by Dennis Coates | Mar 29, 2017 | Adolescence, Alcohol, Drugs, Education, Encouragement, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture, Teen Sex, Teen Suicide, Work
Why would a teenager do something as stupid as engaging in one of the teen challenges, such as binge-drinking, or swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon, or snorting a condom. Quite a few kids have ended up in the hospital and a few have died. Part of the answer is they...
by Dennis Coates | Mar 27, 2017 | Adolescence, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parent-child Communication, Parenting Books, Peer Pressure, Teen Culture, Teen Sex
One evening when I was 14, I was sitting on my bed reading a novel when my mom walked past my door. Then she came back, stood in the door, and asked me, “You know about sex, don’t you?” Her question took me by surprise. I answered, “Uh,...
by Dennis Coates | Jan 26, 2017 | Adolescence, Alcohol, Drugs, Guest Blog Posts, Parenting, Parenting Blogs, Teen Culture
The surveys and statistics bear it out: teens are misusing drugs and alcohol at younger and younger ages. Parents are often unaware that it’s begun, since the warning signs can take time to appear. The physical, emotional and behavioral changes come on gradually. Now...
by Dennis Coates | Jan 24, 2017 | Adolescence, Behavior Change, Education, Guest Blog Posts, Parenting Books, Teen Culture, Teen Suicide
Disconnected, a new book by Thomas Kersting, documents the horrible effects of excessive screen time on children. One of the most insidious technologies is video games, because of its ability to quickly addict the gamer. Here are a few shocking stories excerpted from...
by Dennis Coates | Dec 13, 2016 | Adolescent Brain, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parenting, Peer Pressure, Teen Culture
I recently spoke with a mother of three boys, ages 11, 13 and 15. She told me she and her husband plan to give all three sons video game consoles for Christmas. Of course, they’ll win a lot of “best mom and dad” points with these gifts. She and the father...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 2, 2016 | Adolescence, Guest Blog Posts, Parenting, Peer Pressure, Self-Esteem, Teen Culture
This guest post comes from Mercedes Samudio, LCSW, a parent coach who helps parents achieve dynamic parent/child relationships, ending the shame around parenting and giving parents the confidence to raise healthy children in today’s world. She is a leading parenting...
