If you found out your teen daughter was experiencing pressure from the cool kids to "hook up" with boys, would you encourage her to go along in order to be well-liked? I admit, it's a silly question. Of course you wouldn't. The many risks are life-altering, with no...
I've lived long enough to be aware of the sometimes remarkable paths that lives take. When I was a West Point cadet, my activities and achievements were quite a bit different from my high school experience. I know the same was true of my classmates. For example, a...
"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 pointless, and...
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 her while...
It's hard enough managing everything in a life - home, meals, bills, etc. Add to that being exhausted from a stressful job or raising kids. Or both! And further, add to that the pain of frustration, disappointment, or discouragement when your child doesn't do what's...
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 mean by 'in the future'?"...
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 drive...
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. Kids don't know anything...
This weekend we're headed to Corpus Christie to celebrate our niece's wedding. Since our go-to cat sitter isn't available, we found a 15-year-old young man who wanted the job. He came to our home to be briefed, and I had a chance to talk with him. Me - "School starts...
I know several parents whose child is fast approaching adolescence. Even raising a sweet child can be difficult in many ways, but after puberty the challenges change. Middle school-aged children don't want to be treated like sweet little kids anymore. Far from being...