News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

Many experts warn of the negative effects caused by too much television. Potential issues can arise in physical, emotional, and mental health. What do you do when one parent uses the television for background noise, while the other would prefer keeping it turned off? How you raise children to keep a healthy balance between television watching and the "real world"?

"[You could] set up a 'TV room' where [your husband] can wander in and read, talk on the phone or actually put 100% attention on the TV itself, but where it was a no-kid zone. Most of the time he'd know it was there but you'd leave the TV off, and if he felt like he needed a 'fix', he could get it easily and with minimal disruptions."

Also consider what's playing on television. If one of you needs the 'background noise' consider playing meditative DVD's or even the radio. Regardless of the solution, it's important to keep the lines of communication open, so both of you can freely discuss your thoughts and feelings and find a compromise that's mutually acceptable.

Labels: tv, communication, compromise

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"Wishing: Diaries of a Teen Pregnancy" gives an autobiographical account of the life and challenges faced by author Kim McLeod as a teen in the 1980s. McLeod struggled with peer pressure, drug use and eventually teen pregnancy.

"For McLeod, sharing her experience is important. She sees it as a way to start a dialogue about sexuality and the issues that face all young people. And it's a way to help parents reconnect with their kids."

The Canadian Association of Adolescent Health says that 63% of teens consider their parents a major source of information about sex and sexual health. McLeod's hope is that her book will help make some of those awkward parent-teen conversations a little easier.

Youth Care is a residential treatment center with a special program for teenage girls who are pregnant. Visit Youthcare.com to learn more.

Labels: pressures, drugs, pregnancy

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There are so many conflicting stories and reports about social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook that parents don't know what to believe. Are the sites safe for their children or not? What really happens on these web sites? Some moms, rather than relying on the media, have taken matters into their own hands.

"[Calsey] Merrit's friends though his mother was cool for having a profile on one of today's most popular Web sites, but her intention was not to win them over. She wanted to know what MySpace was about... In Greenville, S.C., mother of three Michele McClain says 'somebody asked me why did I have a MySpace page, and I told them to stay two steps ahead of my kids. Not on the same level, but two steps ahead of them.'"

These moms are not alone. An increasing number of parents across the nation are logging onto to MySpace, and other social networking sites, to learn firsthand what their kids might be exposed to and to better understand how the sites work. Though parental presence on MySpace doesn't guarantee that kids won't get unwanted or unsolicited attention, it does give parents practical experience and information they can use to help keep their kids safe.

Keeping your teen safe in the real world is just as important as internet safety. Visit Teen-Help-Directory.com to learn how to help your teenager.

Labels: parenting, myspace, online_safety

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Researchers in Canada have found a link between early sex and bad relationships with teachers and peers.

Children who had been verbally abused by their teachers or picked on by their friends were more likely to have sex before age 13. They were also more likely to use drugs and alcohol, and engage in delinquent behaviors such as fighting and stealing.

Dr. Mara Bendgren said that these students with negative relationships with teachers and peers might become less interested in school.

She and her colleagues tracked 312 children from kindergarten through seventh grade. About 17% had sex by the time they were 13 years old.

The study appears in the American Journal of Public Health.

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Labels: sex, influences, teaching

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California became one of the sixteen states to make it illegal for teen drivers to talk on cell phones when they are driving. The new law goes into effect in July 2008, and imposes fines of $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent tickets.

A study by Ford Motor Company found that adult and teen drivers could recognize 97% of potentially dangerous situations as they used a driving simulator. However, the researchers used the same people in the same simulators but allowed participants to use hands-free cell phones. In the second tests, teens missed 54% of the hazards and adults missed 14%. The Center for Disease Control found that drivers ages 16 to 19 years were four times more likely to be involved in a car crash than older drivers.

Teen drug addiction is a serious matter that affects many families. Learn how you can help at 4TroubledTeens.com.

Labels: driving, risky_behavior, cell_phones

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About half of teenage girls in abusive relationships have partners who want to get them pregnant against their wills, according to a study in the journal Ambulatory Pediatrics.

Dr. Elizabeth Miller, a pediatrician with the University of California Davis Children's Hospital, and her colleagues interviewed 61 young women ages 15 to 20 years old from a variety of backgrounds who had histories of physical, sexual or emotional abuse within dating relationships. Twenty-eight reported that their boyfriends were actively trying to get them pregnant by sabotaging contraception.

"We were floored by what these girls told us," Dr. Miller said. "You think of forced sex as an aspect of abusive relationships, but this takes that abuse a step further to reproductive control of a young woman's body."

Troubled boys can find help at single sex schools. Find an all boys school at SchoolsForBoys.com.

Labels: sex, abuse, relationships

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The dangers of tobacco use are well-known. Despite that, about 20 percent of the nation's adolescents smoke cigarettes, and about 8 percent chew tobacco. This Q and A from the Des Moines, Iowa register helps parents figure out the best ways to talk to their kids about smoking.

"According to the Centers for Disease Control 'parents can be the greatest influence in their kids' lives.' Being involved and interested in a child's life is a great way to avoid a whole host of problems. The Centers for Disease Control also suggests 'talking directly to children about the risks of tobacco use. If friends or relatives died from tobacco-related illnesses, let your kids know.'"

The Q and A goes on to suggest being open with kids about the diseases and other risks of tobacco. Don't use scare tactics, but be honest. Choosing to dine in restaurants and other places that are smoke-free can help keep kids away from cigarettes as well.

Learn about adolescent drug treatment at Adolescent-Substance-Abuse.com.

Labels: health, influences, smoking

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A new longitudinal study from Statistics Canada has found that young people are taking more time to grow up.

The study compared young people in 1971 to those in 2001, and found today's adolescents took longer to achieve independence from their parents, lived at home longer, got full-time employment later, and postponed marriage and parenthood.

Dr. Warren Clark, author of the study, said, "Today's young adults are both delayed and elongated: delayed, because young adults take more time to complete their first major transition (leaving school), thus postponing all subsequent transitions; and elongated, because each subsequent transitions takes longer to complete and stretches the process from their late teens to early thirties."

In 1971, about three-quarters of young adults had finished school, half were married and one-fourth had children. Today it takes young adults to age 25 to complete these transitions, and many take until age 30.

Dr. Clark points to changes in women's opportunities that may partly explain the phenomenon. For example, in 1971 only 7% of women went to college; today that number is 29%.

This study appears in the journal Canadian Social Trends.

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Labels: independence, adulthood, marriage

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Teenaged girls often choose dating partners from within their circle of friends, and this practice may prevent dating abuse, according to a study by Sharyl Toscano, professor of nursing at the University of Vermont.

Toscano interviewed 22 female high school students ages 15 to 18 years old from Massachusetts schools and found that dating patterns have several identifiable stages. Girls choose boyfriends from within a circle of friends. As a couple gets to know one another, their first few dates are with other couples within their clique. Then the two reenters the group as a couple. After a couple breaks up, the two rejoin the group as independent members.

"In the early stages of dating, the entire group (circle) will go out to the movies or some other activity together," Toscano said. "During such outings, teens develop essential skills of dating, including but not limited to warding off unwanted sexual advances."

When a teen is unsure of whether she is in an abusive relationship, she can ask for a "reality check" from the members of her group. In this way, she protects herself by understanding social rules and norms.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that one in eleven adolescents experiences physical dating abuse every year. Toscano's study appears in the journal BMC Nursing.

Find the right boarding high schools for your teenager at teenboardingschools.com.

Labels: dating, relationships, friends

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Teenaged girls who participate in sports report 68% more concussions than their male counterparts, according to a study in the Journal of Athletic Training. In the case of some sports, like basketball, the rate of concussion is three times more for girls.

Researchers from Ohio State University analyzed data kept in 2004-2005 by 425 athletic trainers. They believe that girls may simply be more honest about their injuries than boys are.

Labels: health, athletics, sports

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High school students who have part-time jobs are three times as likely to become smokers, according to a new study published in the Journal of Public Health.

Dr. Rajeeve Ramchand, lead author of the study, believes that teens with part-time jobs are more likely to smoke because they have the money to buy cigarettes, they are with older youths who smoke, and their jobs are so boring that smoking breaks monotony.

Labels: working, smoking, jobs

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When Marlene Hoefler was in school, she remembers teachers who were attentive to students' needs, and parents who were involved in her academics and her life in general. Today, however, she finds that's more the exception than the rule, and she urges both parents and educators to 'get back to the basics' of teaching and parenting.

"More parents need to get involved with the schools and in their children's lives and know what the schools are doing and speak up. Encourage children and give them morals and values to live by. Teach them to be respectful."

Though it's tempting to try and be a child's friend, parents need to be parents, mentoring and guiding their kids, and helping them develop into healthy adults.

College preparatory boarding schools offer the classes high schoolers need to be prepared for higher education. Find a college prep school at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: parenting, school, teaching

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Parents sometimes feel nervous or uncomfortable about the predominately teen-inhabited world of text and instant messaging. Parents want to know their kids are safe and not engaging in inappropriate behavior, but don't know how to decipher the codes and abbreviations used in messaging chats.

"The easiest way to get started is to realize that you'll never know all the lingo that your teen or child will know. Choose bits and pieces of lingo then turn to a guide or lingo dictionary for guidance. Some terminology is common sense, some is completely unnecessary and some is a way to hide information. Check out resources available to educate yourself on chat lingo and decide if you want the necessities or more of the whole picture."

With all the stories out there about child predators, many parents are fearful of their teens using social networking sites or on-line chat applications. While a bit of caution is good, fear and panic aren't necessary. Most on-line activity is harmless. Set ground rules, keep the family computer in an open room, and let your teen know that you're monitoring, to a degree, their activity.

Labels: safety, communication, text_messaging

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Second-hand smoke can affect more than a child's health. A recently published study found that it also significantly affected academic performance.

UK students take O-level (ordinary level) and A-level (advanced level) exams at 16 to 18 years of age to test their knowledge of various subjects. The researchers found that students who had at least one parent smoking in the home were 30 percent less likely to pass their O levels. Teens who smoked one to nine cigarettes a week were 45 percent more likely to fail, while those who smoked 10 or more cigarettes weekly were at a 67 percent increased risk of failing this exam."

The study was conducted on over 6,300 kids and also found that, though prenatal smoking causes other health risks, it didn't affect academic performance at all.

Copper Canyon Academy is a boarding high school for girls in Arizona that offers accredited academics and therapy.

Labels: health, parents, smoking

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Many parents struggle to find ways of preparing their teens for uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations. One suggestion is to try role-playing.

"Parents should discuss 'what if' situations with their teens before an upcoming party, date or outing. Role-playing a potential teen situation in advance will help your child make the right choice if it should occur."

Consider, also, giving your teen an "escape route"; a code that's set up between parent and teen so that if the teen finds herself in a bad situation she can call a parent and asked to be picked up without exposing the negative behavior of her friends.

Labels: parenting_tips, risky_behavior, social_pressure

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Parents sometimes feel nervous or uncomfortable about the predominately teen-inhabited world of text and instant messaging. Parents want to know their kids are safe and not engaging in inappropriate behavior, but don't know how to decipher the codes and abbreviations used in messaging chats.

"The easiest way to get started is to realize that you'll never know all the lingo that your teen or child will know. Choose bits and pieces of lingo then turn to a guide or lingo dictionary for guidance. Some terminology is common sense, some is completely unnecessary and some is a way to hide information. Check out resources available to educate yourself on chat lingo and decide if you want the necessities or more of the whole picture."

With all the stories out there about child predators, many parents are fearful of their teens using social networking sites or on-line chat applications. While a bit of caution is good, fear and panic aren't necessary. Most on-line activity is harmless. Set ground rules, keep the family computer in an open room, and let your teen know that youre monitoring, to a degree, their activity.

Labels: safety, communication, text_messaging

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