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, Critical Thinking, Parent-child Communication, Teen Success
It happens on a regular basis. Someone you know – a friend, a spouse, a child, a co-worker – will come to you frustrated because he’s having problems. If you’re in a hurry and if you have superior experience and wisdom, maybe you can make the...
by Dennis Coates | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Health & Nutrition, Parenting, Teen Culture, Teen Success
In my posts, “Video Game Addiction and Brain Damage” and “Teen Smartphones and Social Networking – Buyer Beware” I described potential threats to normal teen brain development. If you read these articles, you know there are serious...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Encouragement, Parenting, Teen Success
My wife and I share a lot in common, but in one interesting way, we are quite different. She drinks a lot of water every day. Wherever she goes, she carries a bottle of filtered water. She’s always hydrated. I, on the other hand, rarely drink water. I’ve...
by Dennis Coates | Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Education, Encouragement, Personal Strength, Programs, Teen Success
In my first draft of the above title, the word “Underprivileged” appeared before “Kids.” But the game I’m talking about is chess, which can help make any kid smarter, not just at-risk kids or kids from low-income families. That’s...
