Who are you going to be with? Where are you going? When will you be home? The who, what, where, when, and whys we asked were the hallmarks of caring, active, involved parents. But the strategy didn’t work as well as hoped.
We need to build the kind of relationship where being honest makes sense. The way we listen, tells teens they are free to talk. Controlling our reactions, tells them they can talk without fear of being judged. Read more ›
Most parents are keenly aware of the dangers of vaping. After decades of decline in teen smoking, nicotine is again finding its way to teens and young adults. Among youth, a primary appeal of e-cigarettes, like Juuls, is the fact that they can keep their smoking private. Unlike stinky cigarettes, vape devices emit nearly odorless vapor, and they’re small and easily concealed. Read more ›
In elementary school, it’s common to have social and emotional lessons built into the curriculum, and the research shows that they have a strong, positive impact on student outcomes and school climate. But a 2019 survey of 15,000 K–12 teachers and 3,500 principals confirms what many probably suspect—that by the time kids reach high school, standalone SEL lessons are rare. Read more ›
Positive social connections with people at all stages in life help ensure healthy development, physically, socially, and emotionally. As children transition to adolescence and start to spend less time with parents and siblings, friendships with peers become an increasingly important source of these social connections. Read more ›
Adolescence is a time of enormous change, physically, emotionally and socially. It is a difficult time for many parents. Young people say that they WANT to talk to their parents about sexuality, especially about values and relationships. They believe their parents’ opinion is important and they would like to be able to go to them when they have questions. If parents show they are open and willing to talk about these topics, teens will ask. Read more ›
Every parent of a teen has experienced it: that rare moment when your teen opens up and shares information with you about his or her life. It’s a joy.
But every parent also knows that much of the time, talking to a teen can be a bit of a struggle. In fact, parents often think that teens don’t listen and what a parent says doesn’t matter. Read more ›
Young women ages 13 and up should be screened for anxiety at routine visits, according to a new Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI) recommendation. Read more ›
While the number of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits across the nation has remained stable over the last 10 years, visits for mental health disorders have risen 60% and the rate of visits for deliberate self-harm have increased 329%. Read more ›
By seventh grade, Zachary Nimmo had meticulously mapped out his future to the tiniest detail — take every engineering course offered at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, attend Las Positas Community College for two years, transfer to Cal Poly to earn an engineering degree, then move to Seattle. His friends called him a hybrid — an excellent soccer and lacrosse athlete and a self-proclaimed geek — passionate about computers, coding and comic books. But something started to change in eighth grade, and his parents were concerned with his darkening behavior. Read more ›
