Marijuana (and/or other marijuana products (e.g., edibles, hash-oil, “dabs”)) is the most commonly used illegal drug among teens in the U.S., and recent surveys indicate that it is now more popular than cigarettes. However, teenagers …
Risky Behaviors
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Wise Parenting, Part 2: What’s the Problem?
Today’s post is the second 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 …
Myths about Bullying
Bullying is certainly not new. Every generation has its trademark story or movie about the horrors of bullying. For a colleague and I, the 80’s movie My Bodyguard immediately sprung to mind when we …
When you don’t approve of your child’s friends
Peers are an important part of the teenage years. As parents, our teens’ transition to greater reliance on peers can be tricky to navigate. This week on Parenthetical we are talking about the ways in which …
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 …