Ask Lisa
Teen psychology parenting Q&A; principles trace to developmental psychology
48:14There Is No Formula for Getting In: The Anti-Anxiety Truth About U.S. College Admissions
Low admit rates are a story about roughly 80 selective schools nationally; for most families there is no formula, and the most useful thing a parent can do is hold a standing meeting and control what is controllable.
32:45You Can't Make a Kid Want to Work: Structure and Consequences Beat Enthusiasm
Building a work ethic doesn't run on making a kid enjoy the work. It runs on three things: rules that structure the household, privileges tied to responsibilities, and the sense that someone is counting on him — plus, when needed, letting him take his own fall at school.
47:23Don't stand between your kid and the screen — stand beside them
The real mechanism of toxic stress is exposure without an adult to buffer it; the more you can be on your kid's side, with technology as the shared opponent, the more the relationship itself becomes the strongest protection available in the digital age.
23:42Getting cut from the friend group is not a verdict — it is chemical bonding
Being frozen out by a friend group, or needing to end a friendship yourself, are both normal chapters of adolescence; the most useful thing a parent can do is hand the kid perspective and specific lines to say, not charge in on their behalf.