By now we should all be experts at virtual school. We had a practice run last spring, time to recalibrate over the summer, and then a second shot at virtual school this fall. This article is for families that haven’t quite got the hang of virtual school yet. We understand. Virtual school is not for everyone. For some kids, though, virtual school works great. All they really miss is their
Last year at this time we published an article about New Year’s Resolutions. What we talked about was unconventional, as far as New Year’s resolutions go. We didn’t advise making typical resolutions like learning a new skill, exercising more, being more responsible with money, or losing weight – although we think those are all great resolutions, and if those are the kinds of things you resolved to do last, year,
In our article “What Causes Adolescent Meltdowns? ” we shared that adolescents with oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), conduct disorder, sensory processing disorder, or other behavioral issues can have frequent meltdowns or temper tantrums. So can teens with depression, anxiety, panic disorder, emotion dysregulation, and other mental health issues. Dr. Ilyssa Bass, PhD, an expert on child and
The holidays are finally here. Which means the new year is right around the corner. This means that very soon, we all get to put 2020 behind us, and look forward to a better 2021. We don’t need to reiterate why everyone is excited to turn the page. We know every one of you is tired of hearing the word “unprecedented.” You don’t want to read one more email that
Here’s a scenario parents of teens may be familiar with: Your teen enters the kitchen. You ask them a question. Something innocent. The next thing you know, they erupt. They go into full meltdown mode, their anger off the charts. They yell and scream and slam doors. Maybe they end up crying. You’re left wondering: How did that escalate so quickly? What on earth just happened? To answer that question,
In a recent Ted Talk, grief specialist Kate Atwood spoke about the topic of childhood loss and grief. The statistics on childhood loss are alarming. For example, did you know that one in fourteen children in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent or sibling before they turn eighteen? In some states that number is even one in nine. That makes a total of five million children in
Most parents think meltdowns should only happen during toddlerhood, and – if they last past toddlerhood – they should end by late childhood. Just so we’re on the same page, experts generally agree that toddlerhood happens between ages two and five, and childhood ends at around age twelve. By the time adolescence arrives at age thirteen, most parents think something like this: Shouldn’t temper tantrums be a thing of the
We’ve talked a lot about social media in our blogs and articles. We’ve covered the dangers for teens and the ways it can help teens. Most content about social media and teens focuses on the negative aspects. Facebook. Instagram. Snapchat. Kik. Twitter. AskFM. On all of these sites, teens frequently glorify drugs and alcohol, partying, and other risky behaviors. Even when it’s not promoting unsafe behavior, social media can still
When we think of blended families in the U.S. we often forget we have an iconic example of a blended family that was mainstream, popular, and widely accepted by the public as a new norm in our society – and that was 50 years ago. Can you name the family? If you guessed instantly that I’m talking about the Brady Bunch, we know at least one thing about you. You’re
When parents who aren’t married agree to share the responsibility of raising a child together, it’s called co-parenting. We think of co-parenting duos most often as divorced parents, but they’re not the only types of co-parents. Some unmarried couples have children together, and if they decide to continue raising their children together when they break up, they’re also considered co-parents. There are additional permutations of the co-parenting dynamic: an individual
