Middle School Stuff #10: Stress

This series of articles explores what students told me about the trickier parts of middle school. Here’s the final post in this series –  #10 Stress.  If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity,  #4 – Crushes & Dating, # 5 – Cliques & Groups,Continue reading “Middle School Stuff #10: Stress”

Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen Time

This post defines mindful and mindless screen time, and offers ways to help kids become more aware of their own screen behaviors. My teen daughter takes a break from TikTok over the summer. This is no easy task, given that staying up-to-date on trends means staying current on what is happening on social media forContinue reading “Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen Time”

Back-to-School and Friendships

It’s back-to-school time, and that means back to friendships too. Making and maintaining friendships can be challenging at times for kids. Given the wide range of social skills in a single classroom, it’s no wonder that friendship struggles unfold. For many kids, the return to school and their social worlds is filled with unknowns. Will their friends stillContinue reading “Back-to-School and Friendships”

Helpful Tips for Family Tech Agreements

Thinking about creating a family tech agreement and looking for tips? A family tech agreement is a set of rules about how devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and gaming consoles are used in your home. Besides establishing boundaries for screens, these agreements encourage families to come together and discuss healthy technology use. A familyContinue reading “Helpful Tips for Family Tech Agreements”

5 Surprising Statistics About Kids and Screens

The technology train has left the station and reshaped childhood in the process. The following statistics illustrate the influence of screens and tech on the daily life of kids. It’s important to note that not all of the statistics are negative. Depending on its use, technology has positive, neutral, and negative effects on the livesContinue reading “5 Surprising Statistics About Kids and Screens”

5 Ways to Foster Healthy Digital Habits in Kids

Let’s face it, tech companies do not have the best interests of our kids and teens in mind. On top of that, laws to protect kids online cannot get through congress. This leaves it to parents and caregivers to help kids learn to stay safe and build healthy digital habits.  So where do families start?Continue reading “5 Ways to Foster Healthy Digital Habits in Kids”

The Friendship Pyramid

The definition of the word “friend” varies from person to person. Maybe it describes the people you spend time with or go to for support. To some, it describes classmates, teammates, or neighbors. To others, it’s all of the above.  To add more complexity, people have different expectations and needs in friendship. This ambiguity makesContinue reading “The Friendship Pyramid”

What if my daughter doesn’t want to be friends with someone?

What if your daughter prefers not to be friends with someone? How do parents encourage their kids to be kind while also helping them respond to their own needs?

Three Truths About Kids’ Friendships

Whether you are a child, teenager, or adult, friendship gets tricky sometimes. This article shares three friendship truths to guide kids as they head back to school. Our social lives are constantly evolving, especially during childhood and adolescence. Some changes are positive, like making new friends. Others are hard, such as dealing with conflict, betrayal,Continue reading “Three Truths About Kids’ Friendships”