ZEYNEP OKUR GUNER, PhD

As a parent, I feel rather proud of myself, thinking I do a good job monitoring our daughter’s comings and goings - and her digital footprint. Well… apparently, not so much anymore! This week I celebrated my birthday. On Sunday morning, our daughter asked to stay home instead of joining us for our weekly farmer’s market visit, a family ritual that we enjoy doing together. She said she wanted to stay home, read a book and relax. We said yes, although I was slightly disappointe

“Adolescence is the training ground for adulthood” states Dr Madeline Levine. Throughout adolescence, our teenagers have three main endeavors: -To develop an adult body -To develop an adult brain -To develop an adult sense of self and identity. Whilst our teenagers will be busy of doing all of these at the same time, our job as parents is to support them. However, developing an adult sense of self and identity involves a process called separation and individuation . Teenagers

The life of an ordinary teen or tween can be surprisingly hectic and stressful. They go to school everyday and are expected to learn a wide range of subjects-some they enjoy, some they don’t. Regardless, they must focus and perform. Psychologist Dr Lisa D’Amour offers a helpful analogy: high school is like an open buffet. In real life, we walk around, choose what we like, and leave what we don’t. In school, however, teens are presented with a buffet of subjects, but they are