Responding to the stress of social media ‘likes’ during the holidays and beyond

by Joanna Jullien | Dec 11, 2019 | addiction, Anxiety, Children's Health & Mental Health, Children's mental health, Discipline, Family, Internet Safety, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child relationship, Parenting, Social Media, Teenagers, Texting, Wisdom

A recent feature on Jersey 105.5 reminds parents that youth today experience stress with social media influences that can inspire great anxiety – especially around the holidays. There is more time to hang out on-line and young folks feel a pressure to take pictures to...

Countering the addiction epidemic: Responding to opioids and other risky drug use trends with hope

by Joanna Jullien | Sep 2, 2019 | addiction, Anxiety, Cannabis use among youth, Children's mental health, Family, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parenting, Prevention strategy, Substance Abuse & Addiction, Substance abuse prevention, Teenagers, Wisdom

There is plenty of reason for parents to be concerned about the drug trends youth are exposed to today. Vaping is rampant among youth at early ages as nicotine and cannabis are consumed with electronic devices and are difficult to detect. Children are literally...

In a world where mass murder is possible, who’s in control?

by Joanna Jullien | Aug 6, 2019 | Abuse & Violence, Anxiety, Children's Health & Mental Health, Discipline, Faith, Family, God's love, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parental Authority, Parenting, Social Media, Suicide, Teenagers, Wisdom, Youth violence

In a world where it is possible for an  individual to commit mass murder, who is really in control? This is the unsettling question we ask ourselves in the wake of the recent mass murders in Gilroy, and over the weekend in El Paso and Dayton, and with the other mass...

How to rebuild trust when you find these apps on your child’s smartphone

by Joanna Jullien | Jun 4, 2019 | Discipline, Faith, Family, Internet Safety, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parenting, Privacy, Social Media, Teenagers, Wisdom

One of the greatest challenges of parenting tech-savvy youth is balancing rules and relationships. There is much confusion between trust and faith and private and secret.  The biggest obstacle to building trust with tech-savvy youth is a parent’s fear which kills open...

Why devices are not to blame for a lack of connection with your child

by Joanna Jullien | May 28, 2019 | Anxiety, Boundaries, Children & Teens Problems & Pitfalls, Children's Health & Mental Health, Discipline, Faith, Family, Internet addiction, Internet Safety, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parenting, Social Media, Substance abuse prevention, Teenagers, Wisdom

Recently I found a very honest and inspirational book on parenting at the local thrift store, entitled, The Key to Your Child’s Heart, by Gary Smalley. Published in 1984, Smalley (an author, educator, pastor, husband and father) shares some of the fundamentals of...

Conquer the fear of losing a child to screentime

by Joanna Jullien | May 15, 2019 | addiction, Children's Health & Mental Health, Family, Happiness, Internet addiction, Internet Safety, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parenting, Social Media, Substance Abuse & Addiction, Suicide, Teenagers, Wisdom

Executive summary The quality of life for a child or teen is not necessarily defined by social media use. Children who are not feeling a sense of secure belonging at home and in a peer community are vulnerable to the isolating impact of excessive social media use....