Connecting With Your Preteen
Staying connected as kids approach the teen years and become more independent may become a challenge for parents, but it’s as important as ever — if not more so now. Read more ›
Parenting
How to Talk to Your Kids About the Situation in Ukraine
written by Liza Bennigson, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Last night, my daughter snuck upstairs to say (another) goodnight as I was curled up on the couch, watching the news. While I did manage to quickly hide my secret chocolate stash under a throw blanket, I didn’t pause the TV in time to prevent her from the jarring sight of families desperately fleeing a bombed out apartment building in Ukraine. She looked at me, panic-stricken. “Are we in a war?” she asked. She’s nine, and I didn’t know what to say. Read more ›
The Teen Brain: What Are They Thinking?
Our brains develop from the back to the front. The prefrontal cortex — important for impulse control, managing emotions, planning, organization and finishing tasks — is the last to develop, and is not fully mature until our mid-twenties. How does this impact teen behavior and decision making and how can parents make sure we still matter? Read more ›
How to Talk to Kids About Gender
Discussing gender can help kids feel more confident in themselves and supported by their parents and caregivers, says Dr. Christy Olezeski, director of Yale’s pediatric gender program, which helps people ages three to 25 who are grappling with questions about their gender. Read more ›
Affirming, Gender-Expansive Children’s Books
When is the right time to talk to children about gender identity and gender expression? Children internalize messages about gender from a very young age, so it’s never too early to start.
If you’re feeling unsure about how navigate these conversations, you’re not alone. One way to begin to explore the topic is through books. Read more ›
How Does The Teenage Brain Make Decisions?
Teenagers often make risky choices that appear absurd in the eyes of their parents. But neuroscientist Adriana Galván says these decisions are critical for adolescent brain development.
Read more ›
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
Between the ages of 12 and 24, the brain changes in important, and oftentimes maddening, ways. It’s no wonder that many parents approach their child’s adolescence with fear and trepidation.
According to renowned neuropsychiatrist Daniel Siegel, if parents and teens can work together to form a deeper understanding of the brain science behind all the tumult, they will be able to turn conflict into connection and form a deeper understanding of one another. Read more ›
The Adolescent Brain [video]
Perhaps you’ve heard that adolescent behavior is governed by “raging hormones,” or that adolescents are impulsive because they are “immature.” Neither of those are accurate. What is actually on is the remodeling in the brain. In this engaging 4-minute video, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine Dan Siegel, M.D., dispels myths about the adolescent brain. Read more ›
The Evolutionary Advantage of the Teen Brain
Teens. OMG. What on earth is going on inside their brains to make them act so, well, like crazy teenagers?
The mood swings, the fiery emotions, the delusions of immortality, all the things that make a teenager a teenager might just seem like a phase we all have to put up with. However, research increasingly shows that the behaviors of teenagers aren’t just there to annoy parents, they serve a real evolutionary purpose. Read more ›
Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Many parents do not understand why their teenagers occasionally behave in an impulsive, irrational, or dangerous way. At times, it seems like teens don’t think things through or fully consider the consequences of their actions. Adolescents differ from adults in the way they behave, solve problems, and make decisions. Read more ›
