Parenting a teenager can be tricky, and you'll soon learn that "typical teenage behavior" varies from day to day. Teens are under a lot of pressures at home, at school, and within their friend groups, and these growing pains can lead to a whole complicated set of emotions. It can [...]
As you read this brief list, don’t think “I do this.” or “I don’t do this” but rather “How well do I meet this need in the young people in my life?” “What is one thing I can do, one shift I can make to do better [...]
Listen to the Podcast Episode Because every teen is different and every family is different, it's tough to suggest hard and fast rules. For almost every tip I offer, I can usually think of several teens and families who don’t fit in that category or for whom that [...]
In the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, children, teenagers, and even twenty-somethings are beset by record rates of anxiety and depression. And finally, after decades (if not centuries) of keeping mental illness behind closed doors, adults are finally talking about these issues openly. And now, many parents are [...]
Today's teenagers expect and demand authenticity from parents and other adults who want to be in relationship with them. This principle, like so many things in my life, I learned the hard way. One Summer while in grad school, I taught catechism classes to a group of 13 year old [...]
Parents ask me: "Roy, how do I know if what my son is doing is a 'normal teenager thing' or if it's something more serious? How do I know when I'm at the point where I should get my teenager some help?" One of the hardest aspects for parents raising [...]
Listen to The Podcast When teens say: “I’m an atheist” “I don’t believe in God.” “I’m agnostic.” Adults think: “I’ve failed. Its my job to make my (this) kid believe in God. ” “I may not be in heaven with my son.” “I thought we raised her [...]
There are two parallel tracks of parenting. The Experiential Track: our experience of raising our children and help them to grow into happy, healthy and holy adults. The Wisdom Track: reflecting on our experience of parenting, the good, bad and ugly. Because it's not urgent, most of us neglect the [...]
Whether it is due to increased pressures throughout teenage years or an open dialogue becoming more accepted, the rates of depression in adolescents have skyrocketed as of late. While any level of depression can have negative effects, the most dangerous outcome is attempted suicide. Just in 2013, an estimated 2.6 [...]
Every year Oxford Dictionary issues a “word of the year.” It’s no surprise that this year, its not a word. It’s an emoji. We have become a visual people. This is especially true for teens. A few weeks ago, I suggested speaking 50% less when talking to your teen. But what [...]
