In this issue:

• ​Try These Five Simple Tips When Things Are Rough With Your Teen​
• ​My Teen Won’t Come Out of Their Bedroom​
• ​8 Effective Ways to Get Your Teen Son to Open Up to You​
• Fun graduation gifts: Crochet Encouragement creations​

Hi Reader

Some interesting news: If you’re constantly hounding your teen to get out of bed before noon on the weekend, you may want to save your energy for a different battle. According to new research published in The Journal of Affective Disorders, sleeping in on the weekend could offer some significant protection against depression.

For the study, researchers at the University of Oregon and the State University of New York Upstate Medical University analyzed data from more than a thousand 16 to 24-year-olds in which participants reported their sleep/waking hours, including weekend catch-up sleep.

So, as annoying as it sometimes is, it's better to focus on ensuring your teen gets enough sleep, as opposed to how and when. Still waiting for this parenting gig to get easier! :)

Thanks for being a part of our community.

Whitney and the PTT Team

P.S. Do you need a little laugh? We love this post that talks about how much information is out there about parenting teens the "right" way!

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​Try These Five Simple Tips When Things Are Rough With Your Teen​ Someone once told me, “When you can’t have the relationship you want with your child, you focus on giving them the relationship you think they need.” I didn’t understand that at the time. I mean, a relationship takes two. It should be based on honesty and mutual respect and understanding. That was the type of relationship I wanted with my kids. That was the relationship I expected. Read article

Help! My Teen Won’t Come Out of Their Bedroom​ It started slowly at first. My young teen daughter would come home from school, say a quick hello, and then trudge up the stairs to her bedroom where I’d hear a soft click of her door. Eventually, she would come out to get a snack or refill her water bottle. She’d join us for dinner. Maybe she’d watch a show with us or finish her homework at the kitchen counter. But she slowly started retreating back to her bedroom more and more, often closing the door like a vault in a bank. And the truth was, I missed her. Read article

​8 Effective Ways to Get Your Teen Son to Open Up to You​ Remember when you couldn’t wait for your little guy to say his first words? Then, in the whirlwind of the preschool and elementary years, you wondered if your head might explode when he wouldn’t stop talking about anything and everything on his mind—dinosaurs! Mario! Bugs! Lego! Minecraft! Star Wars! Soccer! Pokemon! Fortnite! But suddenly, your little boy is now a teenager, and you’re lucky to get a grunt when you ask, “How was your day?” Read article

Encouraging, cute, and thoughtfully-made, there are a lot of creatures and messages to choose from that will convey just what you want to say to your teen. It’s a sweet emotional support keepsake that conveys care and positive energy. Find it here

Have you heard your teen talk about dopamine hits? A dopamine hit refers to the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a key role in reward, motivation, and pleasure. These can come from both positive (exercise, sunlight) and negative (social media, drugs) sources. Getting your teens hooked on positive dopamine sources can help them feel more confident and stable throughout their life.

P.P.S. Popular post on social media right now: Teenage Boys Are Just Like their Newborn Baby Selves​

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