Learn about three common mistakes parents make with adolescent mental health and how to fix them. Missing Warning Signs The saying kids will be kids is problematic. I mean, I get it: Sometimes kids will be kids. But unfortunately, where adolescent mental health is concerned, adopting this mindset creates significant blind spots for noticing potential […]
How to Prepare Your Athlete to Safely Resume Sports
Q: [Adolescents and teens] How should I prepare my athlete for returning to sports? After spending time away from organized activities, there will be an understood eagerness to quickly return to previous levels of practice and competition. That being said, it is best to protect young athletes and performers by realizing that starting with too […]
11-year-old Sells Candy to Raise Money for Black Lives Matter
In the midst of unrest and uncertainty, there’s also hope and inspiration. Nathan Contreras got a powerful lesson about racism in third grade. And it wasn’t from a book. One day, when he tried to defend a couple of kids new to his school and new to the country, another kid tried to strangle him. […]
Back-to-School Fashion at the Outlets of San Clemente
A day at Outlets at San Clemente for these kids (left to right)—Gavin Acacio, Kailyn Hukriede, Gianna Acacio, William Hukriede, Kaleb Fisher—meant larger-than-life games, a visit to the Ruby’s Diner ice cream shop and back-to-school shopping with Pacific breezes. Practical meets personal, when you make this year’s back-to-school shopping a fun collaboration with your student. […]
Follow the Leader
T(w)een Camps and Afterschool Organizations Camps and extracurriculars often focus on teaching a skill or honing a talent. These OC opportunities teach our tweens and teens something even more important, how to become a leader Stopping Bullies with a Roar Giving back. It is the opposite of what we think of when “teen” is mentioned. […]
Tween Hygiene
The kids are getting older and their hygiene needs are growing with them. Here are some products that help bring balance to the wildly hormonal years of tween-dom. Dove Go Fresh Cool Essentials Antiperspirant We love the body-image message from Dove, and you’ll love the 48-hour formula that covers your kid even when she forgets […]
CIT, a Summer Solution for Tweens and Teens
Is your tween insisting she’s too old to attend camp this summer? If your child isn’t old enough to get a summer job and just hanging around for three months is off the table, look into your local Counselor-in-Training (CIT) programs. These programs are for young teens serious about assuming the responsibility and effort it […]
De’Bunking Camp Concerns
Q: [School-Aged] My middle-schooler is getting ready to go to camp for the first time. It seems like friendships at this age are in flux, to put it mildly. Is it better to lock her into her time away with friends who might be frenemies by then, or encourage her to make new friends and […]
Tween Dating Limits
Q: [Tween] “My daughter just got her first ‘boyfriend’ and he is all she can talk about. They are only 8th graders so they don’t actually ‘go’ anywhere, just publicly admit to the crush. I remember being swept up at that age, but with so much access via social media and cell phones, it seems […]
10 Things a Parent Can Do to Prevent Addiction
1. Be supportive. This is especially true before a child has an addiction problem. Try to support everything positive in your child’s life, such as good grades, increasing grades, excelling at a sport or hobby, helping out a friend or relative, anything positive that he or she does. This reinforces the concept of positive behaviors […]