by Dennis Coates | Feb 6, 2018 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Education, Health & Nutrition, Interviews, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Videos, Teen Sex
After puberty, every normal child will develop the ability to procreate, which includes this necessary element: sexual desire. This is a good thing for the young person and the human species; but the physical changes and new feelings aren’t easy for an adolescent to...
by Dennis Coates | Jan 8, 2018 | Adolescence, Critical Thinking, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Self-Esteem
During the first 12 years, you may have enjoyed a close, affectionate relationship with your child. But after puberty, things change. Your child wants to put early childhood in the past, and the push for self-definition and independence begins. The older teens get,...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 27, 2017 | Adolescence, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Sex
As I write this, it seems as if the news reports a new story of high-profile sexual misconduct every day. A few days ago, a story of over 180 sexual assaults by therapists employed by the spa chain, Massage Envy. Yesterday, Matt Lauer is fired by NBC. Today, Garrison...
by Dennis Coates | Oct 4, 2017 | Parent-child Communication
The past, the present, and the future. Here are some things to keep in mind. The past doesn’t exist. Once you’ve experienced something, that moment is lost forever, except as a stored memory. Also, the images you’ve stored in memory are likely to be...
by Dennis Coates | Sep 18, 2017 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Fitness, Health & Nutrition, Parent-child Communication, Peer Pressure, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Sex, Work, Youth Athletics
What is self-esteem, anyway? Why is it important to a growing child? Why does it turn out to be a tough issue? What can parents do to nurture stronger self-esteem? Physically, I was a late-bloomer. When I was a freshman in high school, I was the shortest boy in my...
by Dennis Coates | Aug 31, 2017 | Adolescence, Education, Parent-child Communication, Peer Pressure, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture
How much wisdom did you have when you were 13? What did you know? More to the point, what insights about life – which could have helped you a lot back then – wouldn’t come until much later? I was always considered the smartest kid in my class. I took...
