School has started, and for some teens and their parents, so have the homework wars. Most teens juggle their responsibilities just fine, but for some kids, homework is excruciatingly painful. When school begins, the bliss of summer when families are getting along and enjoying each other’s company, gives way to nightly and epic homework battles. […]

Perhaps every successive generation of parents feels that raising kids becomes increasingly difficult. I do not know whether this is true or not, but it certainly seems more complicated than when I was a kid. Parents today are more involved in their children’s lives and children seem busier. The stakes appear higher and success more […]

If you are a parent of a teen, then you have probably heard of or even watched the Netflix drama, “13 Reasons Why.” If not, then you should set aside some time and watch it. Better yet, invite your teen to watch it with you. The program has become quite controversial and has provoked discussions […]

Over the years, I’ve noticed several trends when it comes to anxious teens and their parents. The first is a reluctance on the part of teens to share their deep-seated thoughts and feelings. Several reasons for this come to mind. The first is embarrassment and shame; how painful it is to acknowledge that anxiety and […]

A former colleague of mine with whom I worked in Alaska asked me about the kind of teen issues I typically run into now that I live in Boise. I told her anxiety, anxiety and more anxiety! I also told her depression, depression and more depression! It perplexed me since a presenting problem of anxiety […]

“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.” – Mason Cooley I believe Mr. Cooley sums it up well but try convincing your teenager of this. I have noticed when talking to parents about school work, that one of their most common concerns is that their teens wait until the last minute to begin their […]

Almost every day teens wander into my office tired and stressed. We usually talk about sleep during the first session. More often than not, I learn that they fall asleep around midnight and begin the day around 6:00 a.m.   Some even take a zero-hour class which means even less sleep; why schools offer that option […]

Let’s start by saying sibling conflict is crazy-making! I think everyone would agree. My parents, for years, talked about how my sister and I would fight incessantly on the long drive to Florida each summer. No amount of bribery, coercion or threats would stop us. We were in the back seat and we were bored. […]

“Laziness is in the mind of the accuser…when you say someone is lazy, you admit that you don’t understand him!” (Dr. Mel Levine from his book, The Myth of Laziness, 2003). I have often thought about what my supervisor told me in my first year out of graduate school, that every child wants to please […]

It is hard to imagine an otherwise bright and competent teen unable to make a hair appointment over the phone. Or a teen dodging and weaving in order to avoid ordering a meal in public. Or a teen worrying excessively about doing or saying something “stupid.” Well, before your exasperation as a parent reaches a […]