A digital conversation starter for you and your teens: "How many Snapstreaks do you have?" Here's an article that describes the lengths that some teens (and even some adults) go to in an effort to keep their streaks alive.
Our kids are bombarded by messages suggesting that appearances are everything. How we talk to them, and how they hear us talk about ourselves, really makes a difference. Thanks Child Mind Institute for these great reminders.
Important piece from the UK on a very troubling topic.
American sex ed has a long way to go. I like the way this topic is approached in the Netherlands, where children are taught about feelings, friendship, love, and respect starting at a very early age. Their questions are answered simply and honestly, in a developmentally appropriate way. Seems so much healthier than the clinical, fear-based approach widely used in the U.S. "The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world while the Dutch have among the lowest—eight times lower than their American counterparts. Research also indicates that, on average, teens in the Netherlands do not have sex at an earlier age than those in the US. This is the case even though Dutch