Letting Go of Your Teen

The most common mistake made by parents of older teenagers (16 to 19 years of age) is refusing to grant them the independence and maturity they require.

Our inclination as loving guardians is to hold our kids too tightly, despite their attempts to squirm free. We try to make all their decisions, keep them snugly beneath our wings, and prevent even the possibility of failure.

And in so doing, we force our young adults into one of two destructive patterns: Either they passively accept our overprotection and remain dependent "children" into adult life or they rise up in great wrath to reject our bondage and interference.

They lose on both counts. On the one hand they become emotional cripples who are incapable of independent thought, and on the other they grow into angry, guilt-ridden adults who have severed ties with the family they need.

Indeed, parents who refuse to grant appropriate independence to their older adolescents are courting disaster not only for their children but also for themselves.

-Excerpted from The New Strong-Willed Child (copyright © 1978, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers) by James Dobson, PhD, FocusOnTheFamily.com

How Your Teen is Wired

Is your teen on the track to a meaningful future? Are you finding out what a joy it can be to help make the most of how God has wired him or her?

Many of us want to help our teens dream big, fulfilling, God-honoring dreams. But how do we do that?

The first step is to understand the great experiment known as your teen. In all of human history, there's never been another person with your teen's exact mix of God-given personality, talents, interests and spiritual gifts.

As the two of you get to know that unique wiring through self-tests like the ones in the book Wired by God, you'll start to see which kinds of dreams might make a good fit.

Read More: Your Teen's Basic Bent

-by Joe White, Larry Weeden, FocusonTheFamily.com

Teen Receives Her First Car Through Incentive Program

Misty Hedgepeth said she was completely surprised that she was picked to win a car in Northern Nash High School’s first Incentive Program giveaway.

Hedgepeth, who will be a senior in the fall, was at school visiting her counselor Friday while other students practiced for a graduation ceremony. She didn’t know that it was part of a set-up that the school coordinated with her mother, Rita Hedgepeth, to get her there so she could drive away in her 1996 Saturn SL1. The car was donated by Capital Ford of Rocky Mount. Hedgepeth also won $250 worth of gas from Griffin’s Food Stores.

“Misty is a hard worker. I’ve always gotten really good comments from her teachers,” Rita Hedgepeth said. “She’s very deserving of this opportunity.”

Students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades were informed during the school year that they could participate in the first annual Northern Nash High School Incentive Program. It was designed to encourage students to stay in school and to promote good student behavior. To qualify for the drawing, students had meet all eligibility requirements.

Read more.

by: Natasha Robinson, RockyMountTelegram.com

Goodluck 2009 Graduates

Over the past few weekends, seniors all over the United States have been walking the stage to receive their High School diploma. It is an accomplishment to be celebrated and rewarded.

Tools4Teens would like to wish all 2009 Graduates a long and joyous life. May God bless you as you enter a new season of life.

Here are a few quotes for the graduates:

There is a good reason they call these ceremonies "commencement exercises." Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning. ~Orrin Hatch

What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God. ~Eleanor Powell

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings

For more quotes: quotegarden.com

Teens Who Make A Difference

There are many personal testimonies of The Power of One. When one person changes and begins to influence others, the results are amazing.

Teens that overcome difficult and sometimes devastating life changing moments have great influence over other teens.

One such story is Khloe Briglio, a 17 year old from Idaho who was sexually assaulted. She is a survivor who took her tragedy and decided to help others. Read her story here.