Why Teens Should Start Developing Grit (And How To Build It)
What does the checklist for your teenager’s next few years of high school look like? Chances are it includes good grades, solid SAT or ACT scores, positive social experiences, and rewarding extracurriculars.
But what if that checklist didn’t guarantee your teenager’s success beyond perhaps getting into college? In fact, what if the checklist that perhaps most guaranteed your teenager would grow into a thriving adult looked more like this: Develop grit. Read more ›
Many parents don’t know how best to support their teens, especially when everyone around them seems to be frantically tutoring, managing, and helicoptering. The Parent Compass provides guidance on what parents’ roles should be in supporting their teens’ mental health as they traverse the maze of the adolescent years. 
Teens often feel pressured to set goals and choose the next steps in their education or career, all before graduating from high school. As caring adults, we need to support and guide our teens as they attempt to answer these difficult questions about next steps. 
Though teenagers can be hard to parent, the good news is that parenting teenagers is in many ways a hell of a lot easier than raising little kids. For this to be the case, however, our parenting needs to shift. Here are the three big shifts that parents of teenagers need to make to survive their kids’ adolescence. 
Adolescence can be a confusing time of change for teens and parents alike. But while these years can be difficult, there’s plenty you can do to nurture your teen and encourage responsible behavior. Use these parenting skills to deal with the challenges of raising a teen. 
Teens need to stretch out and cultivate their independence, all while staying connected to us. If their job is to stretch out, our job is to keep them connected. 
We are all different. As parents and caregivers, it’s important to teach our kids how differences enrich our lives and enhance our communities. How can you help them value diversity and see it as a strength? 
In many situations, especially difficult ones, children’s books share messages and teach lessons better than a parent or family member could. This holds especially true when it comes to kids learning about differences ― different races, different religions, different abilities and more. 
Our children receive messages about race all the time – from books, games, movies, television, teachers, family friends and family members, neighbors and neighborhoods, their peers, and from you. They learn from what you say and do, from what you don’t say and don’t do. As adults in the lives of children, we play a crucial role in shaping how and what they learn about race. 
From panic attacks to self-harm, one brave mom shares her story of supporting her daughter with anxiety and depression.
