by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books
To be the best listener you can be, I believe you need two, closely related skills: active listening and empathy. I learned active listening in 1976, and I’ve been practicing it and writing about it ever since. The core skill in active listening is to check what...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Strong for Parenting
You may have heard it said that “Few people are good listeners.” While this may ring true, I know you’d like to be a better listener for your teen. The benefits to your relationship are enormous. What you find out! The amazing way it strengthens the...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
These days, parents hear a lot about the “teen brain” in the popular media. The message is that the “prefrontal cortex” (PFC), the area of the brain in charge of controlling impulses, is still under construction – that this a big reason...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Critical Thinking, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Teen Success
In another article, I made the point that to prepare for the significant challenges of adult life, a child has to learn a lot more than what is taught in school. Among other things, wisdom. When I grew up, I was fairly smart in school, making straight A’s every...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting
Compliments. Praise. Recognition. Affirmation. Gratitude. Appreciation. Positive feedback. Positive strokes. Pats on the back. Constructive feedback. Good stuff! Unfortunately, most of the feedback we give our kids is negative. You know – CRITICISM. When...
by Dennis Coates | Guest Blog Posts, Parent-child Communication, Parenting
Thanks to Maureen Denard at FindaNanny.net for this guest post. The adolescent years can stress a parent-child relationship. This article has several practical ideas for helping the bond to grow stronger. In a world where there never seems to be enough time to get...
