Teenagers have a thousand and one reasons to be shy. Their bodies, brains, and personalities are changing at a rapid pace. You can see it yourself. One day your twelve-year-old daughter is all about Hello Kitty, the next day she’s all about Avril Lavigne. She goes from Power Puff Girl pink to ripped jeans and black t-shirts with skulls in the blink of an eye. The elaborate dinosaur dioramas give

Routines, Rituals, and Families: Staying Grounded There’s an interesting paradox that’s central to teaching and parenting. In order to do either one effectively, it’s important to keep kids interested in what’s going on by offering new takes on old lessons, inventing fun ways to do mundane things, and finding fresh approaches to regular daily activities. In short, to keep kid’s attention, you always have to be ready to change it

Adolescence is a challenging time for almost all teenagers. Puberty launches their bodies and brains into a radical series of changes during this pivotal transition from youth to adulthood. Powerful new hormones course through their bloodstream as the part of their brain responsible for rational decision-making and impulse control – the prefrontal cortex – develops the capacity to manage the intense drive to seek out new experiences, feel new sensations,

A recent article in the Washington Post written by parenting journalist and survivor-of-the-teen-years mom Kathryn Streeter discusses some common mistakes parents make when raising teens. We found the article full of good, solid advice, but we’re going to reframe the content in much the same way a therapist might teach a teen to do during a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) session. The original title of the article is “Seven Mistakes

Question: Should teenagers go trick-or-treating on Halloween, or are they too old for it? For most people in the U.S. the debate is open. The answer clearly depends on the teen, what their actual plans are, and the group of friends they’re planning to celebrate the holiday with. In the state of Virginia, though, there are several towns where the question is not up for debate: trick or treating for