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News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

The By Parents For Parents Blog is regularly updated with the latest news and information on topics that relate to parenting teenagers. We'll post parenting advice and tips from trusted online news sources and expert parenting columns.

We invite you to add your comments. Please let us know if you would like some specific topics covered, want to share your experience as a parent dealing with teens, or just have general feedback on the By Parents For Parents Blog.

Monday, June 09, 2008

High School Juniors Stress Out Over AP Classes and College Apps

American high school students are finding their junior year to be increasingly stressful, according to a new report in the May 24, 2008 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

"It is a marathon year of tests, stress and sleepless nights," reporter Jonathan Kaufman writes. Students feel pressure to participate in as many extracurricular activities as possible to enhance their college resumes. They are taking "advanced placement courses," which are on the college level and require passing a rigorous examination to receive college credit for them. They are visiting college campuses and filling out applications. They are taking after-school courses to prepare themselves for their College Board examinations.

One survey of 2,700 middle- and upper-income students in San Francisco found that juniors felt "often or always" stressed by schoolwork. About 75% had stress-related physical problems such as headaches, insomnia, and exhaustion. Over 25% used energy drinks and over-the-counter caffeine pills to keep going, and 9% admitted to using controlled substances like Ritalin and Adderall.

Parents, teachers, and counselors often try to persuade juniors to take it easy and find time to relax. The pressure does not necessarily come from adults, but from a teen's peer group.

Labels: pressures, schoolwork, stress

posted by ByParents-forParents at 3:15 AM 0 comments

Monday, February 25, 2008

Pushing for Perfection

Few people would associate affluent teens with stress or depression, but studies are finding exactly that. It's the subject of the book "The Price of Privilege" by clinical psychologist Madeline Levine.

"Pressure from parents and the outside world to take AP classes, excel in a sport and do community service on top of hours of homework each night produces kids who are stressed, angry and disconnected from their world, Levine said."

Levine goes on to say that increased cases of cutting - intentional self-mutilation - are the result of kids living in a world where they're expected to look good no matter how bad they feel. She encouraged parents to spend time simply getting to know their kids, rather than checking up on grades, athletic performance, or college applications. Read more at CoastLinePilot.com.

Labels: pressures, self-harm, stress

posted by ByParents-forParents at 5:21 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Book Offers Tools for Teens and Parents

"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: drugs, pregnancy, pressures

posted by ByParents-forParents at 4:41 PM 0 comments

Monday, May 21, 2007

Additional Stresses on 'Affluent' Teens

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: image, pressures, stress

posted by ByParents-forParents at 10:11 PM 0 comments

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