It is not that difficult to motivate an adolescent, just push the dopamine button in their brain! When you think of dopamine, think of reward. The anticipation of a reward is even enough to raise dopamine levels in the brain and bring on a pleasurable…
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Adolescents See You Through an Emotional Lens
December 7, 2017
When you look into the face of another adult, your brain helps you determine if the person you are with is happy, sad or in any other emotional state. That is because your prefrontal cortex, behind the forehead, is fully developed and uses logic to…
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Girl Tribes & Secrets
November 22, 2017
As middle school girls enter the early days of puberty, they begin to pull away from their parents and form very private tribes, as we call them, with their friends. These tribes usually have intense secrecy expectations and provide a safe place for the girls…
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Where Do They Rate on the Thankfulness Scale?
November 16, 2017
On a thankfulness scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the best), where would you place your adolescent? When they were just young children, we could ask them to say “thank you” at the appropriate times and most children willingly made the correct response. Now that…
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One Pathway into an Adolescent Heart
November 9, 2017
It is probably time for me to remind you about the importance of family dinners. Over and over again, you read in different blogs that this is a significant and memorable experience for families. I know we have lots of evening activities that can make…
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