REALITY CHECK: Did you know the period between prom through graduation are statistically the deadliest time of the year for teens on our national highways? Here are ways to keep your teen safe and have happy memories. Prom night. Graduation! You want your teen to have a wonderful, magical evening, but it’s easy to forget [...]

Key findings about day care centers and the impact on our children’s development that I shared on TODAY that all parents and educators should know. And how to use those findings to help your choose the best day care for your child  Over 2.3 million American kids under five are cared for at day care [...]

Advice to help you pick your battles, upgrade your strategies,boost a stronger relationship and keep your teen safer  Let’s face it, parenting a teen is sometimes like walking through a minefield. They’re usually moody, stressed and sleep deprived. Then add those hormones kicking in, and it’s enough to throw up your hands. Well don’t. The [...]

The Medicine Abuse Project Launches Initiative to End Growing Epidemic: National Action Campaign Will Prevent Half a Million Teens from Abusing Medicine in Five Years Did you know that today in the United States, 2,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 will abuse a prescription pain medication without a prescription? [1] In fact, it’s easier [...]

There is one irrefutable research-based finding no parent should ignore: the earlier kids start to drink, the more likely they are to have alcohol problems later in life. In fact, kids who start to drink before the age of fifteen are four times more likely to report the criteria for alcohol dependence. I’ve spent the [...]

Potentially lethal trends teens are doing  that every parent and educator must know This note is only intended to an author abusing copyright law – apologies to my readers. To that author and publisher: please honor the copyright of this article and my others… if used, please quote the source. To the publisher, check my [...]

Parenting tips I shared on the DATELINE special on how parents can curb the risks of teen drinking and driving Giving your kids the keys to a car is one of the scariest moments of parenthood. “Will they make safe choices?” is always a parents’ haunting concern. I was involved with a Dateline special recently [...]

I’ll be the parenting expert to a special Dateline series that starts this Sunday. Coming up on Dateline is a parenting series that I urge you to watch. The first of the series airs this Sunday night, April 15 at 7p/6 c on “Stranger Safety” reported by NBC’s Natalie Morales. I’m the parenting expert for [...]

Deadly facts about teen drinking every parent and educator should know — Why we must teach our kids how to drink responsibly.  It is easy for educators and parents to become overdramatic when warning young students about the dangers of alcohol. Flooded with extensive media coverage of seemingly every college drinking death, their genuine concern can become [...]

Parenting advice I shared on the Dateline special, “The Perils of Parenting” to help reduce risky teen drinking and driving behaviors that might even save your teen’s life! Would your kid get in the car with a drunk driver? You won’t believe what most teens do… This year I had the pleasure of working as [...]

Research shows a disturbing trend: girls are drinking and binging more to reduce stress. Parenting solutions to help young girls Think drinking is only a “boy” problem? Data from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America may make you think again. The survey results on 3287 teens in grades nine through twelve reveal a troubling trend—especially [...]

Young girls severe stress levels; Mental health at record low Parenting alert: Studies show steep rise in girls getting high to cope, as well as eating disorders, depression, suicide, self-mutilation, and perfectionism. Girls as young as 11 say they are “severely stressed;” eating disorders diagnosed in six year olds! Time for a Reality Check! The [...]

Do you know what K-2, Four Loko, Spice, Blaze, Red X Dawn, Blackout in can, and Toxing are? If not, it’s time to wise up and talk to your teens.  Here are three dangerous teen trends every parent needs to know. K-2 or Synthetic “Fake” Marijuana Teens smoke it as the new way to get [...]

Parenting tips based on proven research that help raise tobacco-free kids and save their lives REALITY CHECK: One in five high school students smoke. More than 3 million U.S. teens are cigarette smokers. The biggest increase in cigarette users are teen girls. Did you know …. In California (my state), 18 to 24 year olds [...]

News at Central Washington University is a parent wake-up call: we have  skills to teach. Parenting advice to help you talk to your teen about date rape drugs and what you can help them learn to keep them safer and savvier Scene: Fifty unconscious and semi-conscious party goers. Vomit everywhere. One man engaging in sexual [...]

After almost a decade of a decline in teen drug abuse, a new survey out this month shows a marked and troubling upswing in youth substance abuse. While there are some encouraging stats, the overall findings should make every parent keep an even closer eye on their child and not only in our own homes. [...]

You say:  “Why should I talk to my child about drinking, he isn’t even a teenager!” I say: “That’s exactly when you should talk to your kid about alcohol. In fact, the earlier the better.” Did you know that kids are having their first drink three and a half years earlier than kids from the baby [...]

PARENT REALITY CHECK: Do you know the signs of cold and cough syrup medicine addiction? If not, it’s time to get educated. If you need any motivation read these troubling stats: One out of every fourteen kids aged 12 to 17 (more than 2.4 million) admit using cold or cough medicine “fairly recently” to get [...]