Have you ever asked yourself as a parent, "What does a normal teenager act like?"

Teenage rebellion and defiance are common challenges that parents often navigate. On top of teenage push-back are social media and smartphones competing with the teen-parent connection. (Or shall I say "screen addiction"?) As a parent coach and parenting instructor, I get scores of S.O.S. calls from parents. Many parents are fearful and remark, "Where did my 'sweet child' go?!"Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Nowadays, children have easy access to screens and technology that can dominate their daily lives. But as convenient as it is to put your child in front of an Xbox, computer game, or TV, have you ever wondered how screens affect early child development?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

As a parent coach, I get asked three questions frequently, "How do I discipline a toddler?" "How can I stop my toddler from hitting?" and "What's the best way to deal with temper tantrums?"

Of course, toddlers are adorable and endearing. Yet, their behavior can be exhausting; they're feisty and too young to act logically.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Whether you're dealing with toddler tantrums, a middle-schooler's meltdown, or the emotional darts of a teen, one thing is clear: it is up to adults to be stable figures for children to build emotional intelligence. But what are the essential ingredients to ensure that you cultivate emotional development and social intelligence?Many parents I talk to have the mistaken idea that they must be perfect parents to be good parents. The opposite is true.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

We love our kids! And all every parent wants if for their children to be happy and successful. Sometimes we unintentionally do the opposite of what cultivates healthy self-esteem. For example, there’s hardly a parent in the world who hasn’t said something like this to a child in a moment of exasperation: “Look at your brother—he jumps right on his homework after school! Why do I always have to nag you to get yours done?” “Your sister’s a whiz at math, but all you want to do is draw.” Or “Stop giving me attitude! Can’t you just be polite like your brother?”

This morning, a friend of mine shared a social media post about a 12-year-old boy who had just died from suicide. They attribute some of the boy’s discouragement to bullying, though I’m unsure if it was online or offline. The timing was uncanny as I was writing this article. It stopped me in my tracks.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes