What do these pictures have in common? Simple: They hold the answers to what is bothering your teen. The man is Erik Erickson, well known psychologist. Erikson’s theory of personality followed an 8 stage identified progression in virtues. Somewhere between Stages 5 and 6 is where kids “get stuck” and parents fail to recognize what to do about it.  In Stage 5, identity and role confusion questions emerge around ‘who am I’ and ‘how do I fit in’ with peers and famiily. If kids are allowed to safely explore, and not accept at face value their parent’s world views,  they will ‘find’ themselves, and transition on to Stage 6, intimacy over isolation. Parents today are experiencing the loss of relationship with sons and daughters when they fall into “the digital hole” of devices (e.g., gaming, internet, texting, FB, etc. etc.). Their kids fail to “explore” the ‘real’ world and test their belief systems against others. They are then “stuck” in this stage and do not develop intimacy and adult perspective.

The answer? The graphic below. It’s School Connections. Meeting in San Francisco this coming week, the conference focuses on schools that present a superior boarding life opportunity to allow your sons and daughters to “explore” who they are, and how they fit in to the greater community around them. Boarding is a safe and sound solution to the “digital hole syndrome” and allow teens to individualize and develop meaningful relationships with those around them. Interested? call 877-571-2524 and ask for Dr Burdick. We offer school and program solutions for you and yours to successfully ‘launch’ into the world of adulthood.