Yshai's new book, Staying Connected With Your Teen, is out now!
Few things are more difficult for parents than watching their capable teen appear apathetic and disinterested in things that they should care about. I know it can be a helpless feeling but I’ve got a few suggestions that might help. Why Intelligent Teens Make Irrational Choices Thanks to recent advances in neuroscience, we now know…
A lot of the advice and information we receive as parents is based on an assumption that all kids are born as blank slates, and differences in behavior and performance are based solely on parenting and environment. If our child is doing well, this assumption makes us feel great about ourselves as parents. If they’re…
Do you remember the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials? They’re surprisingly touching and sweet. One of them portrays a young horse entering a barn where it spots an unattended carriage. In an attempt to seize the moment, it steps into the oversized harness. This naive yet determined young horse tries to push the carriage forward with all…
Elliot Waksman specializes in sports psychology with kids and teens and offers this great guest post with advice about how to help your child be successful in sports (or anything for that matter) regardless of whether a trophy is involved. Detested by some, celebrated by others, participation trophies have become a hot topic. Some parents…
I hope you’ve been having a wonderful summer. If you’re like most of the families I’ve been seeing lately, you’re probably starting to think about school. This is a good time to start thinking and talking about hopes, expectations and challenges that may come up in the fall. Most parents I talk to struggle with…
Now that marijuana is legal, it’s more important than ever to have conversations with your teen or preteen and make it clear about your values and approach with this issue. I want to provide you with some guidance to help you do that. Teen pot usage over the past few years has remained relatively flat.…
Does this sound familiar? Parent: “You’re grounded and I’m taking away your phone.” Teen: “That’s ridiculous.” Parent: “Maybe you’ll think next time before doing something so stupid!” Teen: “Maybe you’ll learn how to stop being a controlling psycho.” Parent: “You really are a spoiled brat!” Teen: “You’re a terrible parent, that’s why my friends don’t…
You may not be surprised to hear me tell you that a lot of teens today are taking longer to “grow up”. This despite the fact that today’s teens are highly intelligent, conscientious, capable and even eager to take on more responsibility. Yes, even yours. But when a 15 year-old can’t do her own laundry,…
What does adolescence really mean, anyways? Do you know? To be honest, I didn’t always have a clear idea. I would often think of it synonymously with “the teen years.” When you think of this period, what comes to mind? How many negative adjectives are popping up right now? Most people seem to describe this…
Teens today may be the most stressed out and anxious cohort ever. The American Psychological Association conducted a large stress survey a couple years ago. On a scale of 1 to 10, teens reported their
