Anxiety is a completely normal reaction to stress – most of the time.  It motivates us to study for tests or finish our assignments.  It can warn us against walking down a creepy alley at night and is the key to a fight-or-flight response in a dangerous situation.  Having a little bit of anxiety once in a while isn’t just normal, it’s healthy.  It allows us to make good decisions and get things done. Understanding the difference between being anxious and having anxiety can go a long way to helping your child.

A very difficult topic for parents to consider, but if your child is acting different please pay attention.  It may be just middle school difficulty, but it may be more.  Check out this very informative video about common things that can be done to avoid a tragedy.

Sometimes adults express strong opinions about “right” or “wrong” ways to grieve. But there is no correct way to grieve. Coping with a death does not follow a simple pattern or set of rules nor is it a course to be evaluated or graded. Understanding these six basic principles will give you some tools to help your child through a difficult time.

When you create an atmosphere where teachers and students both feel safe, comfortable and able to be themselves, you are creating a Positive School Environment.  It has been shown in numerous studies that this same positive environment can effect student grades, mental health and sense of safety.  Check out the top six things that schools with a Positive School Environment all share.

It’s not possible to protect our children from the ups and downs of life. Raising resilient children, however, is possible and can provide them with the tools they need to respond to the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood and to navigate successfully in adulthood. Despite our best efforts, we cannot prevent adversity and daily stress; but we can learn to be more resilient by changing how we think about challenges and adversities.

Between the ages of 8 and 14, girls' confidence levels fall by 30%.  Fighting it requires taking some risks. These five tips will help you help your daughter navigate these difficult waters.

As the stigma/acceptance of marijuana has been changing for several years, talking to your child about this drug can prove challenging.  Here are some strategies to engage your child as they are entering a particularly formative time in their lives.