Your Lying Teen, and What You Can do About it.
Tom was sitting at the kitchen table, attempting to do homework when his mother said, “The school called today, and I guess you were involved in a fight on the bus?” Tom, “I wasn’t in a fight on the bus.”…
How to Tell a Troubled Teen from a Normal Teen
It’s been almost six years since he entered my office, but I think of him often. I can still see his skinny brown legs sprawling out of his denim shorts, (they weren’t so baggy back then) and his brown hair…
Rule One for Raising Well Behaved Teens, Be a Well Behaved Parent
As I entered the waiting room I could see his mother through the windowed doors, standing on the landing… smoking, and talking on her cell phone. She saw me too, and made an effort to get herself inside, but it…
My Child is a Teenager, and that means… Brain Malfunction
I could feel the tension as I walked into the waiting room to greet my new clients. Mom looked haggard, anxiety lined her face. Sitting next to her Dad looked helpless in one flash, and totally angry in the next.…
She Wants to be a Witch! And Here’s Why That is Good
“She’s studying to be a witch,” Mom lamented. And I have to give it to her, she certainly had the look. The first thing I noticed about 16 year old Christie Anna was her height. She was easily over six…
Want to Help Your Children Succeed? Teach Them to Wait for the Marshmallow.
The small room was nearly empty. In it sat a square wooden table, and a plain wooden chair. On the chair sat a four-year-old boy, feet swinging, forehead resting on his arms, face hidden. He was singing softly to himself,…
Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Drink the Water
Recently I had the dubious pleasure of researching one of the new “designer drugs” GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid). It scared me to death. My fear is that my young friends who are going off to college soon will innocently sip…