“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 …
Health
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 …
Burning Out: Adults Who Work With Youth Feel Stress Too
In the past, Parenthetical has focused on why parental self-care is important and what it can look like in practice. This week we’re extending the self-care conversation to teachers and practitioners who work with youth …
Supporting Adolescents in a Rapidly Changing World
The world has changed a lot since most of us were teens and even more from the days when our parents were growing up. Not surprisingly, these changes have also transformed the experience of living …
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 …
Talking with Your Teen about Abusive Dating Relationships
Teen Dating Violence: what is it and how can you address it with your teen? In recent years, stories about professional sports figures’, movie stars’ and famous singers’ involvement in domestic violence have been in the …
Handing over the Keys: Helping teens become safe drivers
Learning to drive is an important rite of passage for most teens. It offers them greater freedom, reduces their dependence on parents and can provide new opportunities to pursue extracurricular activities, part-time jobs and time …
Supporting Speaking Up: Helping Your Teen Self-Advocate
Previously, we’ve encouraged parents to promote youth self-advocacy when it comes to seeking support for their learning and development. In fact, the idea of self-advocacy, or speaking up for yourself and making decisions about your …
Your Child is Dating. Congratulations?
Teenage dating is a rite of passage for parents and teens. Gone are the days of meeting the date in your living room. Now, young adults “hangout” or “hook-up” at all of the places you …