Identity

As parents, we all want our kids to grow up with a positive sense of who they are and what they can achieve. We hope our kids will grow up with the self-belief to chase their dreams, change the [...]

In the previous post I discussed how important it is for teenagers to feel like they count and what might happen when they don’t. Central to the adolescent journey is the daunting task of [...]

My lounge room and the streets of London are literally a world apart.  But this week 2 events that were a world apart reminded me about the basics of living and working of with teenagers. On [...]

The school playground can be a hard place! I’m sure most of us have some memories of the stresses and strains of negotiating the politics of adolescent friendships and social networks – and [...]

Ever since the iconic character of “Jim Stark” was brought to life on the big screen, the teenager years have become synonymous with angst and rebellion. Played by James Dean in what is arguably [...]

The old saying “Sticks and stones may beak my bones, but names will never hurt me” has been long acknowledged as less than accurate. Name calling and teasing can have real and very damaging [...]

Adolescence is a time of life when a person’s self esteem is known to fluctuate significantly. It is estimated that up to a half of adolescents will struggle with low self esteem, many of [...]

  Teenage girls can be prone to bouts of obsession over their own appearance. Obvious statement done for the day! Over the weekend a couple of pieces of research came across my screen that [...]

Why is it that some people can handle even the most difficult of circumstances in life without missing a beat, while others seem to crumble at the slightest disappointment or obstacle? The answer [...]

Given the events of the past week here in Australia, (we have just got a new Prime Minister) I have been thinking about politics and how teenagers engage with politics. The adolescent task of [...]