Teen Suicide: What do parents need to know?

This week, Parenthetical is posting an article focused on the tough topic of teen suicide. This article provides parents with critical information on teen suicide, as well as important suggestions and resources to help support teens …

Forgiveness Firsts: How to Prepare for Forgiveness

This week’s Parenthetical post is one of two in a Parenthetical forgiveness series summarizing many of the concepts presented by Dr. Bob Enright of the International Forgiveness Institute during his Forgiveness Seminar at the University …

If I can’t vote, does my voice count? How teens can make a political difference.

 American politics remain a hot topic of conversation in many homes across the nation. Although teenagers may not be of voting age just yet, they are showing increased motivation to join the debate. This week’s …

Tackling the Tough Topic of Pornography with Your Teen

When I was growing up it was common for boys like myself to seek out and share sexually-themed pictures. It usually took some effort to find them. The easiest sources were National Geographic and the …

Talking about terrorism and mass violence with teens: What can parents do?

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”― Fred Rogers I …

The Diverging Paths of Parents and Teens

We usually think of the teen years as a period of major changes in our children. Often overlooked is the fact that parents are also experiencing significant changes of their own. One of the things …

Fighting the fair fight: How to constructively disagree with your teen

Occasional fights and disagreements with your teen are pretty much the norm for most families. While such conflicts can be annoying and emotionally draining they can also be beneficial, especially if you understand the reasons …

Protecting Your Teen from the National Alcohol Crisis

Alcohol abuse and excessive consumption has been declared a national health problem by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The issue has been identified because excessive alcohol consumption costs 88,000 lives in the U.S each …

Wise Parenting, Pt. 4: Expanding our perspective

Today’s post is the fourth in a multi-part series on Wise Parenting. Each post focuses on one of six principles for parenting wisely: 1) Stay cool, calm and reflective, 2) Frame the problem appropriately, 3) Aim …