by janetedgette | Aug 1, 2025 | Boy behavior, Boys, Masculinity, Parent-Child communication, Parenting, Parenting young children, Sportsmanship
“He’s tough, he’s a boy. He can take it,” says a father about his 6-year-old son, who just got knocked flat on his face by an older brother testing out his brand-new bike. Sure, he can take it. What choice does he have? But “can” is a different experience from... by janetedgette | Jul 29, 2025 | Boy behavior, Boys, Kids who are afraid to play sports, Kids who don't like sports, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys
On any given day, the sculpted faces of men known for their athleticism or physical prowess smile, stare, or sulk handsomely at us from our magazine pages, television screens, and computer monitors. Men recognized publicly for their empathic or aesthetic sensibilities... by janetedgette | Jun 28, 2025 | "Typical" Teen Behavior, Counseling adolescents, Counseling teens, Doing therapy with teenagers, Mental health, Parent-Teen communication, Teen therapy, Teenagers
There’s a difference between talking about problems and talking about how to get over those problems. When we don’t recognize the difference between these two, we’re likely to pounce on stuff our young clients bring up in session but aren’t... 
by janetedgette | May 10, 2025 | "Typical" Teen Behavior, Counseling adolescents, Counseling teens, Doing therapy with teenagers, Family life, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting teens, Teenagers
We all want to raise kids who are confident and who will speak up for themselves, so we encourage them to have a voice. A voice is important, but so is having the discernment to know when you are effectively advocating for oneself and when you are simply using... 
by janetedgette | Nov 16, 2024 | Parenting
I hear this all the time from my adolescent therapy clients: “My dad has never apologized for anything. He believes he’s never wrong.” They’ve given examples that make me scratch my head because the dads look more ridiculous in their insistence than they ever would...