How to Give Your Teen Advice
Every parent of a teenager knows how tricky giving advice can be sometimes. Teens still need your guidance, but they’re likely to resist receiving it. Psychologist Lisa Damour says, “First, teenagers bring us their problems; second, we earnestly offer suggestions and solutions; and third, teenagers dismiss our ideas as irritating, irrelevant or both.” Sound familiar? […]
Teaching Your Teen How to Have Meaningful Conversations
Teens need real-world connection. Meaningful conversations with others help them find their identity and feel a sense of belonging that’s crucial for mental and emotional health. Teens are famously not always eager to open up, but that’s not because they don’t crave connection. It’s more likely due to a lack of confidence and conversation skills. […]
Why Emotional Regulation is so Important for Teens
The teen years are known for intense emotions with good reason. First, the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain in charge of reasoning, logic and impulse control – is still developing in teens. Second, the hormones that spark puberty’s physical changes also amp up activity in the emotional and reward-seeking centers of the […]
The Benefits of Boredom
How many times have you heard the familiar refrain, “I’m bored!”? If it seems frustratingly frequent these days, you’re not alone. Recent studies have found that the teenage attention span is shrinking. Digital devices promise endless entertainment and connection, but the fast pace and information overload seem to be leading to more boredom, not less. […]
Re-centering with Nature
Time in nature is critical for kids’ mental and emotional health. In the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv cites research connecting a lack of time in nature to attention disorders, obesity, a dampening of creativity, and depression. According to Louv, “Time in nature is not […]
