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There are few things more frightening for a parent than realizing that their child has been struggling emotionally and did not feel comfortable telling anyone. Teenagers and young adults may experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, trauma, relationship problems, academic pressure, bullying, substance use, suicidal thoughts, or feelings of hopelessness.

The important distinction is between preparing a child for anxiety and repeatedly warning a child about anxiety. The first can build confidence. The second can unintentionally communicate that anxiety is dangerous and something the child needs to fear.

But there is an important difference between protecting a child from overwhelming distress and helping a child gradually learn that they can tolerate discomfort. That distinction can have profound implications—not only for childhood anxiety and resilience, but also for a child's ability to become an independent young adult.

Learn how Authoritative Parenting 2.0 combines empathy with clear boundaries to raise confident, resilient, emotionally healthy children.

Social anxiety is one of the most debilitating forms of anxiety and can negatively impact children's social lives, connections with peers and important experiences that help with future independent skills

Procrastination is one of the greatest barriers for growth and success. Just getting started is often harder than sustaining momentum after the first few minutes!

Data continues to reveal that waiting for children to use social media is often better than allowing them access when they are young

Positive relationships with parents, teachers, and peers provide emotional security and guidance. When children feel understood and supported, they are less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

A quick story...A boy I work with recently shared with me that his girlfriend broke up with him because her friends believed he was "toxic" (he's not) and that they would ditch her as a friend if she stayed with him. This girl unfortunately has a history of a previous partner cheating on her along with familial stressors and severe anxiety. The boy was confused, angry and sad. Couldn't she just tell her friends to trust and support her?

Summer offers something the school year often cannot: time to practice real-life skills in real-life situations. Skills like social confidence, communication abilities, decision making, emotional regulation, independence, organization, frustration tolerance, problem solving, and responsibility are skills children build through repeated experience — not lectures. Like reading fluency or multiplication, these abilities improve through practice.

Lying is actually a normal part of child development. It often reflects immature impulse control, fear of punishment, wishful thinking, social experimentation or underdeveloped emotional regulation rather than malicious intent. Understanding why children lie is one of the most powerful ways to respond effectively and build long-term honesty.

As a school psychologist, I have seen how understanding a child’s behavior patterns, recognizing triggers, and teaching coping skills before a child becomes overwhelmed can reduce the frequency and intensity of meltdowns. This article offers practical steps, phrases, and coping strategies tailored to different ages and settings to help parents support their children effectively.

Children do not outgrow fears simply with time or reassurance. They outgrow them through experience—specifically, repeated experiences of facing something difficult and discovering

Sleep is one of the most underestimated pillars of child development. In clinical practice, I routinely see children referred for attention problems, anxiety, mood instability, or behavioral outbursts—only to discover that chronic sleep deprivation is a central driver.

At its core, sensory play refers to any activity that engages a child’s senses—touch, sight, sound, smell, taste, movement, and body awareness (proprioception and vestibular input)

If you had to hire someone for your company, would you hire the Harvard grad with poor social skills and an inability to collaborate with others or the community college grade who is relatable, socially mature and flexible? Unless those traits don't matter (think of professions with limited social interactions) you're going to want someone on your team who can get along with others, compromise and read the room.

by David Krasky, Psy.S. Licensed School Psychologist and author of Raising Future Adults As a school psychologist—and a parent—I often remind families of a simple but powerful truth: children do best when they know what’s coming . This is especially true during fun activities like vacations, trips to the store, birthday parties, or special outings. Ironically, the moments we expect to be joyful are often the ones that unravel the fastest when expectations are unclear. Excite

Let's Be Friends! by David Krasky, author of Raising Future Adults In a world increasingly shaped by technology, automation, and artificial intelligence, one human skill remains irreplaceable: the ability to form and sustain meaningful relationships. As a school psychologist, I often tell parents that academic achievement may open doors, but interpersonal skills determine how far a child walks through them. Relationships will be the most important commodity of the future, no

By David Krasky, Psy. S., Licensed School Psychologist and author of Raising Future Adults As a licensed school psychologist, I often remind parents that some of the most powerful learning moments for children don’t come from flashcards, apps, or even direct instruction. They come from observation. One of the most developmentally rich—and increasingly rare—forms of observation is people watching . If you were born before the invention of smart phones, odds are you were once a

The holiday season is filled with lights, excitement, and—if we’re being honest—an overwhelming number of “I want that!” moments. For children, this time of year is emotionally charged, making it the perfect opportunity to teach one of the most important lifelong skills: delay of gratification (unless you have unlimited money and resources...and even if you do, you should still teach this skill to your children). Delay of gratification is the ability to pause, think, and cho