Letter to an Injured Student Athlete

You are not alone. Did you know that, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, high school students account for an estimated 2 million injuries each year? Although this statistic is a fact, I know you may “feel” alone. Other feelings that may be surfacing for you are fear, sadness, anger, guilt and disappointment. These feelings can be frowned upon often by coaches, classmates and even parents. I want you to know that these feelings are absolutely normal and you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t feel them at times.

Talking With Your Teen About Porn: 7 Tips for Having the Conversation(s), Part 1 of 2

We’ve spent plenty of time in prior blogs discussing whether or not porn use merits a conversation with your teen; and addressing common barriers to having this conversation; and offering suggestions as you prepare yourself for the conversation. Finally…you are ready to talk! Here are the first 3 of 7 great tips to keep in mind when you have your conversation.

Signs Of Mental Illness in Your College Student

Mental illness can go undiagnosed and untreated in college students, but can have a significant and negative impact on a college student’s functioning; this blog discusses early signs of mental illness in college students.

Helping Your Teen Scale Back Media Time

Teens have more access today to social media, entertainment, and information than ever before, through multiple platforms such as mobile media, the Internet and computers. All this technology is pointing toward more negative effects teens report experiencing. This blog discusses the impact of access to media on adolescent well-being and tips for parents to limit media consumption at home.

Talking with Your Teen About Porn: Overcoming the Barriers, Part 3 of 3

So, you suspect that your teen is viewing pornography. You feel like maybe you should have a conversation about that. Here we discuss the third of 3 common barriers parents face when wanting to having this important conversation. Barrier 3: “My son (or daughter) doesn’t want to hear anything from me about sex. Period. End of discussion.”

Supporting your child through their first year of college.

A young adult’s first semester of college, especially if they’re living outside the home, can be fraught with complications, excitement and challenges. Most teens and families are under equipped to deal with all the areas of transition that come with a teen starting college. There are a lot of moving pieces that come with starting college, and this blog seeks to provide a few tips to keep in mind as a teen starts college for the first time.

Homework, procrastination and the teenage brain.

It turns out, your child’s lack of time management might have less to do with laziness or forgetfulness and more to do with how their adolescent brain is developing. Complex cognitive tasks (like planning to complete a long-term or complicated school project) are primarily carried out in a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain begins rapidly developing during adolescence. It doesn’t reach full maturation until the early to mid-twenties.

Family Time: Quality vs. Quantity

For many families, schedules start to get busier this time of year. Not only is school starting back up, but so are all of the extracurricular activities that come along with it. Between football practice, piano lessons, AP exams and parents’ increased work schedules, the coming of the school year often means less quality time spent together for many families.

Starting Senior Year Off Right

Your teen’s senior year of high school is full of many experiences and emotions–it can be easy to allow the events, activities and pressures of your teen’s 12th grade year dominate your family’s lives. This blog suggests a few tips for families and siblings to keep stress at bay during their 12th grader’s senior year!