Children receive a lot of input about what it will take to succeed and be happy. How can we communicate the truth that will help them realize their own potential?

Daily offers compelling insight about the neuro development of the reward systems of the adolescent brain, the shame experiences of childhood, and the nature of addiction as an illness that can be successfully treated when we focus on the illness, which he posits is not about the drug. “Addiction is an illness resulting from affect dysregulation,” he said. “It is a pathological relationship to intoxication. So it does not matter which drug is involved.”

Bob Holmes is a one-man volley ball team who travels the country engaging teens to think radically differently about their value and their future in the face of enormous bullying pressure in their social networks to believe they are small and insignificant.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. According to Jason Ramos, spokesperson for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department, studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. "Many people do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards," he said.

Historically the teen and young adult years are perceived as times of separation from parents, but I am advocating for deeper bonding in a hyper-connected world. I will be teaching a 2-part workshop on Fearless Communication with Your Teen and Young Adult in Roseville at Recovery Happens, on 3017 Douglas Blvd., 3^rd Floor, on September 21, 6:00-7:30pm and September 28, 6:00-7:30 pm.

A mother of two grown sons, I …

In an article via Mamapedia, a blogger mom, Jenny Ball, expresses her simmering rage in an open letter to an Amway lady who deeply offended her teenage son while he concluded a shift at his supermarket job. The lady was a customer and as he finished bagging her groceries, she made a comment about his acne and then suggested she had a product that would take care of it and left him her card. Personally I recognized this mama bear that surfaced in this blog post. That mama bear lives in me too; and as a mom reformed I routinely redirect that mama bear to her cage. And so I could also appreciate the considerable restraint this angry mom demonstrated not to publish the woman’s contact information as she delivered a diatribe that ascribed misguided and exploitive motives on the part of the Amway lady in question. This mother heart knew intimately how painful that Amway exchange was for her son, which according to her was a kick in the gut to someone who already knew he had an acne problem and was working on it.

Experiences like the trauma of being physically assaulted, abandoned and betrayed, as well as stimulants like drugs, alcohol, cyber technology, sex and graphic sexual images, and gambling can literally re-wire the brain to become dependent upon external sources to “feel good” or seek a sense of normal in response to painful emotion aroused in the realm of heart and mind. The net result (no pun intended) is that you can believe that there is no normal without the external stimulation – and hence there is no peace. In this state of addiction, the ability to self sooth, your personal power, is disabled.

So let us be clear. Worrying is not the same thing as caring because it is the product of fear, not love. And worry is in my opinion the most toxic temptation of the modern parent given the truly perilous network culture that encompasses the modern childhood.

...A recent report from the UK sites ads for electronic cigarettes targeting teens in social media are attempting to convince them that e-cigarettes are safe and the way to be cool, like celebrities. And while electronic delivery of nicotine might be a safer alternative than tobacco for smokers, the profit incentive knows no boundaries as this “safety message” is delivered to our youth. This is how a kernel of truth is twisted into a lie...

...Whether your child has suffered trauma from bullying, being exploited sexually, failed relationships due to cyber-powered gossip and betrayal, or suffers from addiction to drugs, porn or devices and apps including video gamming, our challenge as parents is to respond to the human condition with a heart at peace so that your child can believe you are a trustworthy resource for prevention and recovery support. Parents who criticize others outted for risky choices and conduct (such as sexting or drug abuse), for example, send strong signals to your own child that is is not safe to talk about what is happening in their world on and off line without fear of retribution; and then it is not possible to impart wisdom. It is not possible to provide the prevention and recovery support kids need from parents for all the experiences in their life that make up critical decision points impacting their personal security. So I have come to appreciate the following clarification for the modern parent when it comes to understanding our role in prevention and recovery for all of the risks life presents our children: Prevention and recovery are the arms of God’s love. It is a big bear hug that wraps our compassion around the person who is our child; it is our passion for our child to be free from the bondage of any relationship that keeps them aimed far away from the heart of a healthy relationship with God and family. The big question for the modern parent is: what do you believe about the human condition? Really, how do you perceive sin? Is it a judgy thing that does not apply to you and your child? Do you believe that your sincere parenting will guarantee your child will be safe from the pitfalls? How do you understand the mighty, cyber-powered pressures of the world that intensify bullying, addiction and exploitation?