Should Parents Really Trust Teenage Children?

Most parents feel like adolescence is the most difficult to stage to navigate, though a handful of parents actually prefer this stage above all others. The mind of a teenager is certainly a mysterious place, and their behavior often sends the parents running for the hills – or indulging in a very infrequent homicidal fantasy. Parents of all demographics who felt anxious and frustrated during their kids’…

Exercise Does a Body – and a Mind – Good for Adolescence

Exercise is not just good for physical health. Daily physical activity can also boost our mental health. 1. Self-image Physical activity has positive effects on body weight and body structure, leading to positive feedback from peers and improved self-image, and ultimately improving mental health. Adolescents who were physically inactive or who perceived their bodies as either “too fat” or “too thin” were at greater risk…

What is Boredom?

We have all experienced boredom.  Sitting in a class where the teacher is droning on about a topic you don’t care about, you may find yourself daydreaming or staring at a clock that doesn’t seem to be moving.  Waiting for a delayed flight to take off at the airport, you may search in vain for something to distract you.  What is boredom? Boredom is unpleasant…

How Your Cell Phone Hurts Your Relationships

Do you find yourself constantly checking your cellphone while you’re out with others? Most of us are no stranger to this scenario:  A group of friends sits down to a meal together, laughing, swapping stories, and catching up on the news – but not necessarily with the people in front of them!  Nowadays, it’s not unusual to have one’s phone handy on the table, easily within reach…

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Depressed

According to new data recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, teenage girls suffer from depression at a rate that is nearly three times that of boys their age. As if that weren’t bad enough- between the ages of 12 and 15 the percentage of girls struggling with depression triples. 1. Experience the onset of their periods First, many girls have by the…

10 Areas of Parenting Competencies And Skills That Predicted Child Positive Outcome

Good parenting has almost nothing to do with how much time you’ve spent painting backdrops for the school play or how many instruments your child plays or how much breast milk your kid sucked down. Robert Epstein Ph.D., a Harvard-trained psychologist and founder of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies identified 10 areas of parenting competencies or skills that either routinely predicted child outcomes (health, happiness, success)…

Back To School – Bullying And The Gifted

Why the gifted may be more likely to be bullied–and what you can do about it. For many gifted students, there is a more severe and serious issue that threatens them the first days and weeks of school.  Many of the students I see in my position have described it this way: they don’t really “belong” that they are merely “floating along” as the year progresses, not…

10 Non-Secrets To Happiness

Happiness is not an exit off the freeway. The only way to reach this destination is to look within yourself. Here are a few tools that may help you find your way. Think of them as a Happiness GPS. 1.    Be easily amused. People who laugh and smile are happier and usually live longer than people who lack a sense of humor. 2.    Don’t dwell on the negative.  If…

Back To School : Parent Tips For Children With Autism

School districts throughout the country will soon welcome back students for a new academic year. This includes an increasing number of special needs children identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The beginning of a new school year is an exciting yet anxious time for both parents and children. It typically brings a change in the daily routine established over the summer months. This transition can…