A cultural shift is occurring in the rapid escalation of teenagers who do not identify with their assigned gender, that is, with the gender they are born with. Even a decade or two ago gender identity issues among teens were rarely discussed at all, so parents may be ill-equipped to handle a teen gender identity […]
As adults, we have enough miles on our tires to realize the importance of having a healthy self-esteem. We know that to succeed in our careers, or any endeavor we care about, we need a positive sense of self-worth that will fuel our efforts. Our self-esteem is essential to how we present ourselves to the […]
Parents will go to great lengths to give their kids the best childhood experience they can. They make sacrifices to ensure their child is able to go to the best schools available or to live in a safe neighborhood. They cook nutritious meals and limit the child’s exposure to technology. They enroll the child in […]
Although it is widely agreed upon that the teen years are a particularly challenging chapter of life, teenage issues today seem to be of a more serious nature than in generations past. Generation Z, those ages 4-24, are grappling with a rapidly shifting culture mainly due to the acceleration of technological advances. While technology can […]
Raising teenagers is not for the feint of heart. It is rife with so many challenges, that it might be tempting to take advantage of any tool that might alleviate a source of worry or stress. So when it comes to monitoring your teen for potential drug or alcohol use, it is a no brainer […]
When a child is hurting, parents hurt, too. Nothing is more painful to a parent than witnessing their teen in emotional pain. Teenage depression is real. This condition differs from occasional bouts of the blues caused by an upsetting event or a hormonal shift, which tend to be transient events that resolve spontaneously. Clinically diagnosed […]
In the wake of a spate of new mass shootings, our nation is mystified as to why these (mostly) young male shooters are triggered to inflict such carnage on humanity. Discussion centers around mental illness, political motivations, and the availability of automatic weapons as possible explanations for the spike in these violent acts. But more […]
Like a magnet, teenagers, and even kids as young as the 8-12 year-old “tween” cohort, have always shown a mysterious attraction to alcohol. So, if you are a parent of an adolescent, it is highly likely that your child might have already been introduced to alcohol. Whether this occurred at a family celebration or a […]
Let’s face it, human beings are prone to fibs, embellishments and fabrications, and little white lies. Some are even blatant liars. Lying is just one of many human foibles that we grapple with in our fallen nature. But when it’s our kids who tell lies, well now that takes on a whole different sense of […]
Slammed doors and angry outbursts may be just typical behavior that goes along with the highly combustible teenage years. Teens are transitioning from being completely dependent on parents as children toward the autonomy found in adulthood. This is a developmental phase fraught with supercharged emotions, including acting out in anger. But when does “typical” teenage […]
