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[VIDEO] Understanding the Teen Brain During Adolescence

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[VIDEO] Understanding the Teen Brain During Adolescence

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"Ever wonder how your teen can go from calm to crashing out in a matter of seconds? During adolescence, the brain is going through rapid changes that impact emotions, reactions, and decision-making in real time."

In this video, Dr. Nyquist shares practical ways parents and caregivers can show up during this phase of teenage brain development. Even when teens push back or seem distant, they still need connection and guidance from trusted adults who will continue to show up.

Stay calm during big emotions

Set clear and consistent expectations

Keep communication open

When we lead with understanding and stay engaged, we can help teens build confidence, strengthen emotional skills, and learn how to navigate challenges in healthy ways.

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Understanding the Teen Brain #mentalhealth #adolescence #parentingteens

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Everyone experiences grief in their own way, but it often includes feelings like anger, sadness, and loneliness. These feelings are a normal part of coping with a big loss.

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How can families use AI responsibly? Start with engaging your children.... One of the best things families can do is use AI together.

AI can be very isolating... having parents enter that world with them is a great way to remain connected to what can be a very isolating experience.

Despite all of the different safeguards, the best safeguard remains being connected with your children, and how and when they use this technology.

Using AI is nothing compared to connecting with a REAL person and working through with a trusted adult some of the most difficult problems in life... Most importantly, keep human connections at the center. REAL conversations with REAL people and REAL experiences will matter the most.

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[VIDEO] How to Use the Power of Play to Connect This Holiday Season

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[VIDEO] How to Use the Power of Play to Connect This Holiday Season

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Play is essential for children to develop the 3 C's:

1) Creativity

2) Conflict Resolution

3) Connection with others

Even 10-15 minutes per day of distraction-free play can help kids feel grounded, reduce stress, and feel more connected.

When possible, put down your screens and model being present. Play doesn't have to be perfect or planned; it's about connection, not competition.

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How to Use the Power of Play to Connect This Holiday Season

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[VIDEO] "The Closing Question" to Ask Your Child Before Bed (proven to help reduce anxiety)

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[VIDEO] "The Closing Question" to Ask Your Child Before Bed (proven to help reduce anxiety)

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"Finnish families have a quiet ritual called the closing question. Before bed, every child answers one thing: “What was the last good moment today?” No screens, no advice, no correction — just the sentence, said out loud.

When the brain names a positive event before sleep, it ends the day’s stress loop. Cortisol levels drop, the hippocampus encodes the memory as safe, and the nervous system learns: the world can finish well. Without that ritual, thoughts keep running — unfinished, unprocessed, unresolved."

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Ivan Sergeev on Instagram: "1. Finnish families have a quiet ritual called the closing question. Before bed, every child answers one thing: “What was the last good moment today?” No screens, no advice, no correction — just the sentence, said out loud.

2. Psychologists tracking these families for a decade found something remarkable: by adolescence, their baseline anxiety was 60–80% lower than average. The secret wasn’t optimism — it was closure.

3. When the brain names a positive event before sleep, it ends the day’s stress loop. Cortisol levels drop, the hippocampus encodes the memory as safe, and the nervous system learns: the world can finish well. Without that ritual, thoughts keep running — unfinished, unprocessed, unresolved.

4. Modern kids fall asleep under blue light, endless comparisons, and dopamine noise. Their brains never get the signal that danger is over. So they wake already tired — bodies in recovery from days that never emotionally ended.

One Finnish mother said, “We don’t put our children to sleep. We teach their minds to rest.” Try it tonight — no affirmations, no talk about tomorrow. Just ask: “What was good today?” It’s not gratitude. It’s closure — the oldest form of safety a child can learn. Subscribe to learn more."

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Finnish families have a quiet bedtime ritual that's been shown to significantly reduce teenage anxiety. By focusing on closure and teaching their kids to rest, they're giving their children a crucial tool for emotional well-being. In this video, we'll explore the science behind this surprising secret and share practical tips for implementing it in your own family.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ivan Sergeev (@the.ivansergeev)

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What You Can SAY & DO (when your child is struggling with their mental health)

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What You Can SAY & DO (when your child is struggling with their mental health)

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Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) if your child is exhibiting severe symptoms of mental health distress.

If your child's life is in danger and/or they are exhibiting life-threatening symptoms, call 911 immediately.

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The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

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The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

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The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

"A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood."

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THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Book of 2024 * A New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book * One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2024 * A TIME 100 Must-Read Book of 2024 * Named a Best Book of 2024 by the Economist, the New York Post , and Town & Country * The Goodreads Choice Award Nonfiction Book of the Year * Finalist for the PEN Literary Awards TIME , 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 The Anxious Generation , social psychologist Jonathan Haidt (pronounced "height") lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the "play-based childhood" began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the "phone-based childhood" in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this "great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech-and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

"With tenacity and candor, Haidt lays out the consequences that have come with allowing kids to drift further into the virtual world . . . While also offering suggestions and solutions that could help protect a new generation of kids." -Shannon Carlin,

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the "collective action problems" that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes-communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children-and ourselves-from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.

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The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

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After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why? In , social psychologist Jonathan Haidt (pronounced "height") lays ...

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SEL in 3-minutes (video)

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What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

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Supporting Grieving Children and Teens (Companions on a Journey) 

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Supporting Grieving Children and Teens (Companions on a Journey) 

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Companions on a Journey | Preparing and Supporting Grieving Children, Teens, and Students

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1n5.org - At Home Activities & Support - Parents

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How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids

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How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids

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Child Mind Institute | How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids

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Witnessing a parent in a state of anxiety can be more than just momentarily unsettling for children. Kids look to their parents for information about how to interpret ambiguous situations; if a parent seems consistently anxious and fearful, the child will determine that a variety of scenarios are unsafe. And there is evidence that children of anxious parents are more likely to exhibit anxiety themselves, a probable combination of genetic risk factors and learned behaviors.

It can be painful to think that, despite your best intentions, you may find yourself transmitting your own stress to your child. But if you are dealing with anxiety and start to notice your child exhibiting anxious behaviors, the first important thing is not to get bogged down by guilt. "There's no need to punish yourself," says Jamie Howard, PhD, director of the Stress and Resilience Program at the Child Mind Institute. "It feels really bad to have anxiety, and it's not easy to turn off."

But the transmission of anxiety from parent to child is not inevitable. The second important thing to do is implement strategies to help ensure that you do not pass your anxiety on to your kids. That means managing your own stress as effectively as possible, and helping your kids manage theirs. "If a child is prone to anxiety," Dr. Howard adds, "it's helpful to know it sooner and to learn the strategies to manage sooner."

It can be very difficult to communicate a sense of calm to your child when you are struggling to cope with your own anxiety.

When we are feeling anxious, we start worrying about what might happen in the future - all those "what ifs." To avoid getting caught up in worries about the future, try practicing mindfulness, which is a technique for focusing on the present. Here are two common mindfulness techniques to try:

Squeeze Muscles: Starting at your toes, pick one muscle and squeeze it tight. Count to five. Release, and notice how your body changes. Repeat exercise moving up your body.

Belly Breathing: Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Slowly breathe in from your stomach (expand like a balloon) and slowly breathe out (deflate).

You can try to practice mindfulness in the moment when you're feeling anxious, but it is also a good idea to set aside time to be mindful every day. Regular practice will help you use the techniques more effectively when you really need them, and it can also make you feel calmer in general.

Pay attention to what triggers your anxiety. While feeling anxiety is unavoidable sometimes, we can also make it worse by dwelling on it. If you are someone who jumps to the worst-case scenario when you have a tickle in your throat, using WebMD might make you even more alarmed. Likewise, if you are stressed out by what's happening in the news, spending time reading it - or even using social media - might make you feel worse. Setting boundaries about when and how you will engage with things that could trigger your anxiety is a good idea.

If your anxiety is severe and practicing mindfulness and setting boundaries on your own isn't helping, consulting a mental health professional makes sense. A clinician can help you work through methods of stress management that will suit your specific needs. As you learn to tolerate stress, you will in turn be teaching your child - who takes cues from your behavior - how to cope with situations of uncertainty or doubt.

"A big part of treatment for children with anxiety," explains Laura Kirmayer, PhD, a clinical psychologist, "is actually teaching parents stress tolerance. It's a simultaneous process - it's both directing the parent's anxiety, and then how they also support and scaffold the child's development of stress tolerance."

When you learn some strategies for managing stress that work for you, you can then impart them to your child when she is feeling anxious. If, for example, you are working on thinking rationally during times of stress, you can practice those same skills with your child. Say to her: "I understand that you are scared, but what are the chances something scary is actually going to happen?"

Try to maintain a calm, neutral demeanor in front of your child, even as you are working on managing your anxiety. Dr. Howard says, "Be aware of your facial expressions, the words you choose, and the intensity of the emotion you express, because kids are reading you. They're little sponges and they pick up on everything."

While you don't want your child to witness every anxious moment you experience, you do not have to constantly suppress your emotions. It's okay - and even healthy - for children to see their parents cope with stress every now and then, but you want to explain why you reacted in the way that you did.

Let's say, for example, you lost your temper because you were worried about getting your child to school on time. Later, when things are calm, say to her: "Do you remember when I got really frustrated in the morning? I was feeling anxious because you were late for school, and the way I managed my anxiety was by yelling. But there are other ways you can manage it too. Maybe we can come up with a better way of leaving the house each morning."

Talking about anxiety in this way gives children permission to feel stress, explains Dr. Kirmayer, and sends the message that stress is manageable. "If we feel like we have to constantly protect our children from seeing us sad, or angry, or anxious, we're subtly giving our children the message that they don't have permission to feel those feelings, or express them, or manage them," she adds. "Then we're also, in a way, giving them an indication that there isn't a way to manage them when they happen."

Come up with strategies in advance for managing specific situations that trigger your stress. You may even involve your child in the plan. If, for example, you find yourself feeling anxious about getting your son ready for bed by a reasonable hour, talk to him about how you can work together to better handle this stressful transition in the future. Maybe you can come up with a plan wherein he earns points toward a privilege whenever he goes through his evening routine without protesting his bedtime.

These strategies should be used sparingly: You don't want to put the responsibility on your child to manage your anxiety if it permeates many aspects of your life. But seeing you implement a plan to curb specific anxious moments lets him know that stress can be tolerated and managed.

If you know that a situation causes you undue stress, you might want to plan ahead to absent yourself from that situation so your children will not interpret it as unsafe. Let's say, for example, that school drop-offs fill you with anxiety. Eventually you want to be able to take your child to school, but if you are still in treatment, you can ask a co-parent or another trusted adult to handle the drop off. "You don't want to model this very worried, concerned expression upon separating from your children," says Dr. Howard. "You don't want them to think that there's anything dangerous about dropping them off at school."

In general, if you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed with anxiety in the presence of your child, try to take a break. Danielle Veith, a stay-at-home mom who blogs about her struggles with anxiety, will take some time to herself and engage in stress-relieving activities when she starts to feel acutely anxious. "I have a list of to-do-right-this-second tips for dealing with a panic, which I carry with me: take a walk, drink tea, take a bath, or just get out the door into the air," she says. "For me, it's about trusting in the fact that the anxiety will pass and just getting through until it passes."

Trying to parent while struggling with your own mental health can be a challenge, but you don't have to do it alone. There is a lot of support online, on blogs, forums and social media. Getting support from the people in your life is important, too. Those people can be therapists, co-parents, or friends - anyone who will step in when you feel overwhelmed, or even just offer words of support. "I am a part of an actual support group, but I also have a network of friends," says Veith. "I am open with friends about who I am, because I need to be able to call on them and ask for help. "

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How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids - Child Mind Institute

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Witnessing a parent in a state of anxiety can be more than just momentarily unsettling for children. Kids look to their parents for information about how to interpret ambiguous situations; if a parent seems consistently anxious and fearful, the child will determine that a variety of scenarios are unsafe.

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Flooded: A Brain-Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions

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Flooded: A Brain-Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions

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Flooded by Allison Edwards

"When children experience The Flood Zone, their behavior changes. They yell, bite, or run away. They withdraw and lose concentration. They blame and lie. In this state, children are unable to be rational, regulated, or otherwise compliant. Even the most motivated child (or adult) with the greatest coping strategies won't be able to identify or manage their emotions in The Flood Zone."

"As educators, parents, and professionals, we need to teach children and teens how to identify their emotions, learn what triggers those feelings, and provide strategies to manage their feelings in a healthy way. This book explains how."

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Flooded: A Brain-Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions

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Flooded: A Brain-Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions [Allison Edwards] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Flooded: A Brain-Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions

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1n5.org | Stop the Stigma. Start the Conversation.

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Child Mind Institute | Transforming Children’s Lives.

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The Child Mind Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disorders.

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How to Help a Grieving Child: A Guide for Adults (Fernside)

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How to Help a Grieving Child: A Guide for Adults (Fernside)

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15 At-Home Family Activities for Tweens & Teens

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15 At-Home Family Activities for Tweens & Teens

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Strengthen connection with your child through at-home family activities for tweens and teens.

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15 At-Home Family Activities for Tweens and Teens

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Bond as a family without having to leave the house.

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Warning Signs of Suicide and How to Get Help

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Teen suicide warning signs often go unnoticed. Read more about the signs and ways to seek help for teens that need support.

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What is SEL? START HERE

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We define social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

New to Social and Emotional Learning? Start here (2 min. read).

Think of a young person in your life. What skills will they need to achieve their hopes and dreams?

Chances are, you just named social and emotional skills - like staying motivated, communicating effectively, practicing curiosity, and working with others to solve problems. Social and emotional learning, or SEL, helps develop the skills we need for life.
Hear why students, parents, and educators want SEL in schools. Here are 3 things to know about social and emotional learning:

1. Social and emotional learning is a foundation for many of our most pressing priorities: SEL helps young people - and adults - learn and practice skills that set them up for academic success, fulfilling careers, healthy relationships, and responsible civic engagement.

2. The research is clear: Social and emotional learning in schools leads to positive outcomes, including better academic performance, and decreases in stress and anxiety.

3. There's no one-size-fits-all approach: Social and emotional learning brings families, schools, and communities together to make sure every child has caring relationships and what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

Subscribe now for our expertly curated 3-part email series delivered straight to your inbox. We'll roundup the key facts from our website on SEL is, it matters, and it shows up in schools.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

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SEL can help all young people and adults thrive personally and academically, develop and maintain positive relationships, become lifelong learners, and contribute to a more caring, just world.

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3 Steps Before Giving Your Child Their Own Phone

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3 Steps Before Giving Your Child Their Own Phone

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3 Steps Before Giving Your Child a Phone

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When is the right time for a child’s first phone? This article shares three important steps parents should take before giving a child a phone.

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The Phone Book by Jessica Speer

"Packed with research-based explanations, techy tidbits, and stories, this book explores healthy screen habits and ways to stay safe online. Plus, fun activities and secret codes reveal the power of your phone and your superpowers to wield it as a force for good."

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BOOK SUMMARY: So . . . you got a phone! You can text your friends, play games, and take cool pictures! You have the whole world in your pocket-power to be used as a force for good or, um, not so good. But have no fear -The Phone Book is here! Packed with research-based explanations, techy tidbits, and stories, this book explores healthy screen habits and ways to stay safe online. Plus, fun activities and secret codes reveal the power of your phone and your superpowers to wield it as a force for good.

BOOK ACCOLADES

THE PHONE BOOK RESOURCES

RELATED VIDEOS

RELATED ARTICLES

THE PHONE BOOK REVIEWS

"Finally, a book for kids about the safe and responsible use of their first phone! A remarkably entertaining and informative read by Jessica Speer, The Phone Book will be hard for both kids (and adults!) to put down. It's peppered with interesting tech tidbits and activities that keep readers engaged, and every chapter neatly wraps up with a useful checklist. From cover to cover, it is packed with great information written in a language that does not speak down to kids, and I love that she tackles the most important topic first-"Why Tech Companies Want You Staring at Your Screen." This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. This really should be required reading for any child about to get a connected device. I have a feeling they will even thank you for it."
Diana Graber, Author of Raising Humans in a Digital World and Founder of Cyber Civics and Cyberwise

"Jessica has done it again! This is a unique, engaging, easy read for tweens and teens! I loved the 'reality check' sections, the trivia, true/false sections, and the guided questions for kids. This book is fun to read and has so much real information for kids (and parents). I especially loved the message that your phone can be a source of "good" in the world..it's how you use it! I will be recommending this to parents who attend my Tech Reset Masterclass as they navigate screen time limits and agreements with their tweens and teens."
-Therese Connolly, Parent Coach/Psychotherapist, Host of The Parenting Reset Show Podcast and Tech Reset Masterclass for Parents of Tweens and Teens

"Buy this book- and don't just give it to your child. Work through it with them! Talk about it! It's an invaluable resource that will teach and prompt important discussion and reflection. I'm SO impressed and know you will be, too."

"Tech is something we TEACH to our children, rather than just hand over to them. This guide is a wonderful companion for teaching digital citizenship skills to adolescents, helping them discover the difference between mindful and mindless screen time. From texting tips to healthy tech checklists, this is a wonderful resource for kids and digital literacy teachers alike. Just as we teach our kids how to be kind, safe, and discerning in the real world, let's offer them that same wisdom about their 2D experience."
-Jennifer Bochsler + Kay De Veer, Founders of Tech-Wise Littles, helping parents of littles ages 0-6 start screens safely and smartly

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Packed with insights, techy tidbits, and stories, THE PHONE BOOK explores healthy phone habits and ways to stay safe online

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These tips for family tech agreements establish boundaries for screens and encourage families to discuss healthy technology use.

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Helping Kids Understand MINDFUL & MINDLESS Screen Time

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Helping Kids Understand MINDFUL & MINDLESS Screen Time

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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 for many teens. Plus, TikTok's entertaining content and robust algorithm make it incredibly engaging.

Yet, each June, she logs off and returns to reading, spending time outside, and hanging out with friends. Her summer TikTok breaks were inspired by her realization that the time she spends on the platform replaces time she used to spend doing other things she enjoys.

Mindful Versus Mindless Screen Time

I call this " mindful screen time," or being intentional with our time on devices. It's the opposite of "mindless screen time," or scrolling and watching digital content instead of doing other things we want or need to do.

Many of us, myself included, spend time mindlessly scrolling devices. It can be a way to relax and unwind. But, when our mindless screen time grows and grows, it displaces other things that bring us joy or simply need to get done.

Noticing mindful versus mindless screentime is a skill that takes awareness and practice, especially for kids and teens. To help kids build awareness, I share the concept in Chapter 1 of The Phone Book - Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand.

To explore this at home or in your classroom, try these activities:

1. Discuss Mindful Versus Mindless Screen Time

Review the mindful and mindless screen time descriptions below. Have everyone share which "mindless" screen time examples they find easiest to get lost in. Are there other mindless screen activities that come to mind? Which "mindful" screen activities feel inspiring and useful?

Sending messages to connect with people

Watching videos to learn new things and find information

Playing games with friends and family

Creating art and content

Making fun of other people's posts

Scrolling out of boredom

Watching things you don't care about

Avoiding activities you want or need to do because screen time is easier

2. Make a List of Things You Like to Do or Want to Learn

When you find yourself lost in mindless screen time, it may be a good time to do something else. List three things you like to do or want to learn. (For example, read books, bake, learn guitar, etc.) Post this list somewhere you will see it often.

Three Things I Like to Do or Want to Learn:

1.

2.

3.

3. Take an Inventory of Your Day

Think about your usual day. What do you do? How much time do you spend attending school or working, sleeping, looking at your screen, doing chores, etc. Use colored pencils or markers to shade and label the circle's slices with how you usually spend your time.
Your Usual Day
(Each slice = one hour of a 24-hour day)

Now, think about your ideal day. Fill in each hour slice with how you would like to spend your free time, including any screen time and activities you want to do or learn. Be sure to shade the hours you sleep, do chores, and go to school. But your free time is yours to manage as you wish.
Your Ideal Day
(Each slice = one hour of a 24-hour day)

Compare your two circles. How does your usual day compare to your ideal day? Would you change anything to make your usual day more ideal?

Mindful Screen Time Takes Practice

In today's tech-obsessed world, using screens mindfully takes intention and practice. Many apps and games are designed to keep us engaged, so it makes sense it's hard to change our focus. Technology and cell phones are powerful tools. When screens are used mindfully and as a force for good, they positively impact our lives and the world.

About Jessica Speer:

Jessica Speer is the author of books for kids and teens, including The Phone Book - Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand. She is also the author of the award-winning, BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships and Middle School - Safety Goggles Advised, both of which grew from her work with kids. Blending social science, stories, and fun activities, her writing unpacks tricky stuff that surfaces during childhood and adolescence. For more information, visit www.JessicaSpeer.com

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Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen Time

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This post defines mindful and mindless screen time, and offers ways to help kids become more aware of their own screen behaviors.

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Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace

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Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace

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Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace

"How can we teach our kids to strive towards excellence without crushing them?"

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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER award-winning reporter Jennifer Breheny Wallace investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture, and finds out what we must do to fight back. Drawing on interviews with families, educators, and an original survey of nearly 6,000 parents, she exposes how the pressure to perform is not a matter of parental choice but baked in to our larger society and spurred by increasing income inequality and dwindling opportunities. As a result, children are increasingly absorbing the message that they have no value outside of their accomplishments, a message that is reinforced by the media and greater culture at large., and have intrinsic self-worth not contingent upon external achievements. Parents and educators who adopt the language and values of mattering help children see themselves as a valuable contributor to a larger community. And in an ironic twist, kids who receive consistent feedback that they matter no matter what are more likely to have the resilience, self-confidence, and psychological security to thrive.

The definitive book on the rise of "toxic achievement culture" overtaking our kids' and parents' lives, and a new framework for fighting back

In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today's students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to "get ahead." Family incomes and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Yet this drive to optimize performance has only resulted in skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in America's highest achieving schools. Parents, educators, and community leaders are facing the same quandary: how can we teach our kids to strive towards excellence without crushing them?

Through deep research and interviews with today's leading child psychologists, Wallace shows what kids need from the adults in the room is not more pressure, but to feel like they

Packed with memorable stories and offering a powerful toolkit for positive change,
In Never Enough, matter Never Enough offers an urgent, humane view of the crisis plaguing today's teens and a practical framework for how to help.

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Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-and What We Can Do About It

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In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today's students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to "get ahead." Fami...

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5 Reasons Why We Should Be Prioritizing Sleep for Teens

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5 Reasons Why We Should Be Prioritizing Sleep for Teens

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"Sleep-deprived teens are more likely to report increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts."

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sleep- mental health quick tip - from Sources OH newsletter

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BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? by Jessica Speer

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BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? by Jessica Speer

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BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? by Jessica Speer

"Through fun activities, quizzes, and real stories, this award-winning book helps girls decipher healthy vs. unhealthy relationship skills and how to navigate struggles. But more importantly, this book gives girls a new perspective on friendship and the role they play in creating positive change."

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BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends) tackles friendship struggles head-on, leaving readers informed and empowered as they navigate friendships.

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8 Easy Ways to Help Your Teen Make Friends

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8 Easy Ways to Help Your Teen Make Friends

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"Guide your teen in initiating conversations by prompting them to ask questions. Motivate them to embrace new experiences and reach out to peers from diverse backgrounds."

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Help Your Teen Make Friends: 8 Easy Ways That Work

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Helping your teen make friends can be tough, but 8 proven strategies can boost their confidence, improve conversational skills, and foster genuine connections.

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9 great tips & tools to practice wellness & self-care!

"Self-compassion means treating ourselves like we would treat our best friends. We should talk to ourselves the way that we would talk to someone we care about, and replace unhelpful thoughts with compassionate ones."

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[VIDEO] How to Support Your Child’s Mental Health During the Holiday Season 

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[VIDEO] How to Support Your Child’s Mental Health During the Holiday Season 

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"As parents and caregivers, the best thing you can do is provide stability for your child."

"Watch for any cues that they may be uncomfortable in a situation. This is when they need your support the most."

"Every child needs to feel that they're heard and understood."

"By showing that you take breaks, set healthy boundaries, and practice gratitude, you teach your child that your emotional well-being is something to be nurtured and not ignored."

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How to Support Your Child’s Mental Health During the Holiday Season #holidays #parenttips #parenting

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How children grieve can be influenced by age, cultural traditions, religious beliefs, mental health, disabilities, and other factors. Grieving does not have a timeline, and schools and families should be aware of anniversaries, birthdays, developmental milestones, and other factors that could affect students months or years after the loss.

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Addressing Grief in Children _Infographic Flyer