by Dennis Coates | Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Encouragement, Mentoring, Parenting Books, Teen Success, Work
First, here’s what I mean by “smart.” One long-accepted understanding of “smart” involves acquiring knowledge: learning facts and basic principles. This is the primary business of middle school and high school. Kids understand this...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Drugs, Parenting, Parenting Books, Personal Strength, Teen Culture, Teen Success, Uncategorized
I recently had breakfast with some friends who have a graduating high school senior. He’s a great kid who wants to be a speech therapist and has been accepted into the right university for that training. Also, I pointed out that in addition to this wonderful...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Inspiring Quotes, Parenting, Parenting Books, Strong for Parenting, Teen Culture
Caring parents who consider the advice of experts are on a journey to “get better” at raising well-adjusted adults who succeed in life and work. But it’s not easy. It’s not supposed to be easy. The culture is working against you – the...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescent Brain, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Encouragement, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Teen Success
Every parent I’ve ever met hopes their teen will grow up to be a capable, successful adult, even though we all have seen instances of the opposite. Realistically, wonderful things can happen during the second dozen years of growing up. For example, a teen can: Become...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Encouragement, Parenting Books, Teen Success
I recently had a conversation with a local physician. Happily, we didn’t talk about my health. Instead, he spoke enthusiastically about his three children, two boys and a girl, all of whom have left home. He told me something unbelievable about them: all three...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescent Brain, Behavior Change, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books
People sometimes ask me, “What’s your favorite book about parenting?” It’s a good question, because there are hundreds of parenting books to choose from. But for me, it’s not a hard question. At the top of my list of favorites is Get the...
