by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Personal Strength, Strong for Parenting
The other day I was sitting in the waiting area of my dental clinic, along with seven other people. One of them was a woman in her mid-30s who was holding a small dog in her lap. I was amazed at how quiet and well-behaved the dog was. But a dog in a dental clinic? How...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Strong for Parenting, Teen Culture, Teen Sex
Eventually, your teen may want to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Most parents become concerned at this point because these relationships are new, and their child may be feeling natural sexual urges and want to explore. Of course, the consequences of teen sex could...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Education, Encouragement, Parenting, Parenting Books, Self-Esteem, Strong for Parenting
Life is challenging, for kids as well as adults. It takes character strength to deal with these challenges, to do the right things, the hard things. Character strength comes from dozens of behavior patterns that people form throughout life. And these behavior patterns...
by Dennis Coates | Parenting, Parenting Books, Personal Strength, Strong for Parenting, Teen Suicide
You’ve probably heard it said that being a parent is the hardest job in the world. Children are a joy, but they surprise you and challenge you to do things you didn’t know you’d ever have to do. Often just getting through a day can be a major achievement. You have to...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Critical Thinking, Parent-child Communication, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Strong for Parenting
I was in a hurry to get home, but so were many other people in rush hour traffic. I had to wait in line to turn right and then immediately I had to wait in a long line at a stoplight. When the light turned green, the car in front of me didn’t move. The driver...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Education, Parenting, Strong for Parenting, Teen Culture, Teen Success, Youth Athletics
Heman Bekele is a 14-year-old boy who won First Prize in 3M’s Young Scientist’s Challenge for working to create an affordable soap that could treat skin cancer. Read more about him here… As a young man, he wasn’t focused on being popular. He...
