Parenting Teens for Positive Risks and Resiliency

With the passing of Independence Day, summer finally seems full-on. That means changes of all kinds, including parenting. When it comes to raising kids, most of us likely have one eye trained on them and the other on potential hazards that may lie in their path. In other words, trying to mitigate risk. At least the…

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How to Run a Teen Program at a Summer Camp Wary of Teenagers

Some camps welcome teens, but others do not — perhaps because they find normative adolescent behaviors intolerable. Why should we care? Because the summer camp experience is uniquely symmetrical with the developmental demands of this age group, including identity, independence, and social relationships. After all, where would be better for teens than camp in terms…

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Unprepared: Why Kids Are Anxious, Lonely, and Depressed

For many young people, the world seems to be crashing around them. It is a phenomenon years in the making but certainly accelerated by COVID-19, which created a climate of learning loss, decreased human interaction, and a scary lack of resilience. It is a perfect storm for anxiety, loneliness, and depression. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and now…

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The Art and Science of Family Dinner – A way to improve the physical and mental health of children and teens.

By Stephen Gray Wallace, featured in Psychology Today. The news about declining COVID-19 rates around the country may foreshadow a return to more “normal” rhythms and patterns of behavior. Among the casualties of online learning and socializing may have been traditional family dinners. An October 2021 article, “More Parents Are Rejecting Nightly Family Dinners – And Experts…

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