You might have heard of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. It’s about an adolescent girl who commits suicide and the drama that occurs in her high school thereafter. The protagonist is 17-year-old Hannah Baker, who faces bullying, sexual assault, gossip, and betrayal from friends before choosing to end her life. In 13 cassette tapes she records before her suicide, Baker details these traumatic events as the reasons why she

We live in a time of uncertainty. As the COVID-19 crisis spread across the United States, this spring was anything but normal – and the summer does not look like it will be a typical one, either. Most schools remain closed, so many teens won’t return to campus until next fall. And even though some states are reopening their economies and lifting stay-at-home orders, things aren’t quite returning to normal.

“Stop it!” “That’s mine!” “Don’t touch me!” If your day is filled with this kind of bickering among your children, you’re not alone. Sheltering in place has led to rising family tensions in many households. It’s hard to be in close quarters day in and day out, but there’s a silver lining: this is an opportunity to nurture some of our kids’ longest and most important relationships. Without playdates, playgrounds,

With much of the country under stay-at-home orders, the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect every aspect of our daily lives. This is perhaps particularly true for parents of teenagers. Without the structure of a normal school day, you may find that your teenager is bouncing off the walls – or staying up late texting friends, then sleeping until noon. While teens are adjusting to distance learning, many working parents are

Coronavirus is stressful. We get that. It’s annoying that schools are closed. That, if you’re a senior, you won’t get to have a real graduation from high school. Students are missing prom, end-of-the-year trips, birthday parties, and all the other milestone celebrations that COVID-19 has postponed or eliminated. It’s stressful for adolescents not to be able to hang out with their friends or romantic partners, and to deal with all

One of the oldest, most common, and oft-repeated adages you hear when raising or teaching kids is this: They don’t do what you say, they do what you do. Younger kids – and early teens – also tend to think like you think and take the attitudes you take about things happening in the world, like politics, current events, sports, and entertainment. Sure, they have their own tastes, they’re their

One of the most important jobs for a parent is to teach their children how the world works. One of the most important lessons about how the world works is this: you have to play by the rules, or you’ll get in trouble. At home, you get in trouble with your parents. At school, you get in trouble with teachers and principals. And at work, you get in trouble with

If your teen’s birthday is coming up, they’re probably feeling a mixture of emotions right now. They’re excited for their birthday, but they may already feel let down about the party. Or by the fact it’s not happening – at least not the way they wanted it to. COVID-19 social distancing requirements don’t really allow for the party your teen might have wanted, and may have already planned. So how