Valerie Grison Blog

As parents, it is very hard to witness your teen suffer. Your reflex is either to build a shield around them or give them the solution. Think twice before letting your instinct take over. Wouldn’t it be better for your teenager to learn by himself/herself how to cope with life’s adversities? It is very difficult […]

  Are you aware of the power of “Not Yet”? I am afraid I wasn’t. Not enough, at least. A few days ago I watched a talk called “The Power of Yet” by Carol Dweck. It was a revelation to me. As parents, as educators, we need to be aware of the power of “Not Yet” […]

Every parent has had the frustrating experience of admonishing their teenager and getting the impression that, somehow, the lines of communication are broken. You know, they look at you, they don’t misbehave, but you suspect that what you say is not reaching their brains. Is it that they don’t care? Are they being absolutely rebellious? […]

My decision to recover did not come lightly, nor did I completely commit myself to it when I chose to do so. To even begin to start thinking about recovery you first need to acknowledge and accept the fact you have a problem, which I did not. Despite being dangerously underweight I still saw myself […]

Part I “You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. But you won’t discover this until you are willing to stop banging your head against the wall of shaming and caging and fearing yourself.” – Geneen Roth I’m 17 years old and I’m a recovering anorexic, and have been for […]

I’ve had the privilege to interact with a lot of teenagers, mostly to listen. What struck me most was that too many of them lack self-confidence and feel awkward, even though every single one has a special, unique talent. I started Give Us The Floor to help create a society in which every teenager understands […]

E-cigarette usage has become a trend. Do not mistake or confuse them with smokeless cigarettes. E-cigarettes are battery powered cigarettes designed to release a nicotine vapor that looks like smoke. Though originally touted as a better option to smoking without the same carcinogens from smoking tobacco, there are now concerns regarding the chemicals ingredients and […]

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 […]