If you’re a parent of a teen who can’t seem to manage time, stay organized, or keep track of school tasks, you’re not alone. Executive function—the ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and follow through—is essential for academic success, and it can be challenging for teens and young adults. According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing...Read More
As parents, we all have dreams for our children—visions of success, happiness, and, let’s be honest, sometimes a dash of “doing things the way we would.” But as our kids grow into young adults, they may start to make choices that can leave us scratching our heads, feeling a bit frustrated, or even biting our...Read More
Having a mentor is like having a backstage pass to your own potential. For young adults who might look at school subjects and wonder, “How does this add up to a real job I’d enjoy?”, a mentor is there to light up the path and make it all make sense. They bring experience, perspective, and...Read More
Researchers have found that people use four key styles of responding to the good news of another person. Do you know yours? Imagine that your child has just told you they’ve been picked to be the soloist in the online choir. That’s epic! Think about how you could respond to them: “That’s great.” (It’s polite but...Read More
“I should have been a career girl.” My mother said this nearly every day as she carried laundry to the washer, wiped fingerprints off the bathroom mirrors and vacuumed up the bits of grass we tracked in on bare feet. She resented the boss who fired her when she became pregnant and the children who...Read More
What are you doing for self-help during this crazy time? Maybe it’s eating healthier, finding regular sleep rhythms or getting outside more. Brene Brown challenges us to “Dare greatly.” Elizabeth Gilbert entreats us to: “Be the weirdo who dares to enjoy.” But it doesn’t have to be weird or dangerous to have fun, and it...Read More
Let’s set the scene. Like many super-involved parents, you’ve been checking the school portal, keeping up with your child’s daily performance. There it is. You’ve been waiting for this moment. On the page before you is proof that your kid can be a high achiever. It’s a big jump in the English grade! You may be...Read More
People often count on random positive events to help get them through the day. But close to half of our well-being can be affected by intentional activities, like setting goals, making choices, and developing self-regulation. So does this mean that good things in your life are not all random? Well, as a matter of fact,...Read More
Has someone else’s good news ever made you feel bad about yourself? Even if you are glad for their happiness, it can be tough to admit that you aren’t 100% thrilled. In high school, some friends of mine decided to do early decision to college. I remember one of them coming to me (I’ll call...Read More
Being a skilled listener is an essential step in becoming an excellent listener. But it is not enough. To graduate to the next level of mastery, you must help the speaker feel listened to and understood. It’s not necessarily easy to guide how the speaker experiences your listening. That’s why this more advanced skill is...Read More
