Navigating Friendships: Adolescents
As your children continue to grow and enter adolescence, friendships continue to be incredibly important. Friendships help adolescents form their identity, establish independence, find a sense of belonging, and feel accepted. We all know that having good friendships makes us happier, but there are many other positive benefits. Teen friendships are supported with a better immune system, higher self-esteem, lowers the rates of anxiety/depression, and much more.
Tweens, Teens, and TikTok
As a parent deciding if, when, or how to give them access to an app like TikTok can feel overwhelming due to conflicting beliefs around if TikTok positively or negatively impacts the youth. As a child and adolescent therapist, I believe every parent has to make the decision they feel is in their tweens or teens best interest to keep them emotionally and physically safe.