by Dennis Coates | Jan 2, 2022 | 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 | Nov 1, 2021 | Alcohol, Behavior Change, Drugs, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Teen Driving, Teen Success, Uncategorized
All my writing these days is about how you talk to your child. But parents communicate in other, very powerful ways. When my two sons were small boys, I had never heard the term “parenting.” I knew nothing about techniques or skills that would make me a...
by Dennis Coates | Oct 18, 2021 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Programs, Teen Success
A common consequence of parenting an adolescent child: the alienated teen. It’s natural for a growing child to seek more independence. After all, becoming an adult and creating a happy, successful life of their own is the goal. But you want your child to remain...
by Dennis Coates | Sep 27, 2021 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Education, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Teen Success
The book, Connect with Your Kid, is a how-to manual for improving the 10 most important parent-child communication skills. And listening to understand is at the top of the list, for several reasons: When your child is trying to express something, you need to hear it....
by Dennis Coates | Aug 9, 2021 | 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 | Jun 25, 2021 | Adolescence, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Books, Strong for Parenting, Teen Success
Helping a young human being grow up to be a happy, successful, and independent adult has to be the hardest thing you can do. People are astoundingly complex; even kids are complex, growing more so year by year until they leave home. And yet, few parents have had the...
