A fellow mom and I commiserated while volunteering at a school event. Her daughter had just ‘asked’ for a ride in the way a teenager can – with an air of entitlement and self-centerdness. My friend lamented to me, “All I need is a little gratitude and I’m good for the next six hours. Would [...]

   “My teacher is mean. It’s going to be a terrible year.” “None of my friends are in my class.  I’m going to be alone.” “I don’t think I took the right classes to get into college (4 years from now.)  Like a tropical storm, the deluge of stressful thoughts made landfall as predicted in the [...]

 Following is a guest post by Vanessa Van Petten, creator of RadicalParenting.com a parenting website written from the teen perspective to help parents understand them. She is also the author of the parenting book, “Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded?” (http://www.radicalparenting.com/books-and-products/book-youre-grounded/)   When I was 16 I thought it was my [...]

A kind word can change a life. Even when it seems as if children aren’t listening, they do value your expertise and rely on your support. One of the many priveleges I enjoy as a mother and an educator is the opportunity to impart wisdom to young people.  I’ve had a new opportunity to do [...]

I remember a difficult time when nothing in my life seemed to be working smoothly. Discouraged and afraid, my thoughts were filled with negativity and my view of the world was dim.   I stared across my kitchen table thinking silently, ‘Flowers on the table would cheer me up.’ But that would be an indulgent expense that I couldn’t [...]