adolescent therapy
Is your teen locked behind a mask of COVID-19 indifference? Five tips to help you get behind the mask.
We are all moving from one coping strategy to another as we settle into the long grind of dealing with the implications of COVID-19. One minute we’re laughing at dark humor, the next we’re crying, or snapping at our spouse. Our teens are doing the same thing, but they’re teens, so we may not recognize…
Coronavirus School Closures are Wrecking My Senior Year
Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: I’ve got kids in both high school and in college. The coronavirus disruption to school has affected all of them. My oldest is a senior in college. It looks like he may not be coming back the school year. I’m heartbroken for…
Are Video Games Addictive?
Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: My 15-year-old son loves playing video games. It feels like that’s all he ever wants to do and although we sometimes joke that he’s “addicted,” I do worry that he spends too much time in games and not in real life. Can…
School Pressure: Gift & Talented, Magnet, and IB Programs
Question: My child is considering applying to a magnet program for middle school. It seems like a great opportunity if he is accepted, but are there any negative consequences for children in these advanced schools? Answer: Gifted & Talented, Magnet, and IB Programs are often dream schools for hardworking students looking to pursue a more…
Four-Year College Envy
Question: My friends are all going to four-year universities but I have to attend community college for financial reasons. Hearing them talk about their future roommates, dorm decorations, and fall semester classes just reminds me of what I don’t have. Going to family functions is especially hard because I dread how I will respond to…
College Student Living at Home for the Summer
Q: I’m a college student living at home for the summer, and I’m starting to get annoyed with my parents. Even though I lived independently on campus, they’re enforcing rules that I had to follow as a high schooler. I understand that they want to keep me safe; so they limit my ability to hang…
Conflict Over Choosing A College
Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: I’m a first generation Asian-American and I have my heart set on going to a school in Hawaii. We can easily afford it; but my father is uncomfortable with this and is threatening to withhold financial support to stop me from going….
Should we let our son play tackle football?
Q: My son plays flag football, which I’ve been okay with, but now that he’s about to start high school, he wants to try out for the school’s tackle football team. I know this isn’t the NFL, but I can’t stop thinking about the risks involved, like concussions, and how they can lead to CTE. My…
Yikes! My Teen’s On Tinder!
Originally published on our Lakelands Leader advice column the Laudable Life Q: I found my twenty-something son using a Tinder app on his phone? Should I be worried? Isn’t that a hook-up site? He says “No” and that I “don’t understand.” Can you enlighten me? A: Dear Tinder Parent, Tinder is a social media app…

