2020 Hindsight: Make this the year of creating a culture of connection at home

by Joanna Jullien | Jan 7, 2020 | Boundaries, Children's Health & Mental Health, Discipline, Faith, Family, Internet addiction, Parent-child relationship, Parental Authority, Parental control, Parenting, Social Media, Substance abuse prevention, Wisdom

Fifteen years ago, just before the advent of smartphones and social media, mobile devices landed in the hands of youth. At that time, my youngest hit middle school. He had purchased a “pay-as-you-go” mobile device with his own paper route money. My husband and I...

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....

What the college admission scams say about our parenting culture and the plight of our youth

by Joanna Jullien | Mar 19, 2019 | addiction, Anxiety, Cannabis use among youth, Children & Teens Problems & Pitfalls, Children's Health & Mental Health, Children's mental health, Family, Internet addiction, Marijuna use by teens, Parent-child communication, Parenting, Substance Abuse & Addiction, Suicide, Teen Drinking, Teen drug addiction, Teenagers, Wisdom, Youth Suicide

Recent news stories about the college admissions scandals illustrate how this modern “achievement generation” of parents believe that their child’s life is a trophy for their own mantles, and also reinforce an entitlement mentality that undermines the resilience youth...

Three steps to connect with your tech-savvy child

by Joanna Jullien | Feb 5, 2019 | Anxiety, Bullying, Children's Health & Mental Health, Drug Abuse and Youth, Faith, Internet addiction, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parenting, Social Media, Suicide, Wisdom, Youth Suicide

Last month at the Women’s Association for Addiction Treatment, Sacramento Chapter member meeting, Dr. Suzanne Pereira, Clinical Director at New Dawn Treatment Centers in Sacramento,  spoke about the process of wellness transformation in response to addiction as a...

Signs your smartphone is controlling you and your family

by Joanna Jullien | Dec 21, 2018 | Children & Teens Problems & Pitfalls, Children's mental health, Education, Family, Internet addiction, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parental Authority, Parenting, Social Media, Texting, Wisdom

As an educator and coach on parenting and family life, I have studied how the pedophiles and commercial interests engage tech-savvy youth so they can exploit them. To that end, I teach caring adults how to engage youth to empower them and impart wisdom. In this...