Big Kid
Teen to Teen: How to Support a Friend Who’s Away in Treatment
A teen writes in to ask how to best support a struggling friend who’s in treatment for an eating disorder and suicidal ideation.
Big Kid
13 Reasons Why: The Book, the Series, the Issues
Unsure about whether 13 Reasons Why on Netflix is okay for your teen? My teen and an educator help me break it down for parents who have concerns.
Big Kid
When Other Kids Suck the Joy Out of Beloved Activities
A reader asks how to help a teen stick out a difficult activity when the other kids are making things unpleasant.
Big Kid
Lonely Teen After a Move: Time to Intervene?
A mom wants to know how to help her young teen make connections in their new community without overstepping. Can it be done? Maybe.
Big Kid
Help! How Do I Handle These Disturbing Teenage Texts?
Did you ever check your teen’s texts and find yourself horrified by what their friends are saying? A reader wants to know if she’s overreacting.
Big Kid
Teenagers and Bad News Parties: What Do We Tell Them?
A reader asks how we deal with teens and the specter of poor teen decisions about drugs and alcohol and parties.
Big Kid
Managing A Tween Mean Girl BFF
Was there ever a girl who made it through the school years without finding herself friends with a mean girl? Now Mom has to figure out how to best handle it.
Big Kid
Advice to My Daughter on Navigating Teen Friendships
How do you talk to your teens about their friends that you don’t like?
Big Kid
Friendship Rules for the Big Kids
Much as all the Commandments follow from the first one, I feel like all friendship rules flow from “be nice,” but it gets more complicated as the kids grow up.
Big Kid
On Being “The House” At Thanksgiving (And Beyond)
This Thanksgiving and beyond, I am grateful that we are “The House” for my teens and their friends. What does that look like?
Big Kid
Special Needs, Yes Indeed: Find Your Family’s Tribe
When you’re parenting kids with special needs, finding another family who gets it is invaluable, for both kids and parents.
Big Kid
When Your Teen’s Friend Has Mental Health Issues
No one wants their kid to be unkind to others, but when it comes to issues of mental illness, are you teaching your kid kindness or fear?
Big Kid
The Best of the Internet: When Your BFF’s Kids Embrace Your Own
What happens when you internet BFF’s kids meet your own? It’s really a best of the web type story. Seeing our teens become fast friends proved to be an unexpected gift to a dear far-away friend and me.
Big Kid
It Is None of My Business What Other Teenagers Do, Or Is It?
Do you tell parents if you know their kid is involved in destructive behavior? I happen to think it takes a village, even if it makes me uncomfortable at times.
Big Kid
Your Teen Has a Friend You Don’t Like, 11 Things You Can Do About It
It’s bound to happen. Your kid is going to make a friend that you don’t like. What do you do? How do you know whether to step in or stand back?