by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Education, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Success
I often reflect on what my life was like as a kid. My early childhood happened in the 50’s and my adolescence happened in the 60’s. It was, I think, a typical lower-middle class upbringing. I had five brothers and two sisters and a father and mother who...
by Dennis Coates | Education, Encouragement, Parenting
Photo of Tywi Forest in Wales by Roger Kidd Fresh air! Today is a cool, sunny day and the air I breathe is delicious. Of course I’m not conscious of this all the time. But my diaphragm works to fill my lungs with air several times a minute, whether I think about...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Success
While each of the ten high-impact parent-child communication skills described in Connect with Your Kid are amazingly effective, their power magnifies greatly when used in combination. Without question, my favorite one-two combo is open-ended questions to encourage...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Books, Teen Success
The last time you visited my website, did you notice the banner at the top of the page? Along with my smiling face, it displays two books: Connect with Your Kid and Parents Coaching Parents. Parents Coaching Parents is a brief, easy read that explains how one parent...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Rebellion, Strong for Parenting, Teen Success
Trying to conserve on electricity, you ask the family to turn off lights when leaving a room that they don’t plan to return to soon. But most of the time your son/daughter forgets to do this simple thing. You remind them and they agree to try harder. But when...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Education, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Success
What if you had great communication skills? Some parents do! But most don’t. When parents connect in ways that strengthen the bond with their child, kids are more open to parental guidance and wisdom. Most parents struggle with this. Learning powerful communication...
