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 | Aug 13, 2024 | "Typical" Teen Behavior, Coaching kids and teens, Counseling adolescents, Counseling teens, Doing therapy with teenagers, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Teenagers
Ever realize that adults communicate with teenagers almost exclusively through questions? It’s boring. And annoying. And then they wonder why their kids or students or therapy clients don’t want to talk with them. But what’s worse is that it’s... 
by janetedgette | Aug 13, 2024 | "Typical" Teen Behavior, Counseling adolescents, Counseling teens, Doing therapy with teenagers, Family life, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Teenagers
Until we re-examine our cultural narrative about adolescence that says all teens are “crazy,” “uncommunicative,” and “irresponsible,” there will continue to be a generation gap that is more apparent than real. After all, when you... 
by janetedgette | Jun 8, 2024 | "Typical" Teen Behavior, Bullying, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Sibling rivalry, Teen behavior
By holding our kids to a higher standard of treating one another, we can put an end to so much of the bullying and unkindness that gets passed off as “typical sibling rivalry” Over the years a lot of bad teen behavior has, unfortunately, become normalized as... 
by janetedgette | Oct 4, 2023 | Doing therapy with teenagers, Family life, Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting, Parenting teens, Parenting young children
People often say they find it easier to empathize with individuals with whom they share a history or religion or culture or occupation than with individuals with whom they feel they have little in common. At first blush it makes sense; you figure you can more... 
by janetedgette | Oct 3, 2023 | Family life, Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting teens, Teenagers
If you’re struggling to get genuine conversations going with your teenager, consider these three questions. “I try to ask open-ended questions like they told me to but even still, my daughter just kind of shrugs and gives me only a word or two before going...