by Dennis Coates | Jan 11, 2020 | Adolescent Brain, Behavior Change, Critical Thinking, Education, Parenting Books, Personal Strength, Teen Success, Work
“I was a terrible student,” he said, “always staring out windows or looking at the clock, waiting for class to be over.” From a very early age, the only thing that interested him was excitement, danger, and risk-taking. He considered schoolwork...
by Dennis Coates | Dec 17, 2019 | Adolescence, Adolescent Brain, Alcohol, Critical Thinking, Education, Parenting, Personal Strength, Teen Success
I once had a conversation with an intelligent woman about the value of team sports. She said emphatically that the idea that team sports promoted teen development was utter nonsense (not her words) and that team sports promoted aggressiveness and generally callous...
by Dennis Coates | Nov 26, 2019 | Critical Thinking, Education, Parenting, Teen Success
My wife has an amazing mind. She’s always my first reader for feedback about my work. She catches nearly all mistakes, points out ways to improve my writing, and makes helpful recommendations. I know why she’s so smart. According to her, her mother read to...
by Dennis Coates | Aug 27, 2019 | Adolescent Brain, Critical Thinking, Education, Mentoring, Parent-child Communication, Teen Success
As I was coaching a twelve-year-old girl, I concluded with this summary: “In the future, some of your friends will want you to conform, so you’ll need to stand up for yourself and be the kind of person you want to be.” Her reply: “What do you...
by Dennis Coates | Aug 18, 2019 | Adolescence, Education, Health & Nutrition, Parent-child Communication, Teen Success
Getting a driver license is a rite of passage. Because of the way a vehicle empowers independence and how the license amounts to a badge of maturity, many teens look forward to this certification. And you want them – maybe you need them – to be able to...
by Dennis Coates | Aug 12, 2019 | Behavior Change, Education, Encouragement, Inspiring Quotes, Parenting, Personal Strength, Teen Success, Youth Athletics
Here’s a quote worth reading and thinking about, from Frank Martin, head coach of the South Carolina men’s basketball team: “You know what makes me sick to my stomach? When I hear grown people say that kids have changed. Kids haven’t changed....
