What is your teen doing online? You may think you know based off of their social media accounts, but chances are you have no real concept of their digital life. An interesting perspective from time management counselor Ana Homayoun in the New York Times introduces parents to the many ways...Read more >

First-time parents are often riddled with anxiety about getting everything just right. Once your first-born arrives, your worrying ascends to new levels and you stress out over everything from their food, sleeping habits (or lack thereof), clothes and toys. Sometimes this worrying, stressing and fussing over the first child continues...Read more >

I live in Utah and we are facing a serious crisis. Our teen suicide rates have been steadily increasing over the years, to the point that we are consistently higher than the national average. Suicide is one of the leading causes of deaths for young people, a fact that has...Read more >

If there was ever any doubt that social media has a profound impact on teens science has managed to eradicate it. Studies have shown that social media interaction can directly interfere with a teenager’s brain, activating certain sections that regulate things like mood with every ‘like’ click. With social media...Read more >

If you have chosen to homeschool your struggling teen, it is important to find a balance between responsibility and reward. This can be difficult, as the decision to homeschool may have been driven by the need to teach a stronger sense of responsibility to your child. But your teen still...Read more >

The older teens grow, the more autonomy and independence they crave. In the midst of the constant battle of wills with your teen, it might come as a surprise to learn that you, the parent, have the greatest influence on your child’s behavior. The best way you can exercise that...Read more >

First thing to clarify is that an incentive isn’t a bribe. When it comes to depression, it can be useless and insulting to imply that the promise of a treat is enough for someone to shake their depression. Also, if you aren’t sure your teen is dealing with depression, you...Read more >

You are sitting around the dinner table trying to ask your kids about their day and your teenage son won’t stop staring at his screen. You know he is watching Snapchats from his friends, or posting on Twitter. You finally force him to put it down and focus and he...Read more >

How much time we spend with our families is important. But a study published in 2015 showed that it was actually the quality of that time that really mattered, more than how much there was of it. Which is good news for most parents who are struggling to balance life...Read more >

Rebellion, refusing to follow curfews, a change in friends, a drop in grades and more — your teen might exhibit concerning signs that give you pause as a parent. You wonder if he or she is involved in substance abuse, but you aren’t sure how find out without being ‘nosy’...Read more >

Smartphones keep people connected with others; bring us the news, weather and entertainment; monitor our finances; and help them with their homework or workload. People spend so much time “plugged in” that they might not realize just how attached to their cell phone that they are. However, this high level...Read more >

Since depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the country for adults and young people alike, parents might want to look for ways to reduce the incidence of this epidemic. One way for parents to help their child is by enrolling them in organized sports. Teenagers...Read more >

You aren’t looking to terrorize your teen, but you’re pretty sure your teen doesn’t take the dangers of this world seriously. And you would be right to think that. Since teens’ brains won’t finish developing until 25 years old, most teens have a feeling of immortality and are more prone...Read more >

It is 11:30 at night, almost an hour past curfew. That curfew was an agreed upon compromise after weeks of fighting between yourself and your teen, and yet right away it has been broken. When your child walks through the door, immediately launching into excuses and explanations, you are at...Read more >

There was a recent story about a teen in Park City, Utah that was sentenced for his role in the overdose of his classmates. The 15-year-old had distributed a synthetic opiate known as “Pink”, and it had led to the death of two 13-year-old boys. The tragic case has been...Read more >

As a parent you may not fully understand the real and present danger of FOMO (fear of missing out) for your teens. Nearly every minute of the day their friends - and enemies - are posting every detail of their lives. Well, maybe not every detail. Just the good ones....Read more >

One of the very best things about the rising generation is the familiarity with mental illness. In previous generations the stigma attached to mental illness was often so serious that the topic was completely avoided or undermined. Although there may still be stigma, teens are largely more aware of and...Read more >

Around 2,000 years ago originated the legend of Narcissus. Narcissus is a beautiful Greek hunter who happens to see his reflection in a pond one day. After noticing his exceptional beauty he falls in love with himself. He stayed by that pond and obsessed about his beauty until the day...Read more >

Being a teen is tough. You have to deal with body changes, fledgling relationships, peer pressure, high-school drama and other seemingly endless issues. Add social media to the mix and you begin to understand why so many teens nowadays are battling with depression. A recent study by the Pew Research...Read more >

What does a depressed teen look like? Depressed teenagers are typically depicted as being constantly sad, miserable and alone. Being depressed is seen as a constant state of doom, gloom and despair, at least that is the common perception. In fact, most would be hard pressed to believe that teens...Read more >

Helping a child positively deal with self-harm can seem like an insurmountable task. However, you know it isn’t, even if you’ve run out of ideas of what to do. There are some ways to approach your child about their self-harm and you may need to try a variety of things...Read more >

Your teen might decide to smoke, drink or dabble in drugs. You feel helpless and aren’t sure of the next steps to take. You wonder if you should just stand by and say nothing in hopes that your son or daughter is just going through a phase that he or...Read more >

So, we’ve all heard that parenting in the teenage years is a hard task. Yet, there is hard, and then there is impossible. If you feel you’ve reached the impossible stage and are unable to cope with parenting your teen it is time to step back and really evaluate the...Read more >

Being a parent is difficult. Being a teenager is hard. Your two worlds are colliding day-after-day. It sometimes feels impossible to communicate with each other without the conversation ending in a shouting match, the silent treatment, or complete disconnect. Both of your lives are interwoven with the others’ but it...Read more >

Teenagers can be notoriously difficult to raise. The adolescent years are fraught with all types of drama, challenges, and a multitude of decisions to be made. The time we spend with them seems to go by so quickly, yet some days it feels like they will never reach adulthood. For...Read more >

As a parent, you probably got your teen a cell phone so you could keep in touch with them -- and vice versa. After all, we want to know immediately if there's a problem or change of plans while they're at school or out with their friends. You probably view...Read more >

Teenage years always come with challenges, no matter the generation. Parents experience unexpected changes in teen girl’s attitudes and behavior every day. Even though they may seem unpredictable during moments of time, most of it is completely normal adolescent behavior. There are some teenagers who suffer from mental, emotional, behavioral,...Read more >

Social media has created an entirely new way of communicating, and it shows. From influencing language to shifting how people meet and connect, nothing has been the same since social media became mainstream. In no one is that more obvious than teenagers, who seem to have adopted these social platforms...Read more >

Communicating with your teenager can be one of the hardest aspects of parenting. As a parent you understand that the things they do and the decisions they make as a teenager will impact the rest of their lives. This leads you to be protective and caring and yet your teenager...Read more >

The vast majority of American parents have some level of concern about their teens when it comes to substance abuse. This concern usually isn't due to a lack of trust, or a belief that they are intentionally going against what they've been taught. We worry because we love our kids...Read more >

From the time of birth, parents place their child’s well-being as one of their top priorities. You pay attention to how they sleep, watching your infant breathe despite your own sleep-deprived eyes. At the first sign of a sniffle in your toddler, you encourage him to drink juice. As they...Read more >

Having a teen is hard enough on it’s own. Teens are emotional, illogical, unpredictable, and defiant even when they’re great and easy kids. It’s a challenge to raise and deal with them on a daily basis. That’s to say nothing of teens with more serious issues. Many parents are dealing...Read more >

It’s a scary word. It’s a scary topic. Although it is a growing and serious epidemic, we often avoid talking about it. For this reason and others, many people don’t fully understand how, what, why, and most importantly - how to prevent it. But we have to start talking about...Read more >

The guilt, fear and anguish parents feel when they know their child is suffering, especially from something emotional that can be so difficult to treat, is immense. When parents come forward to seek help for their teens, they can feel an overwhelming sense of failure knowing that not only may...Read more >

There is no magic formula for curing a teen of their depression. You can’t just tell them to be happy, or try and put their situation into a different perspective. There are so many factors at work, some physical, some emotional, and still others environmental. Treating depression and related disorders,...Read more >

Even as young as grade school, school and friendships can be fraught with drama for guys and girls alike. The drama seems to escalate with changing hormones as teens enter high school. High schoolers are trying to find their own identities and discover their own path in life. Relationships ebb...Read more >

Teens have a lot of stress on their plate, and oftentimes it’s difficult as parents to recognize everything they’re going through. Mood swings, irritability, acting out in class, impolite conduct, and other forms of behavioral problems can all be part of growing up and figuring out life, or they could...Read more >

Parenting challenges even the best of us. Each stage offers new adversities, and leading a child through adolescence tests a parent in many complex ways. To understand how to help teens, you must understand the nuances of the task. Dr. Steven Dowshen explains that negative changes in behavior and changes...Read more >

Raising kids can stress out any parent. When that kid is a troubled teen, the stress can multiply. Parents often neglect their own emotional health while trying to juggle real life problems as they navigate the turbulent waters with their children. However, parents must take steps to ensure that they...Read more >

There are many stressors for teenagers who are figuring out relationships, changes with their bodies, and responsibilities. Going through high school is rough, and teens are often faced with difficult problems you’ll need to help them work through. When your teen is troubled or has behavioral problems, those stressors grow....Read more >

Millennials might be the least understood population on planet earth, which is a problem for us all. Everyone knows, loves, and interacts with millennials. Sometimes these interactions are complete disaster, and can leave us feeling like we’re speaking an entirely different language. Improving this communication with our millennial children is...Read more >

When you are a teenager you are living in a world of emotion. Hormones, a lack of perspective on the seriousness of certain situations, and uncertainty of the future coalesce to create a stew of simmering tensions. Because of this, many adults mistake certain signs as the usual ups and...Read more >

There is a common misconception that alcohol abuse looks the same, regardless of age. When thinking of a teenager with a substance abuse problem, parents will mistakenly use the same yardstick to measure the severity as they would an adult. The reality is that all alcohol use by underage drinkers...Read more >

Most parents wonder to themselves at some point whether the behavior their teen is exhibiting is normal, or a hazardous long-term pattern. Any adolescent can act out be very moody at times -- it's part of growing up. But sometimes, parents simply don't understand the behavioral signs of a seriously...Read more >

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 4 million US students began 9th grade in 2016. That's a lot of kids taking the next step in their education by starting high school. It's no wonder, however, that out of all these students, parents are primarily concerned with getting...Read more >

Teenagers who cause harm to themselves can be very confusing to parents. The issue goes far beyond simply asking them to stop the behavior. There are always underlying causes that present themselves in these situations. Unfortunately, this isn’t a unique situation. Many parents are undergoing similar confusion when their teens...Read more >

Having a distant teenager is enough of a challenge on its own. They may ignore you, roll their eyes, leave the house at every single opportunity, and fight any attempts to grow closer. This challenge becomes even tougher and more painful during the holiday season. While everyone is spending time...Read more >

In 2011, the CDC found that 11% of children had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This has led to questions about the cause of this increase in cases, and the treatment used. Certainly, over medication has become an issue, and if you...Read more >

Why is it that teenagers feel like a constant minefield? One day everything seems to be going well - your teen speaks to you, fulfills their responsibilities, and seems generally pretty happy. Suddenly everything can change. Angst, eye-rolling, slammed doors, sketchy friends, dropping grades, and the silent treatment can all...Read more >

Parenting is an intensely personal journey. You have your unique set of experiences and paradigms, your history, your fears and goals. You have children that are your original products, and totally different from any other child out there. You have a home, a schedule, a profession, and a life that...Read more >

When a child is born in a hospital, one of the first things the nurses do is let the mother hold the baby. Oftentimes, the baby will be placed upon her bare skin. This is all done in an effort to help the baby form healthy attachments with parents and...Read more >

The biggest fear for most parents whose children have become addicted to narcotics, whether that is through prescription medication or street heroin - is overdose. It is a well founded fear, unfortunately. Overdose deaths from both heroin and pills are on the climb. We are seeing an ever rising mortality...Read more >

Your life has become a horrifying nightmare, and you can’t believe it: word has gotten around that those friends your teenager is hanging out with may be part of a gang. At first you pry, but you don’t act...the last thing you want to do is make your teen more...Read more >

The stresses associated with managing a child who has behavioral disorders is often poorly understood by those who have never experienced it. Bold claims about how they would handle a “misbehaving teen” abound, and yet they have no idea how teens who struggle with these genuine psychological conditions operate. They...Read more >

A vicious wasp stings your fragile skin. Your body fills with adrenaline, and you run as if your body is engulfed with flames. This biological response stems from the amygdala — the area within our brain that affects emotions, decision-making and memory — inside of your brain, which reacts and...Read more >

In the stage of transition for a teenager, these few critical years shape the attitude and skill set of the child for the rest of their lives. During this exciting and difficult time, they need their parents’ help and guidance to overcome the challenges they will face.   Preparing Kids...Read more >

“Is there any 21st-century skill more important than being able to sustain confident, coherent conversation?” Teacher Paul Barnwell asks this question in an article for The Atlantic, where he goes on to boldly claim that as parents, teachers and other involved adults, we don’t teach teens how to effectively engage...Read more >

There comes a point in every parent's life when they get a little fed up with doing everyday tasks for their teenagers. Making them their lunch and cutting it up for them in bite size pieces was fine when they were four, but enough is enough and it's time for...Read more >

Anyone who has been the victim of bullying can tell you the detrimental impact it can play in your life. If you have children it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the signs of bullying so you will be able to recognize the struggle before, during, or after the...Read more >

There are a lot of awkward and challenging things about raising a teenager. Sometimes when you’re arguing with your teens or struggling to get on the same page, it’s hard to look past the acne and constant eating. What’s even worse is their significant struggles and challenges that often make...Read more >

Education is a wonderful thing, and it doesn’t stop when you graduate high school or college. Just because your formal education is over doesn’t mean you stop learning, particularly as you bring kids to this world. Being a good parent requires taking advantage of learning opportunities. It’s a responsibility that...Read more >

The teenage years are difficult for a number of reasons, but it really comes down to two main things at play. Consider hormonal and physical changes that happen during the teen years. This causes mood swings and confusing new feelings. Also, teenagers are facing a number of cultural, mixed messages...Read more >

Parent Learning Center is here to help with every issue you face with your out of control, struggling, angry or defiant teenage son. We’re here to help and teach parents with struggling teens how to connect, take meaningful action, make an impact and commit to confident decisions for your whole...Read more >

It’s not easy to admit when your teenage son is out of control. Most of the time it’s even harder to figure out what to do. Communicating with teenagers is no easy task. As parents, we’ve all had days and weeks when absolutely everything seemed like a struggle with them,...Read more >

When your teen is struggling it can be difficult to know who to turn to. Advice swings from one extreme to the next, seemingly with no consistency. Do you take a hard line approach, harshly reinforcing rules and enacting intense punishments for breaking them? Is it better to show love...Read more >

Every child is unique, and their challenges are going to vary. For some it may be in a certain subject at school. Others may be a little awkward when socializing. It takes time to develop life skills, and you are there to guide and assist your child through each new...Read more >

Every parent worries about their teen. It seems like today's kids have so much more pressure on them, with complications older generations never had to manage. When we see their behavior on a downward spiral, we might fear for their well-being, emotional security, safety, and future success. Thankfully, most often our...Read more >

Watching a teenager turn from a decent kid into a struggling adolescent is difficult for most parents, especially when the bad behavior escalates rapidly. Teenagers have so many issues to deal with in today’s world that it is easy for them to feel overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, and frustrated, so they...Read more >

There are a lot of arguments in the realm of “nature vs nurture” but one thing is for sure: parenting styles do have a great affect on the outcome of each generation. Many parents wonder what effects their parenting mishaps and triumphs will have on their children long term and can...Read more >

Parenting teens presents a number of problems you never saw coming when they were just babbling babies. The teen years often leave us thinking about our own parent’s and the times we made life difficult for them during our adolescent years.  Some teens are especially hard to parent when they...Read more >

Time seems to stand still when our children are small, giving us the false impression that we have loads of time to teach them all of the important life skills they need to learn to be happy adults. Then suddenly, that time disappears and your children are now teenagers; adulthood...Read more >