News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

On May 3, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration expanded "black box" warning labels on the use of antidepressants for adolescents. The new rules require a warning that the drugs increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among users ages 18 to 24 years old. There is no increased risk for those over 24 years, and the risk actually decreases among people over 65 who take such medications.

This change occurs less than a month after research printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that antidepressants do more good than harm among adolescents, and that the increased risk of suicide created by their using such drugs was minimal.

A residential treatment center can help your depressed teenager find what's really bothering him or her and create a plan that works for you and your family. The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assesment can get to the root of your child's issues and Island View can carry out your child's treatment. Learn more about residential treatment centers at AspenAssessment.com.

Labels: adolescents, suicide, anti-depression_medications

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There was a time when teens had rites of passage to help them make the transition from youth to adulthood. Different cultures offered different rituals and "requirements" that a teen had to complete to signify this passage. In contemporary Western cultures, many of these rites of passage have been lost.

Enter wilderness programs - these adventures in the wilderness put teens in a totally new environment, without their TVs, computers, and video games, where they can challenge themselves and discover a deeper meaning in their lives.

These wilderness programs, sometimes called outdoor education or wilderness therapy, are not like boot camps. Students learn primitive living skills - such as learning how to start the campfire without matches - and face any self-limiting beliefs as they take on the challenges of a wilderness expedition.

Any teen who struggles with their sense of identity in the world can greatly benefit from a wilderness experience. Programs such as

Aspen Achievement Academy

in beautiful Southern Utah use metaphors to help teens understand the progression to responsible adulthood. They start as mice, progress to buffalo, and finally to an eagle.

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Camp Huntington in New York opens its 47th season of summer camps for children, teens, and young adults with pervasive developmental disorders - PDD - and other special needs such as Asperger's syndrome and autism.

Labels: summer camps, special needs, pdd

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Teens who learned to drive from their parents, relatives or other non-professional instructors are 50 percent more likely to get into an injury accident, according to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute.

Researchers looked at the records of 1.4 million drivers under age 18. Those drivers who were taught by anyone other than a professional instructor were more likely to be involved in a serious injury accident. Before 1997, all Texas drivers had to have professional training.

Would you like to help your child or teen with Asperger's to achieve success in school? Read "Achieving Success in School Settings for Children and Teens with Aspergers Syndrome".

Labels: driving, teenagers, parents

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A study of teenage boys indicates that many do not like to go to the doctor because they believe that is an unmanly thing to do.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed data from 1700 young men ages 15 to 19 years old and found that the boys with the most traditional beliefs about manhood were less likely to visit a doctor. Traditional beliefs were measured by affirmative answers to questions like "Is it essential for a guy to get respect from others?"

If a teenage boy did visit a doctor, he was unlikely to discuss issues such as birth control and sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS. The researchers also reported that while girls openly discuss topics like sex and menstruation with their mothers and physicians, boys do not usually have such discussions with parents or health care providers.

This study appears in the April issue of Pediatrics.

If your son is too cool to talk to a doctor, then how do you get him to open up? Equine therapy and outdoor therapy are two great ways to get teens to work on their issues and get to healthy place in their lives. Learn more at Animal-AssistedTherapy.com and WildernessProgramsInfo.com.

Labels: health, teenagers, communication

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Children who are under constant stress from family fighting, violence, noise and other pressures put more strain on their bodies than children who live without such multiple stressors. However, a supportive mother can make a difference in how much strain they experience.

The research may explain why low-income children often do not function as well in school.

Researchers from Cornell University's College of Human Ecology studied blood pressure measurements and urine samples from 207 children from upstate New York over a period of several years. They found that exposure to chronic and multiple stress factors affected the children's neuroendocrine hormonal systems, cardiovascular responses and metabolism. However, if they received support from their mothers in coping with such stressors, the effect was less.

This study appears in the March 2007 issue of Developmental Psychology.

Labels: health, stress, development

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Bruce Crevier has spent 16 years mesmerizing crowds with his basketball-spinning ability. He's even been in the Guinness Book of World Records four times. But he doesn't spin basketballs to get his name in a book, he does it to capture an audience's attention and share with them an important message: the choices you make matter.

"'G.A.M.E. stands for goals, attitude, morals, and excellence,' Crevier explained. 'If kids don't discipline themselves with good choices when they are younger, they will pay for it in later years. They can lose their family, faith and freedom."

Crevier travels around the country with his wife and kids, encouraging youth people to make healthy choices, and warning parents not to try and replace quality time with things like iPods and DVD players. Read more at MyDJConnection.com.

Teens who are spinning out of control may benefit from military boarding schools. Find private boarding schools and military boarding schools at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: influences, morals, role_models

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More and more teenagers are engaging in oral sex. Many rationalize their behavior by stating that oral sex is safe, and that it "isn't really sex'. Counselors attribute the increased oral sex activity to a lack of moral foundation and confusion about what is "normal" behavior between men and women.

"Some teens say it can take place at parties, possibly with multiple partners. But they say the more likely scenario is oral sex within an existing relationship... A new study showed that more teens believed oral sex was more acceptable for their age group than intercourse, even if the partners are not dating."

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that over half of 15- to 19-year-olds are having oral sex. Read more at ClaudeMills.com.

If your teen is engaging in risky behaviors, a private boarding school may be the answer. BoardingSchoolsInfo.com lists private boarding schools, boarding high schools, and residential schools and programs for adolescents.

Labels: sex, morals, acceptable_behaviors

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Most young people and their parents will admit that the teenage years are stressful. But a recent study by the Collaborative Youth Team in Naperville, Illinois has discovered that teens of affluent families may carry some additional - unnecessary - stress.

"Those were defined as 'too much academic, sports and materialistic competition; over involvement in community/school activities and trying to live up to an image of 'the perfect Naperville'."

The study also found that Chicago suburbs aren't the only place where these additional pressures are found. Nationally, more and more teenagers are feeling pressured to achieve higher and higher levels of academic and athletic success in order to secure admission to their colleges of choice. Read more online.

Labels: pressures, stress, image

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Parenting styles have been changing over the last 20 years. It used to be that children were told what to do and expected to obey. Today, however, more parents are giving their children choices, and helping them learn how to make good decisions.

"By the time children have become teens, if their parents have allowed them to learn to make choices, they'll understand why making good choices in important."

It's important for parents to create structure when teaching good decision-making. Give your child options, but make sure each option is appropriate, good, and healthy. Read more online.

Labels: parenting_styles, influences, choices

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A new study by the Teens4Hire organization indicates that teens may have a problem getting summer jobs this year.

Spokespeople for businesses who participated in the poll said that they are not hiring teens at all. Teens face competition from workers over age 55 years, college students home for the summer, immigrants and recent college graduates unable to find jobs in their majors.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the summer employment rate for teens has been dropping over the past few years. For example, in 2000 the rate was 45.2%; however, in 2004, it was 36.4%.

Labels: money, summer, jobs

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Gay and lesbian young people are three to four times more likely to be victims of bullying than heterosexual and bi-sexual adolescents.

A study team led by Elise Berlan and Bryn Austin of the Children's Hospital Boston Division of Adolescent Medicine analyzed data from 7500 students ages 14 to 22 years old. Nearly half of the one percent of the participants who described themselves as gay or lesbian reported being bullied.

"We know that sexual minorities are more likely to smoke, drink, use drugs and have eating disorders and depression, said Austin. "We suspect that social isolation, harassment, bullying and sometimes frank violence against these adolescents may be an explanation."

Austin presented the study at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine on March 20, 2007.

Labels: bullying, gay, lesbian

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If a parent has a bad day at work, children know. In fact, most children not only know how to determine if a parent is stressed out, they also know how to react accordingly.

Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families Work Institute of New York, studied 600 parents and a thousand children ages 8 to 18. When she asked the children what they wished they could change about their parents' jobs, most wished their parents could have less stress. Galinsky found that children have ways of determining their parents' stress levels by observing their body language or even by eavesdropping on phone conversations using the mute button.

Galinsky presented this research at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association.

Private high school boarding schools can offer parents and kids some time apart to work out their problems and give each other space for personal growth. Learn more about boarding high schools at TeenBoardingSchools.com and get find the best boarding schools at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: stress, communication, role models

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Teens are buying more books, according to analysts in the publishing industry. Sales are up 25% since 1999, with the Harry Potter and Lemony Snickett series and the Manga graphic novels among the most popular.

Labels: reading, books

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A big factor in whether teens practice safe sex is if they feel confident about asking their partners to use condoms and if they can use them when they are emotionally upset.

Researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University studied 222 teenagers with psychiatric disorders. Those teens who felt uncomfortable and distressed about using and/or discussing condoms were their partners were less likely to use them.

"Helping teens decrease stress and increase skills is a critical component to HIV prevention," Dr. Celia Lescano, lead author of the study, said. This study appears in the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community.

If your child is engaging in risky behaviors a private boarding school may be a good option for your teen and your family. Private high school boarding schools can help your teenager with emotional and behavioral issues while offering college preparatory academics. Learn more at TeenBoardingSchools.com.

Labels: risky_behavior, sex, sexually_transmitted_diseases

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"Cutting" or inflicting injuries on oneself is on the rise among American teenagers. However, the good news is that "cutters" are usually not suicidal.

Dr. David Klonsky of Stony Brook University in New York found that one in six American teens self-injures as a way to relieve anxiety and stress. Scientists used to believe that this behavior was a sign of severe mental illness and suicidal tendencies but Dr. Klonsky discovered that it is only a coping mechanism.

"There is a build-up of overwhelming negative emotion from frustration, anxiety or loneliness," he said. "Afterwards, they feel calm and relaxed. However, often on the next day, they feel angry or ashamed."

This study appears in the Clinical Psychology Review of April 2006.

Labels: suicide, risky_behavior, stress

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Please Stop the Rollercoaster is a guide for parenting teenagers and can be used independently, or as part of a parenting discussion group. The book is based heavily on research and is designed to help develop parenting skills.

"The hands-on approach helps parents understand their developing adolescent. This book is aimed for parents with teens in grades 6 - 11, and is approved by the National Middle School Association."

A separate leader's guide can be purchased for those who wish to start a discussion group, and excerpts from the book can be downloaded and read online. Read more at PleaseStoptheRollerCoaster.com.

Labels: parenting_tips, teenagers, parenting_books

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Most teenagers seemed to have their cell phones permanently attached to their hands and ears. During prom season, parents can use that to their benefit, but staying in touch with kids and making sure they know who they're with and what they're doing.

"Most phones come with cameras, and some parents should tell their teens not only to call, but also to send a photo of a landmark once they get to a destination[Terry Blinke, Dow High's Prom President] said."

Some kids may think it's a little over-the-top, but things like underage drinking are real risks during prom season. Make sure your teen knows that you simply want to make sure she's safe, but that you also want her to have fun. Read more at OurMidland.com.

Labels: safety, cell_phones, prom

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Staying up late or wanting to stay up later, is natural for teens. But recent studies have found that some teens are staying so late so often that they're at risk of sleep deprivation. The cause? Text messages.

"Nearly a quarter of teens in a relationship have communicated with a boyfriend or girlfriend hourly between midnight and 5 a.m. via cell phone or texting, according to a recent online survey by Teenage Research Unlimited. One in six communicated 10 or more times an hour through the night."

Because text messages are sent and received via cell phones, teenagers can do it without their parents ever knowing. Because so many teens have busy lives, late night texting is often the only way they can are able to catch up with their friends. Still, many cell phone service providers encourage parents to be aware of, and limit, the amount of time their teens spend texting. Read more online.

Labels: sleep_deprivation, cell_phones, text_messaging

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