Valerie Grison Blog

Teenage boys are most often presented as sex-crazed. Well, according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Men’s Health, that stereotype is inaccurate. The study looked at 33 teenage boys between 14 and 16 who were mostly black and who came from an urban area which serves mostly low-income families. Although the […]

  The Thigh Gap: What is it? A thigh gap is a clear space or gap between the thighs. The thighs are no longer touching each other when the feet and knees are together. Origin of the phenomenon: the 2012 Victoria’s Secret fashion show. For many teens, the thigh gap symbolizes the ideal body. Some […]

The unspoken communication of colors is key. Companies are aware of it. This “science” is applied to position a product and advertise it. It is also used inside the walls of some companies to motivate and increase the productivity and the happiness of the employees. The colors used with companies logos as well as products […]

While it’s true that most of our neurons have already formed by the time we’re born, that doesn’t mean our brains are finished developing. Brains don’t fully finish with development until about age 25. Only then is one’s brain considered mature. One aspect of that is that teens differ from pre-teens or adults on the […]

  Sometime, you don’t know why, but you can’t accept the truth. Even when you know it is. I’m sure that has happened to you, denial is a normal stage of grief. It’s also a normal stance to take when someone disagrees with something you believe to be true. Many people, though in the face […]

The years between 10 and 14 are a difficult time for children. They want the independence of their older peers, but they are at an impressionable stage of life. This is a time when they are beginning to shape their lives and starting to really become the people they will be in high school, but also […]

One of the most important aspects of tween psychology is the development of skills needed for managing their own lives, making good choices, and becoming self-reliant. At this in-between stage tweens are leaving the familiar surroundings of elementary school, and entering middle school where their decision-making and independence will be tested every day. The way […]

Fairy Godmother Academy and TBQE Create Social Mobile Game and Contest: Question Beauty with Aja Volkman of Alt Pop band, Nico Vega, as a spokesperson. http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1830270

  Teen literature has seen a great boom in recent years. This is an encouraging trend for parents and educators. It is not merely a passing fad, but appears not only to be holding its own, but has become a powerful, profitable market niche. The explosion began with J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, and […]

I was invited last week by a dear friend to join Craig and Marc Kielburger and share the wonderful experience of participating in the preview of Free The Children’s upcoming California “We Day.” Free The Children was started 19 years ago by a 12 year old boy who couldn’t just accept what he’d just read […]