Dear John, My son “Jimmy” and my husband “Frank,” who is his stepfather, hate each other. Jimmy was 13 when we married. He was a difficult teenager.  Now he’s 18 and working full time, but past ill feelings remain between them. Frank has no children of his own, and he fights with Jimmy as though [...]

Since we first reported on teenage sexting [3/19/09], this phenomenon among American school children has been spreading faster than a California wildfire. One in five teens are believed to be sending sexually suggestive text messages and photos to their friends.
Much of the information for the story below was provided by the McClatchy News Service:
There’s a [...]

Arguably one of the most unfortunate aspects of our modern age is that a family is more often going off in four different directions than finding themselves together. With both parents busy at work and children busy with a variety of school and after school activities, even dinners together can be a rare event.
At the [...]

Contrary to the popular media myth that teens want to have nothing to do with their parents, surveys both in America and other places around the globe find that over two-thirds of all teens believe that they don’t spend enough time communicating with their parents.

Now as researchers quickly acknowledge, if this question had been asked [...]

With over 4,000 colleges, America is unique in the world in its view of college for all who wish to attend. With each passing year, however, rising costs and other factors create a greater gap between wanting a degree and the reality of obtaining a degree. If you’re a parent of a primary or secondary [...]

You’ve noticed that your teenager is constantly on the cell phone–to her boyfriend.
And yes, she’s admitted they’ve had sex. While this doesn’t make you happy, you sigh with relief when she assures you that, yes, she’s on the pill.
But you notice she looks away when you ask if he wears a condom.
And despite your insistence [...]

Parents, if you haven’t talked to your ‘tweens about sex, you’re far behind the eight-ball.
They already know where that body (part) is buried.
So instead, fast-forward to the topic at hand: “sexting,” which, for the uninformed (you need to get WiFi in that cave!) means sending nude pictures via text message.
In fact, according to a nationwide [...]

There is a strong possibility that your child at some point will become sexually active earlier than you would have wished. It is wise to be careful about your behavior at this time because you don’t want any disappointment you may be feeling to effect the healthy and open dialogue that you have both established.

Just about every parent – and of course every child – has a degree of unease when it comes to discussing sex. But realistically, none of us can depend solely on the sex education courses taught at school to meet all of our child’s essential need-to-know questions on this difficult and all-important topic.
That’s where you, [...]