsible kid, and I was doing my best to stay safe and arrive home without a mishap. But like every young driver, I had a lot to learn. I was ignorant...
by Dennis Coates | Jan 9, 2023 | Adolescence, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Peer Pressure, Teen Culture, Teen Success, Teen Suicide
Today I read a disturbing article. The truth: the executives of tech companies that create social media don’t care. They not only don’t care if their technologies are addictive, they’re counting on it. They don’t care that vulnerable children...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 7, 2022 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Education, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Strong for Parenting, Teen Success, Work, Youth Athletics
I had the chance to interact with a niece recently, a high school freshman I hadn’t seen in a while. These encounters are rare, since both of us have busy lives and she lives 50 miles away. So I couldn’t help myself. I had to take the opportunity to gift...
by Dennis Coates | Sep 18, 2022 | Adolescence, Critical Thinking, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Parenting Videos, Peer Pressure, Teen Culture, Teen Sex
Some pretty awful things can happen during adolescence. One of these tragedies is an unwanted pregnancy. I believe that parents need to “get real” about the risk that their child could get involved in an unwanted pregnancy. Think about it: At puberty, kids...
