Tools4Teens - Christian Digital Scrapbook Blog

Weight issues can take toll on teen self-esteem

2011-09-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

Your pediatrician says your 13-year-old daughter should lose 10 pounds. You don't want to send her down the eating disorder road. How to navigate?

You are wise to tread lightly here, as girls are bombarded daily with unhealthy messages about their bodies, says family physician Leonard Sax, author of "Girls on the Edge: The Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls" (Basic Books).

"So many girls are looking to the marketplace, they're looking to the movies, they're looking to the Internet for their notion of what women should look like," Sax says. "And the images are completely out of touch with reality."

This is the backdrop against which you must address your daughter's weight. Or not address it.

"If she's within 10 percent of her ideal body weight, she's not at medical risk, and I would argue it's not the doctor's job to say, 'You're a little overweight,' " Sax says.

If she is truly carrying around enough extra weight to put her health at risk, Sax says, take a hard look at her environment.

"The three big reasons kids are overweight are diet, exercise and sleep," he says.

* Diet: "I'm a big fan of Michael Pollan," Sax says. "'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.' That's very good advice. There's no way you're going to achieve your health goals if you're eating fast food several times every week."

* Exercise: "Ideally you're using this as an opportunity to bond with your child. Go for a walk. Create little traditions. Disconnect the devices, and get outdoors."

* Sleep: "Sleep deprivation is a major driver in obesity. Making sure your kids get a good night's sleep is a parent's job. That means not letting them go to bed with their cellphones. Many parents don't even realize it, but their daughters are up texting at 1 in the morning."

If your family is making positive changes together, your daughter is less likely to feel singled out for her weight. And everyone reaps the rewards of healthier living.

By Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune

Parenting values and your teenager

2011-09-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

For the past 12+ years you've taught your children core values that you feel are important in molding a positive young adult who will be filled with the same priorities. Does the teaching stop once they hit 13? How do you maintain the importance of family values as they continue to grow?

Just as any effective ministry begins in the hearts of what is taught at home, so teaching Christian values to your children begins with the hearts of the parents. Now, more than ever, your teens need to see the modeling of those values in your daily life before they choose to make it part of who they become.

Do you model taking care of your personal things? Do you model cleaning up after yourself? How about reading your Bible; having your own time with God? Do you show a positive attitude, displaying that everything you do is toward pleasing God? Does your teen see a giving heart in you? Do you consider others before yourself?

How do you spend your time? Are you taking care of things that need your attention? Or do your teens see a parent who spends a lot of time in front of the television, or playing video games?

Continue reading on Examiner.com

By: Jennifer Simmering

The Challenge of Christian Parenting in a Changing World

2011-08-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

As a grandparent, I’ve watched things change dramatically over my lifetime. How can Christian parents raise children with biblical moral values in a world that has abandoned them?

The other day I was busy with a quilting project and had the radio babbling in the background. The topic was parenting, and specifically they were talking about texting.

This caught my interest as I have watched my granddaughter’s thumbs work their magic on her cell phone. How does that work, I’ve wondered, and do I really want to learn?

If I had children at home, it seems I would have to, as a mother on the radio program mentioned that texting has become the communication method of choice for teens. “They will not answer a phone call. I can only reach them when I text,” she commented. Texting is her way of checking in and keeping up—her electronic parenting tool.

We are in deep trouble!

Then the mother referred to a text she had received from her teenaged son recently. It was something like, Went to party. Yes Mom, took a condom, but I didn’t have to use it.

I stopped and looked at the radio. Did I just hear what I thought I heard—on national radio—from the lips of an unabashed mother? Did the panel laugh a little, as in “boys will be boys”? I think so.

Hmmm … texting is not all that has changed in my world. “Safe sex” has replaced the teaching I grew up with: Sex belongs in marriage—period.

We are in deep trouble, I thought to myself. We’ve got technology but we’ve lost our morality.

Read entire article here.

By Karen Meeker

Experts: Teen's Slaying Spotlights Dating Violence

2011-07-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

The slaying of local teen, Lauren Astely, 18, that shocked the quiet Massachusetts town of Wayland over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, highlights a national problem of under-reported abuse and coercion in teenage romantic relationships, anti-violence experts say.

One in four adolescents is physically, emotionally, mentally or sexually abused by a significant other each year, according to national statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Likewise, 10 percent of adolescents reported physical violence by their significant other in the past 12 months, the CDC said.

In mid-June, the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services and the U.S. Surgeon General included a Violence Prevention Strategy for the first time in their annual National Health Policy Strategy, just about three weeks before Astley's death.

Astley's ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita, 18, also of Wayland, was arrested and charged in her murder. He pleaded not guilty in Framingham District Court.

According to Vladimir Albin, Jr., a youth team coordinator for the Boston-based domestic violence advocacy support group Close To Home, the majority of teenage dating violence goes unreported or under-reported. The Community Advocacy Program in Boston states only 33 percent of teenage dating violence is reported.

Because there are so many different kinds of abuse and because teenagers have less experience in romantic relationships, a victim may not realize a relationship is abusive or abnormal.

"They're not always aware that what they're experiencing is teen dating violence," Albin said.

Read entire article

By: Allison Pickens, http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/28464644/detail.html

The Problem With Genderless Parenting

2011-06-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Read Entire Post here.

...Witterick and Stocker said they believe "it's obnoxious" that "parents make so many choices for their children."

But nothing could be further from the truth!

In fact, the politically correct trend sweeping the U.S., and evidently Canada, is setting child-rearing on its head. Instead of teaching our kids right from wrong and the traditions and wisdom we have inherited from our forbears, parents are more and more letting their children make all their own choices --choices outside of any moral or practical context.

I'm sorry, but expecting a toddler to figure out what's best for him (or her) is absolute madness. And it's tragic. No wonder kids are confused! There's no one to teach them now to grow up and flourish in the world; how to measure their wnats against what is actually good for them; and how to choose to do the right thing over simply indulging in their every desire.

But this is where the tyranny of relativism has led us. If there is no such thing as Truth, if right and wrong are up to the individual, then of course personal choice becomes the highest good: Even if the choice theatens our spiritual, physical, adn moral well-being.

You've heard me say many times that God has written His law on our hearts. We know instinctively that gender is part of our God-given, biological design. And we should realize that when we try to deny or suppress or alter that essential part of our being, it's not good for us-- and especially not good for our children.

I'm not saying that all members of the same gender should be made to think and act the same way. What I am saying is this: Efforts to transcend or ignore gender are destined to be fruitless at best, harmful at worst.

A culture that tries to do this ends up far more rigid and judgmental than the culture it's trying to reform. And tragically, its children often end up feeling far worse about themselves than children who are taught to embrace God's design and purpose for their lives.

-By: Chuck Colson, christianpost.com

Decrease Increase Teen curfews: Protect teens, curb crime, or just peace of mind?

2011-06-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

Summer months are here and school is out, leaving many a teen with time on their hands.
To some city and law enforcement officials, that poses a problem.

The City of Atlanta recently announced its intention to enforce a longstanding teen curfew ordinance, lest kids 16 and younger roam the streets in the wee hours. Under the ordinance, anyone younger than 17 can't be outside their homes without adult supervision from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from midnight to 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Many cities and counties across metro Atlanta have similar regulations.

Proponents say the laws reduce teen crime and protect teens from danger, while critics believe the rules do little more than give a false sense of security to nervous adults.

"There's pretty much no question that [the ordinances] aren't effective in either reducing crime or preventing harm to young people," said Mike Males, a senior researcher for the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, who has researched the effectiveness of teen curfews in cities across the U.S.

"It's basically designed to make people feel better about using a city at night, and it's an artificial thing," he said. "It’s a psychological law -- not an effective policy."

Read entire article here.

By Katie Leslie , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Teaching Teens to Refuse Alcohol

2011-06-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Recently I read an article about a new trend in America—parents allowing their teens to drink at home. Apparently, the idea behind this is that drinking in the home setting will demystify alcohol and help the young people learn to drink responsibly.

Before I tell you what I think about that trend, let me share this fact with you. 11% of the alcohol consumed in the United States is consumed by underage kids. That’s a staggering statistic. Alcohol abuse among teens is becoming an enormous problem in America.

With that in mind, here is my comment on parents letting or even encouraging their teenagers to drink at home. With all the kindness and Christian charity this Texan can muster I ask these parents: Are you nuts? If you follow that same line of thinking, then you’ll also allow them to have sex at home, take drugs at home, lie and cheat at home. That’s just crazy!

Read entire article

By: Mark Gregston, www.blogs.christianpost.com

General Assembly Takes Aim At Cyberbullying and Teen Violence

2011-05-16T10:35:00.001-07:00

There are three bills before the General Assembly that address issues associated with teen dating and associated violence.

HB 6629 would allow teens to secure a restraining order against an abusive teen dating partner. HB 6053 would revise the state's bullying law to include teen dating violence. And SB 1138 targets cyberbullying. The three proposed bills should get a floor vote in the coming weeks.

"The whole idea here is how teens can protect themselves through the legal system," said Bob Kocienda, chair of the Norwalk-based Center for Youth Leadership.

HB 6629 wouljd allow teens experiencing constant threat of present physical pain or physical injury, a pattern of verbal intimidation, threatening or stalking by family or someone in, or recently in, a dating relationship, to apply for a restraining order "regardless of the age of such persons."

Only two other states, Rhode Island and California, allow teens to get restraining orders against other teens.

Under the bill, police much inform victims of abuse about options, including restraining orders and where to find domestic violence help. The Judiciary Committee unanimously passed teh bill out of committee.

"Anything that strengthens anti-bullying efforts is very positive," said Dani Gorman, head of the Youth Services Bureau in Waterford. "A lot of young people struggle with healthy and unhealthy relationships."
Read entire article here.

By: Jessie King and Catheryn J. Prince, http://waterford.patch.com

Does Drinking With Parents Help Teens Drink More Responsibly? Not Really

2011-05-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school, my parents laid down a few ground rules about exactly how “liberating” my teenage emancipation was going to be. No driving without an adult in the car past dark, no staying out past 11 p.m., and no, absolutely no, drinking.

Well, it turns out Mom and Dad were on to something (don't you hate it when that happens?). A new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota found that teens who drink under their parents' supervision — the occasional sip at dinner or during holidays — are more likely to become problem drinkers a few years later than those whose parents, like mine, adopted a zero-tolerance policy.

When it comes to underage drinking, there are two schools of thought. Some are convinced that teens are too young and inexperienced to handle alcohol, and not ready to make decisions about how much is too much or how to drink responsibly.

Then there are those who point to cultures where alcohol isn't so taboo for adolescents, where adults allow their children to drink a little in their presence, and where alcoholism rates are no different from those in countries where underage drinking is illegal. By incorporating alcohol into youngsters' lives from an early age, and not making it a forbidden fruit, they argue, teens are less likely to abuse it as adults.

Read more

By: Alice Park, www.healthland.time.com

Teens Warn of Underage Drinking

2011-04-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

With prom and graduation just around the corner, St. Charles high school students and police hit the streets to spread teh message that providing alcohol to minors is illegal. The effort was the St. Charles Police Department's first year of Project Sticker Shock, a program of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. April is Alcohol Awareness Month.

"I definitely feel there's a lot of underage drinking going on, especially around prom, and there's a stigma out there that the only way you can have fun is by drinking," said St. Charles North senior Buddy Haas. "So if you cut it off at the source, that can hep solve the problem."

Officers and students from both St. Charles North and East high schools aimed to stop last week at the 89 businesses with liquor licenses and provide them with signs and stickers warning cutomers that it's illegal to buy alcohol for someone under 21 and to use a fake ID.

"We're not delivering or sending people a message they haven't heard, but because it's a problem that persists and grows, we need to keep sending the message," Comander Jerry Gatlin said. While he said he doesn't believe underage drinking is more of a problem in St. Charles than otehr communities, he said nationwide it "is in a sense an epidenic and it has been for years. If one kid is out there drinking and drinking too much, it's one kid too many," he said.

In 2009, an 18-year-old was killed when the vehicle he was riding in struck two trees at a high rate of speed along Royal Fox Drive in St. Charles. The driver, also 18, allegedly had a blood-alcohol level almost three times the legal limit and later pleaded guilty to aggravated drunken driving and reckless homicide charges.

Read entire article By: Melissa Jenco, http://www.triblocal.com/

Moms Talk Q&A: Teen Dating Dilemmas

2011-04-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

It's time to grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation with this week's issue:

Today we're taking a look at an age-old topic: Teen dating. With middle school dances, Facebook flirting (being in a "relationship" is just a click away, and so is "poking" a friend) and everything else that makes connecting with a crush super-easy in our fast-paced world, is it possible to stick to a set age for your child's entrance into the dating world? According to a Dr. Phil message board, many parents still believe 16 is the right year to allow a first date, and even then, many encourage group outings. We found these tips for talking to your child about the subject, and now we're hoping you'll add your own advice.

The question: Is there a perfect age to allow your child to start dating?

Read entire article

By: Beth Blanck, southeast.patch.com

Drug Trends – Teen Issues

2011-03-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

The world outside has not become less real just because the prisoner cannot see it.” J.R.R. Tolkien

Recently, several officers from the Sheriff’s Department of a large Georgia city talked with our staff concerning the drugs they were seeing emerge on the streets. As they spoke about what they were witnessing and how drugs were being made, I was struck by one of the officer’s comments: “We will never be able to do anything but play catch up. People who want to use drugs will always be ahead of us.” What a sad commentary, but how true it is that individuals who want to get high, will make every effort to do so, often with that which is most accessible.

So what is a parent to do? How are we to know what might emerge next or how can we protect our children? Think how each decade has represented a new era in drugs. In the 50’s it was alcohol, the 60’s marijuana, the 70’s psychotropic drugs like LSD and mushrooms, the 80’s cocaine and crack, the 90’s chemically made drugs like ecstasy (MDMA), and since 2000, it has been a litany of new chemically concocted drugs. A stimulant that is making much of the news lately is Crystal Methamphetamine. One of the officers, when talking about Crystal Meth made the comment that in the 80’s he had thought crack would be the death of this country. Now he would say that Crystal Meth has become far worse than crack ever was. What is even more disturbing is that people are now using fruit flavoring to entice and attract new users.

In looking back over the decades, we as parents must realize that this trend is a natural progression. The economic concept of supply and demand does an effective job of teaching us what we should expect would happen.

Think of it this way: There is a demand/desire to get high for the following reasons:

Read More.

By: Drew Read, Parent's Purpose

Lead Your Adult Children Back to Christ

2011-03-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

If you’ve suffered the pain of seeing one or more of your adult children leave the faith, you may feel as if there’s nothing you can do to lead them back to Christ now that they’re no longer living with you. But it’s never too late to help your kids re-connect with Christ. No matter what’s happened in your children’s relationships with Christ and with you, healing and reconciliation are possible.

Here’s how you can lead your adult children back to Christ:

Set a goal and commit to doing all you can to reaching it. Aim for helping your adult kids love God with all of their hearts, put their full faith and trust in Christ for both their present and their future, and arrive in heaven to join you someday. Keep that goal in mind often as you work to encourage faith in your kids.

Read entire article

Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com contributor

Evangelical Responds to Cyrus Interview: Urges Parents to Be Parents

2011-02-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

Billy Ray Cyrus recently admitted that he should have been a better parent to his famous daughter, Miley Cyrus, rather than a friend.
The president of Focus on Family, a prominent evangelical organization, agrees, saying that a parent should simply be a parent.
In a blog post Wednesday, Jim Daly suggested that Cyrus made bad parenting judgment by trying to be friends with his daughter – originally named Destiny Hope but who in her early years was nicknamed “Smiley” for her incessant, carefree grin.
Daly stressed that even though it’s natural for a parent to be liked by their children, they must they first have to ask themselves, “Do we want to be their best pal – or their parent who often has to hold firm and say ‘no’ when they desperately want us to say ‘yes’?”
Cyrus made headlines this week after he told GQ magazine that he regretted being in the popular Disney show “Hannah Montana” because it destroyed his family. He also lamented about trying to be a friend to his daughter as he had often emphasized in many interviews.

Read the entire article here.

By: Josephine Vivaldo|Christian Post Contributor

Encouragement for Single Parents with Teenagers

2011-02-14T08:17:00.001-08:00

One of the toughest roles anyone can have in today's culture is that of a single parent. It's hard enough to rear a child- especially a teenager- with two parents; but with one the burdens and pressures and problems multiply. My hat is off to every single parent. But more than praise for the difficulty of their task, I know from talking to so many of them that they need someone to walk with them and encourage them.

In almost every case, a single parent is walking down a road they didn't plan to be on. They started with two parents, but something happened- death, divorce, abandonment- and now they are sturggling to fill two roles that their children desperately need. They are trying to do an already difficult task without all of the resources they need. (If you know a single parent, go to them adn find way to encourage them. They won't always know how to ask for the help they need, so take the initiative yourself.)

Practical Steps
There aren't any easy answers. There isn't a magic verse of Scripture that will fix all your problems. There isn't one "cure all" that will remove all of the challenges that a single parent faces. But there are some practical steps that can offere help and hope in this very difficult job.

Read the steps here.

-By: Mark Gregston, http://blogs.christianpost.com/parenting/2011/02/encouragement-for-single-parents-with-teenagers-09/

'Wolf Pack' Teen Bullying Case--Is America Getting Meaner?

2011-02-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Nadin Khoury was brought to the United States ten years ago by his mother to escape the cruelty that accompanied teh Liberian Civil War. Last month he was left suspended by his coat from a seven-foot-high fence after being punched, dragged, kicked and beaten in a Philadelphia suburb. His shocked mother said, "One of the reasons I came to the U.S. was (so) that these horrible things wouldn't happen to us."

Here we go again. Sadly, it seems every time we turn around there's a new case of bullying in the news. Back when I was growing up, bullying seemed to be almost a rite of passage for every new kids at school, a type of hazing to validate your acceptance. Of course, the big difference in those days was that the bullying was usually only at the schoolyard an dtypically petered out quickly. Now, in the cyber world there is no respite and bullying has taken on a much more sinister tone.

Today kids have to deal with not only physical confrontations, but are also virtually pounded 24/7 via Facebook, Twitter and cell phone by text, calls and voicemails. In some cases (think Tyler Clementi) personal situations are videotaped and posted on teh internet for all to see. In others (Phoebe Prince) the bullying lasts for months on end. In addition, as in these two caes, suicide is being seen more and more an an end result with these kids.

Read entire article here.

by: Dr. Dale Archer, FoxNews.com

Mercy Ministries

2011-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

Since 1983, Mercy Ministries of America has provided hope and healing to generations of desperate young women who are seeking freedom from life-controlling issues such as:

Physical and Secual Abuse Including Sex Trafficking
Eating Disorder
Self-Harm
Drug and Alcohol Addictions
Depression
Unplanned Pregnancy

Their free-of-charge biblically-based program serves a diverse population of young women from various socio-economic backgrounds, ages 13-28. Many of the girls, who come to Mercy for help, are facing a combination of debilitating circumstances and have been in various treatment facilities with unsuccessful long-term results.

The ministry is committed to providing the young women they serve with the most excellent prgram services that allow them to recognize their self-worth and prepare them to reach their full potential. Their non-conventional approach to healing allows young women to permanently stop destructive cycles and prepare them to take hope out into their communities.

For more information about Mercy Ministires, visit their FAQ section here.

Girls of Grace: Conference helps teenage girls cope with today's issues

2011-01-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

Body image? Self esteem? Eating disorders, sex and the downside of social networking?
Yuck, if you're a teenage girl, right?
Well, not if you're a teenage girl attending Girls of Grace, an exciting one-day event being held Feb. 19 at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, for girls 12 to 17.
"Girls and their mothers come from far and wide to attend these conferences," said Susan Niles, on behalf of the event.
Hosted by award-winning, multi-platinum selling trip Point of Grace, Girls of Grace will tackle issues teenage girls face through a fun platform that includes well-known featured speakers, lots of music and more.
"We've been singing together for many, many years, and about 8 or 9 years ago our dream came to fruition," said Shelley Breen, of Point of Grace, explaining the group's desire to start a conference for teen girls.
Breen said following their concerts, more and more girls would come to the trio for advice about tough issues.
"For us that's so hard," Breen said. "We are up on stage singing Christian music and (girls think) we have all the answers ... So many girls need a lending ear, and need answers."

By: Sadie Fowler, Shelbyville Times-Gazette

Public meeting to focus on teen drug and alcohol abuse

2011-01-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

When officials at Ellensburg High School said last month that there had been five incidents in two weeks involving students and drugs, including two students found to be under the influence of heroin, teacher Samantha Nelson wasn’t surprised.

Nelson, who teaches health to freshmen and sophomores and consumer and family issues to juniors and seniors, is a member of a Drug Task Force committee.

She knows it’s not uncommon for teens to experiment with drugs and alcohol. She knows that what starts as experimentation has the potential to also be tragically life changing.

“It wasn’t that I was surprised. I was saddened,” Nelson says. “These are good kids making bad choices and it can ruin their lives. I think it starts innocently enough, beginning with alcohol, continuing with marijuana and moving on to harder drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Read entire article

By MARY SWIFT staff writer Daily Record

Christmas gift for your teen

2010-12-13T05:19:00.000-08:00

The Christmas holiday will be here before we have a chance to breathe after Thanksgiving. Stores have had their Christmas decorations up for weeks now and parents are gearing up for the dreaded holiday shopping.

Some of the most difficult gifts to buy at Christmas is for teens. With all the gadgets teens want, they may not realize what they need. That's where parents step in.

Why not give your teen something that will help them move through their teen years with Godly insight? A book designed to discuss topics that affect teens daily. A book that gives teens and parents a place to come together to openly discuss some of the difficulties they face.

The book is, Tools4Teens.

Rich in truth, moving in story, profound in content … it’s what you want every teenager to read, reflect and relate to as they attempt to navigate the most turbulent waters of life … the teenage years! With the Spirit of faith, hope and love, Kelly Litvak and Shirley Hanson have assembled more than a book, it is a snapshot of an intersection between the two most important stories in history, God’s story and yours. ~ Jerry Edmonson, Lead Pastor, The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch

Order yours today. It's the easiest gift you'll purchase but the one that will sow seeds that will grow a lifetime.

Educators gather to learn how to prevent suicide among teens

2010-12-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Teenage suicide should never happen.
That's what LDS romance novelist Anita Stansfield, who spoke at the Provo School District's suicide prevention conference on Friday, told the hundreds of teachers, counselors and social workers who had gathered at BYU on a mission toward that very goal.

Stansfield spoke about her older brother, who killed himself at age 50 after years of struggling with mental illness. Twenty years prior to Nathan's suicide, her uncle had killed himself. No mention of this was made at his funeral.

Stansfield said she made the choice to talk about how he killed himself at Nathan's funeral.

"I just believe that denial is a great facilitator of many ugly things in life," she said.

Presenters talked about a number of different subjects, including the science behind depression, addiction and suicide, bullying, how to recognize suicidal behavior and talk to suicidal teens and different ways to help teenagers.

Beyond the basics of bullying: Curt Johnson

Girls gossip and backbite, boys kick and punch. That's how Americans view bullying.

New research out of Utah County shows that boys are more likely than girls to gossip and tease and less likely to see such relational bullying as actual bullying, which means it won't go away.

Curt Johnson, a psychologist with the Provo School District, said girls are more likely to tease and gossip than to engage in physical bullying, but boys are more likely overall to engage in all types of bullying, including the more emotional kind. Boys also are more likely to be the target of bullies.

Read entire article here.

By: Heidi Toth, Daily Herald

Technology everywhere: when will we learn?

2010-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Are teenagers too obsessed with their technology? Between cell phones, TV, MP3 players, video games and Facebook, when do teens have time for actual socializing?
It seems that teens' technology has become their lifeline. If someone were to take away their cellphone, it would be like taking away their oxygen.
As sad as it is, for some teens, it is an addiction.
If a teen goes to visit a friend or family member, you can almost guarantee that they will be pulling out their phone to text someone about something while visiting. This is kind of sad because it seems that teens are saying, "Yeah, I'll hang out with you, but I really would rather be with this person."
Another sad thing is that teens spend more time chatting on Facebook with their 650 "friends" than they do having a face-to-face conversation with a friend in real life.
An added problem is that most teenagers will have at least one ear bud in their ear at all times whether they are at school (and the teacher is talking) or at a performance. It's as if teenagers need a piece of technology with them at all times or else they suffer.
I am not saying that we should get rid of technology or even ban it from school; I simply think that teenagers need to understand that there is a time and a place for technology. As one veteran Regina mom who has raised three teens, comments, "With all of today's modern communication technology, youth are missing out on opportunities to have real and deep relationships."
Teenagers should be able to put down their cellphones and leave the MP3 player at home to spend some quality time with family and friends. Talk, play a game, go for a walk, do something enjoyable without technology. Teens need to put away the gadgets before it's too late and they end up staying in their own little technological world with no outside interactions.

by: Jillian Stewart, Leader-post

New iPhone app aimed at getting help to troubled teens

2010-11-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

Kids may not come with user manuals, but a just-released technology-driven tool aims to make it easier to find help for hurt and troubled teenagers.

The process — recognizing a problem, identifying the causes and ultimately finding help — can be a complex puzzle for adults unfamiliar with the pressures teens face at middle and high schools and the resources available to help.

That dilemma begged an obvious question: “How can we put a tool in the hands of all those people?” said Eric Nidiffer, vice president of Turning Point Experience, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students avoid destructive influences in their lives.

For the past 10 months, father-son duo William and Eric Nidiffer have been working with the Southern Nevada Community Gang Task Force to produce that tool — a comprehensive iPhone application designed to educate adults about the top 20 issues teens face and provide them with the resources for finding help.

Read entire article here.

By Jackie Valley, www.lasvegassun.com

Experts warn of pitfalls teens face on social networking sites

2010-11-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

A photo or snippet of information posted to a social networking site such as Facebook can become a digital first-impression of a person, and for some young people, it’s not a good one, an expert on cyberbullying said.

To make his point, Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, flashed a series of photos publicly displayed on Facebook of teens drinking, doing drugs and engaging in other questionable behavior.

“It’d be nice if I sat down with any of these kids and had a chat with them and got a feel for their integrity and their character,” said Hinduja, keynote speaker at a forum on cyberbullying, sexting and social network privacy.

“But we live in a society where we don’t take the time to do that. What we do is Google you...and make a snap judgment about you,” Hinduja said.

The Anti-Defamation League and Henderson Libraries hosted The ABCs of Cyberbullying panel discussion on Wednesday at the Paseo Verde Library.

Read entire article.

By: Rich Coleman, www.lasvegassun.com

Demi Lovato's Treatment Sheds Light On Teen Issues, Expert Says

2010-11-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

Now that Demi Lovato has entered a treatment facility to deal with "emotional and physical issues she has dealt with for some time," her public struggle is shedding light on a whole range of issues that many teenage girls face. Lovato has been open in the past about the pressure she's under, including her self-esteem issues and constant media scrutiny.

Dr. Dorian Traube, assistant professor at the University of Southern California's School of Social Work, spoke to MTV News about the advice she has for young people who might be going through a similarly difficult time.

"Well, I think regardless to whether the bullying contributed to what sent her to seek treatment, she's in treatment because she's having issues related to self-esteem and mental health, and all of that makes you feel lonely," she explained. "So I think it's important for young women or teens to realize that it is important to find an environment in which they feel like they excel and treated with respect and that they have a good cadre of friends around them."

Read entire article here.

-By: Jocelyn Vena, mtv.com

Teen Binge Drinking LInked to Attention Problems

2010-10-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

Teens who binge drink may be more likely to experience problems with attention as well as making decisions and carrying them out (executive function), a study shows.
The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, also shows that teens who smoke marijuana tend to have trouble with their memory.

Substance abuse during the adolescent years can have significant lifelong consequences on the developing brain. "Both animal models and observational studies in humans suggest that binge drinking during adolescence alters normal developmental processes in a way that negatively impacts learning and social adjustment into adulthood," says study researcher Robert J. Thoma, PhD, a psychiatrist at the Center for Neuropsychological Services of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, in an email.

"On one hand, the adolescents in our study were functioning largely within the normal range on cognitive tests, [but] it is likely that they are under-performing on many of these tasks relative to their ability before initiation of binge drinking," he says.

"Consistent under-performance in school could shift an adolescent’s trajectory of educational attainment, thereby affecting subsequent job placement and socioeconomic status," he says.

Read entire article here.

-Denise Mann, Webmd.com

Christian Parenting Advice on Classifying Drugs Your Teenager Uses

2010-10-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

The main reason I write all the articles I do on teenage drug abuse is because of my own drug abuse problem as a teenager and even young adult. You could say I used more drugs than not. I say this not to glorify it in any way but to say I know of the damage because I use to be there. I have some understanding of the issue and effects of certain drugs.

For instance, when I was growing up we would pick and choose the drug we would use depending on the activity we were going to engage in. Because we knew that different drugs would produce different results.

Even as a parent we might find ourselves responding differently to the knowledge of the type of drug our teenager is using. You would feel better if your child is smoking dope instead of shooting up heroin. Because of the stigma and effects of each drug. We would probably not even bat an eye if we knew our child went and got drunk somewhere?

Read entire article here.

-Phil Longmire

Parents face tough choices when child seems in trouble

2010-10-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult things for parents of teenagers who are thinking about hurting themselves to face is that sometimes right before a troubled teen tries to take his life, he or she might seem to be getting better.

"For teens in particular, a sudden cheerfulness after a period of depression may be a threat that they're going to take their life," Debbie Helms, program director for the Samaritans of Merrimack Valley, said. "There's an energy and period of clear thinking because they've already made the decision to kill themselves."

Yvonne Vissing, associate professor of sociology at Salem State University and director of the university's center for Child Studies, said that's one of the aspects of teen suicide that's particularly confusing - and torubling - for families.

"One thing is when people are very depressed that's not usually when an attempt will happen," Vissing said. "It's usually when a person is feeling better."

Saugus High School senior Felix Sacco jumped off an overpass last week in Saugus after leaving school in what police are calling a suicide.

Helms said although there are exceptions, most teens who commit suicide do so after suffering from "an underlying mental-health issue." "Suicides rarely occur because of one thing that happens in someone's life," Helms said.

Read entire article here.

By: Jeff McMenemy/The Daily Item

Christian Parenting Advice – Co-Dependency With Teen Drug Abuse

2010-10-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

After portion for over 10 years as a priest we have to contend which there is usually as most dysfunctions as good as masks which we wear in a church as people do outward a church. we consider we usually sense to censor them improved upon Sunday Morning.

But what happens when we wear those masks as good as do not understanding with a issues during hand, is which we find ourselves essentially apropos as good as vital as co-dependents to a teenagers. We find ourselves stealing as good as masking a dysfunction, hurts, pain, as good as annoyance which comes with a teenagers wrong meditative as good as behaving.
I am not certain if we know this or not though co-dependency is essentially a schooled behavior. You can essentially pass it down from a single era to another, all a time training those which we lift how to duty as good as live in a habituated relationship.

When a primogenitor lives in a habituated attribute with their teenager who is abusing drug it not usually affects both parents, though siblings as well. It has a mortal settlement which plays out via a complete house. It shows as good as allows those who have been harming a family to live any approach they wish whilst dire in upon those who have been not abusing drugs, over compensating upon parenting so which they themselves do not go down a same path.

Some examples of dysfunctional family groups with teenagers who have been regulating drug competence not admit which problems exist. The family will not speak about them or confront them. As a result, family members sense to restrain emotions as good as negligence their own needs. They turn “survivors.”

Co-Dependency with Teen Drug Abuse

2010-09-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

In the first рοrtіοn οf this series I talked about the danger οf living іח a co-dependent relationship with уοur teenager who іѕ using drugs. In this раrt οf the series I want tο talk a little about what that relationship looks like and how іt plays out in the family when you have a teenager who іѕ using drugs.

Sοmе mау not even know that they аrе in a co-dependent relationship with their teenagers who аrе using drugs. Fοr instance I’m the leader in a recovery program. When wе wеrе starting the recovery program a man approached mе tο let mе know how he responded tο the use οf drugs with his own teenager.

Hе told mе that he would mаkе his home a safe environment fοr his teenager and their friends tο come and hang out and get it out οf their system. Keep in mind this wаѕ a leader in the local church and wаѕ telling mе this аѕ wе wеrе promoting a Celebrate Recovery program.

Aѕ I stated in the first series, co-dependency іѕ actually a learned behavior. You can actually pass іt down frοm one generation tο another, constantly teaching those that you raise how tο function and live in a co-dependent relationship. This man wаѕ teaching his son how tο not only live in a co-dependent relationship but hοw tο raise his own kids in a co-dependent relationship.

The first thing you need tο do іѕ аѕk yourself…аm I living іn denial? Read entire article

-www.methdrugaddiction.com

What's A Parent to Think About... Teens Substance Abuse?

2010-09-20T07:42:00.001-07:00

Many parents may think back to their teen years, and consider "experimenting" with substances (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana) as a harmless rite of passage. These days, however, scientists would not agree with that.

It's becoming very clear that early use of substances can lead to a number of poor outcomes for youth- and can adversely affect their development well into adulthood. Consider these three points:

*First, the earlier youths start expimenting with substances, the more likely they are to progress to higher, more problematic levels of use, both in adolescence and adulthood. In particular, early onset is a strong predictor of eventual substance use disorders and dependence. Keep in mind that use of any substance is a risk for use of other substances- such that, for example, early smoking can predict eventual alcohol abuse.

*Second, contrary to prior thinking on the topic, new research suggests that youths who start using substances at an early age can rapidly escalate their use during their teen years. How rapid? Recent articles have shown that teens can develop a substance-use disorder within three years of their first experiences.

*Third, early use of substances is predictive of a host of other serious outcomes, both in adolescence and into adulthood. These include risk for early pregnancy, herpes infection, crime and suicide attempts. It's important to keep in mind that these risks are present even for youths who do not have psychological problems when they start using stubstances.

Read entire article here.

-By Richard Rende, Ph.D, http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100916/LIFE/100919946/-1/NEWSMAP

Teens who drink at home drink more

2010-09-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

A new study published in the latest edition of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs concludes that teenagers who drink with their parents tend to drink more. The study included more than 400 families with two teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15. The researchers found a positive correlation between the amount that teens drink at home and the amount they drink when they aren’t home.

Some parents have asserted that they would rather have their teen drink at home where they can keep an eye on them.
Instead, the study seems to support the opposing view that teens who see good behavior modeled in the home (limited and responsible adult-only drinking in this case) will learn that same behavior. Researchers found that teens who drank in the home tended to drink more in public. The reverse was also true. The more teens drank outside the home, the more likely they were to drink in the home. The study also reports that teens who drank more often tended to score higher on measures of problem behaviors two years later.

Read entire article here.

-By Crystal Ladwig, www.examiner.com

Teen night owls: 2 wired 2 sleep

2010-09-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Lots of teens are into vampires these days. Many more of them seem to be keeping vampire hours.

Take Alexa McGill, who has a very modern way of falling asleep. She does it while texting.

"Usually I'll wake up in the middle of night, reply to the text I fell asleep during, then stay up for a few more hours," said McGill, 16, who lives in Anoka. "Around 5 a.m. I'll try to get a couple more hours of sleep because I have to get up at 7 to get ready for work."

When Sam Humleker of Minneapolis was in 10th grade, he was almost always asleep by 9:30 p.m. Now, two years later, the 18-year-old is up till 1 a.m., texting, Skyping, checking his Gmail, digg.com and Facebook. He tells his mother, Cordelia Anderson, that 1 o'clock in the morning isn't so bad: "Some of my friends are up till 3 a.m.," he said.

Kind of makes the days when Mom or Dad would bust their little night owlets for shining a flashlight on a good book under the covers seem as quaint as a Norman Rockwell painting.

It's a problem that has gotten worse with each new technological temptation to come their way -- especially something as small and easy to slip under a pillow as a cell phone, which can be used for playing video games and Web browsing as well as texting. It's how teens socialize and it's available 24/7, making it hard to tear themselves away from just one more text, just a few more minutes on the Xbox.

The numbers tell the story. Half of adolescents get fewer than eight hours (they actually need nine or more) of sleep on school nights, and only 15 percent of them get adequate sleep, according to a new poll on teens and sleep from the National Sleep Foundation.

Problem behind the problem

-By KRISTIN TILLOTSON, Star Tribune

How to Keep Your Children on the Path

2010-08-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

As a parent it can be difficult to naviage the sometimes tumultuous waters. Not only as a Christian do we have the typical parenting issues to get through but we add another dimension to it when our faith becomes involved. Our faith is often what dictates the way we parent, the choices we make and how we raise up our children.

As a Christian parent, however, we have to be careful that we don't make Christianity a list of do's and don'ts. This can be a fine line to walk. There are definitely some standards that come into play which must be abided by. However a standard should be just that. It is a way of living, not a rule.

By nature people don't particularly care for rules. Children may not like rules either but they need them. Rules help to govern. However there is also a time and a place for rules. Living as a Christian is not the time or place. Too many children have the mindset that rules are made for breaking. So if they begin breaking what they consider to be "Christian" rules they could be heading for danger.

Instead, as a parent we should create a lifestyle that influences our
children. I personally don't believe in telling a child the reason they can't do something is because "we are Christians." While being a Christian most certainly may drive our choices and decisions, it is more than that.

What example are we setting for our children?

Read entire article here.

- By: Stephanie Romero, everydaychristian.com

Obesity, Stress, Teen Pregnancy – Top Health Problems for Kids – Getting Worse

2010-08-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

Recent national statistics on obesity show the prevalence of childhood obesity leveling off. However, according to a report released today by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, public concern about childhood obesity remains high. For the third straight year, childhood obesity is rated the biggest health problem for kids by adults in the United States.
In May 2010, the Poll asked 2,064 adults to rate 20 different health concerns for children living in their communities. The top 10 overall health concerns for U.S. children in 2010 and the percentage of adults who rate each as a “big problem” include:
1. Childhood obesity, 38 percent
2. Drug abuse, 30 percent
3. Smoking, 29 percent
4. Internet safety, 25 percent
5. Stress, 24 percent
6. Bullying, 23 percent
7. Teen pregnancy, 23 percent
8. Child abuse and neglect, 21 percent
9. Alcohol abuse, 20 percent
10. Not enough opportunities for physical activity, 20 percent

Read entire article here.

- University of Michigan Health System

Teen Behavior is Behavior with a Reason

2010-08-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Youth specialist Tim Sanford encourages parents to realize that children
always do things for reasons. He exlains that many times parents don't know the
real reason behind a teen's behavior. He says, "God didn't make us random
beings, so our behavior (even rebellious behavior) is stemming from a
reason.

It's important to get to teh 'itch' (core reason) behind teh 'scratch'
(outward behavior or attitude)." Whether dealing with basic issues such as
respect or complex issues such as at-risk behavior, parents sometimes struggle
to understand the difference between healthy teenage autonomy adn blatant teen
rebellion.

What looks like rebellion may actually be a teen's natural "itch" for
greater independence.

Read more here.

-Pam Woody, www.FocusOnTheFamily.com

Pathological Internet Use Linked to Teen Depression

2010-08-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

Teens who use the Internet excessively appear to be more likely to develop depression, according to a study set to appear in the October 2010 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Lawrence T. Lam, of the School of Medicine, Sydney, and the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Australia and Zi-Wen Peng, of the Ministry of Education and Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China studied the relationship between pathological Internet use (defined as uncontrolled or unreasonable levels of usage) and later mental health issues among 1,041 Chinese teens with an average age of 15.

At the beginning of the study, 62 teens (6.2%) were classified as having moderately pathological use of the Internet (based upon a survey designed to identify pathological usage patterns), while 2 (0.2%) were at severe risk. After nine months, the teens were assessed for anxiety and depression. Eight (0.2%) had significant anxiety while 87 (8.4%) had developed depression. Those who had been identified as having pathological Internet use were at about two and half times more risk of having developed depression than those who had not exhibited pathological use. No relationship was observed between pathological Internet use and anxiety, however.

"This result suggests that young people who are initially free of mental health problems but use the Internet pathologically could develop depression as a consequence," said the authors. They further suggest that "a screening program for pathological use of the Internet could...be considered in all high schools to identify individuals at risk for counseling and treatment."

-By Nancy Schimelpfening, Depression Guide, about.com

What Parents Should Know About Teen Suicide

2010-08-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

For a teenager to be so unbearably unhappy that he would choose to kill himself is something that's almost too painful for a parent to think about. But with the increasing prevalence of teen suicide, no parent can afford to ignore the possibility. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for high-school students.
Kids look at this world as being more and more hopeless. They have no answer for their pain and despair, so many are choosing suicide as their solution. When I was in high school-- a school with 3,000 students-- I never knew of any of my peers committing suicide. And even in my work years ago as a director of Young Life, suicide among teh teens in our region was a very unusual event that I rarely heard of.

Fact is, before the 1960's, suicide by adolescents happened only rarely; but today, nearly one in ten teens contemplates suicide, and over 500,000 attempt it each year. While suicide rates for all other ages have dropped, suicides among teens have nearly tripled.

Between the sexes, teen boys are more than four times as likely t ocommit suicide as girls. But girls are known to think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys. The difference is the method; girls attempt suidie by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves, and thankfully most are found in time and rescued. Boys tend to use more lethal methods, such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights.

The Warning Signs
By: Mark Gregston, Heartlight Ministries

Teenager Issues Are Parent Issues Too

2010-07-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

Becoming a teenager in North America today is not easy. This is with certainty one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Many parents are so used to hearing about how difficult teenagers can be during their passage to adulthood, they simply try to fare with their kids, assuming there’s no merit to these teenager issues. It’s simply a waiting game, ending magically at approximately the age of 21, when the kids somehow acquire common sense and the parents once again have their lovely children back in the fold. If you’re a parent with this perspective, read on to see how important your input is during the adolescent period of development.

If you recall your own teen years, you know that hormonal changes are happening fast and furiously. Some teenagers suffer from wider mood swings than others. Girls begin their menstrual periods, throwing their entire metabolism in a tizzy. Boys begin to exhibit more aggressive behaviors, trying on the macho. This phenomenon exerts perhaps the greatest influence on what are often dismissively referred to as ‘teen issues’.

Read entire post here.

-By Lissa, www.breakyourshackles.com

Hardships and Lessons Return with "Teen Mom"

2010-07-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

In order to do the show right, MTV said it decided to partner with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. According to the non-profit organization, three out of every 10 teenage girls will get pregnant, and 60 percent of them will choose to be a teen mother.

While changing diapers and taking the baby to the park might be part of it, most teens don't recognize that children mean more stress on their relationships, the end of their social lives and a whole host of challenges. The organization belives so strongly in the message and tone of the show and "16 and Pregnant" that it distributes episodes of "16 and Pregnant" to sex-education programs to use for educational purposes.

"There's no way that you can watch 'Teen Mom' and think this is easy or glamorous as a young person," said Amy Kramer, director of entertainment media for the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Especially as a teenager, you have a lot of stuff going on that has to take a backseat when you have a child."

Both "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" focus on the pro-life choices of the
mothers. While most decide to keep their babies, some, like Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra, decide to give their daughter up for adoption.

"The overarching message of this show is that once there's a pregnancy, all roads ahead are hard," Kramer explained. "Even if you have super supportive paretns like Maci or if you chose adoption, all of these are really, really
hard. This show has the potential to show in devastating clarity how important it is to prevent a preganncy in the first place."

Read entire article here.

-By Michelle Castillo, Todayshow.com

Body-image pressure inundates teen girls

2010-07-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

The standardized image is pasted all over the mass mesia. Whether it's
Hollywood, the runway or glossy magazines, the message is clear: Look like this
and be sexy.

"This" for women is often a rail-thin size zero. Tyra Banks, a model who
has gained weight sincer her Sports Illustrated cover days, recently found
herself defending her shape on national television and in People magazine.

"I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not
as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful,' " she told People. "So
when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those
girls feel like?"

Body image is one reflection of how we perceive ourselves. Girls are three
times more likely than boys to have a negative body image, according to the
National Mental Health Information Center.

Catherine Hill, research director for the American Association of
University Women Educational Foundation, says it shouldn't be surprising that
middle-school girls are so concerned with their body image. What is
disheartening, she says, is that it overtakes other aspects of their lives. The
expectations can be overwhelming.

Read entire article here.

-By Latha Erickson, CNN

2010-07-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone warns parents about the drama of the teen years—the self-righteous tears, slamming doors, inexplicable fashion choices, appalling romances.

But what happens when typical teen angst starts to look like something much darker and more troubling? How can parents tell if a moody teenager is simply normal—or is spinning out of control? This may be one of the most difficult dilemmas parents will ever face.

Studies show that about 20% of teenagers have a psychiatric illness with depression, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder being among the most prevalent. Yet parents of teens are often blind-sided by a child's mental illness. Some are unaware that mental illnesses typically appear for the first time during adolescence. Or they may confuse the symptoms of an actual disorder with more normal teen moodiness or anxiety.

Read entire article here.

-www.wsj.com

How To Help Your Teenagers Stay Healthy: Mental Health

2010-06-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Many mental health problems begin during the teenage years, probably because it is such a difficult time. Teenagers deal with the daily stress of school, peer pressure, and relationships. They have the added stress of exams, learning to drive and getting their license, and impending college decisions. For some, there are also jobs and first monthly bills, like car insurance or cell phones. When combined with the day-to-day stress of home and family life, it can be overwhelming.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your teenagers stay mentally healthy.

Stay connected. It is easy for parents and teens to drift apart, sometimes living in almost different worlds. Make an effort to stay connected to your teen. If you know what is happening in their lives, you can spot warning signals that your teen is having problems.

Maintain communication. Keep communication lines open with your teen. While he or she may not always want to talk, they need to know they can talk to you. If you put your teen off, constantly interrupt, or belittle what he or she is saying, then your teen will be less likely to talk to you about the important issues in his or her life.

Try to understand. Although your teenage years may seem like a long time ago, you can remember what it was like to be that age. Take a moment to think about what it was like to be a teenager. Instead of belittling your teen’s issues, or pointing out how small their problems are compared to those of your adult life, try to understand what it is like to be a teenager facing the issues a teenager faces.

Read entire article here.

-business44.com

Anorexia in Teens: Warning Signs of Anorexia

2010-06-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Anorexia can turn into a severe health issue and may even lead to potential death. It cannot be ignored and many teens hide eating disorders for several months, till their parents notice it. Parents should understand the consequences of anorexia and should look out for the warning signs which indicate eating disorders in teens.

Warning Signs:

•Warning signs of the anorexia are very evident in a teen. The common symptom of anorexia is the sudden gain or drop of weight, which is an indicator of a serious problem.
•Teens with anorexia will have an obsession with the calories and they limit the intake of food. This is another sign of eating disorders and teens avoid food which is rich in calories, because of fear of gaining weight.
•Teens tend to use medicines in order to keep them away from gaining weight. Parents should have a check over their teens who have signs like these.
•Teens tend to either skip meals or there will be a decrease in their appetite. They will give all kinds of reasons and explanations for not being hungry and to hide the eating disorders.
•Teens suffering from anorexia tend to faint frequently. Obsession with exercise or over-exercising is another major sign of the eating disorders. In girls, not having their periods is a major indication of anorexia.
•Most of the teens suffering from the eating disorders make excuses for increased weights and weight loss or weight fluctuations.
•Teens suffering from anorexia have trouble in expressing their feelings or they simply brush off the concern others show regarding their health. They are always moody and their levels of anger and agitation are very high.
•Girls often feel cold even if the temperature is quite normal, when they are suffering from anorexia. To cover this up they wear dresses in layers to keep themselves warm. Losing hair is another warning sign of anorexia.
•Anorexia requires professional treatment and may also involve psychological help, medical monitoring and nutritional feeding. Consult a doctor if you fear that your child is suffering from anorexia.

-www.teenhealthline.com

Parent Help for Raising Children

2010-06-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

There are no perfect parents nor can most parents say they are experts when it comes to discipline. No one has the answers for your specific questions unless they are walking in your shoes and closely following God's guidance. And because another person on earth will not and does not do that, it is up to you, the parent, to figure out your parental journey.

One way to help you navigate the parental road is to read books related to your specific needs. Reading too many may overwhelm you so choose a few and really dig in. Use a highlighter or sticky tabs if it is something you think you'll need to read again so you can find it quicker. There's nothing worse than knowing you've read something somewhere but can not find it when you need it.

Open up and talk to friends about your specific parenting issues. Most likely you'll be pleasantly surprised to know they can relate. Ask about books that have helped them and then search for one that's specific to you.

Here is a small list to get you started:

Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Instructing a Child’s Heart
Dare to Discipline, The Strong Willed Child, Bringing up Boys, Bringing up Girls
Parenting is Heart Work
Good and Angry
Tools 4 Teens- a book for Teens

Most of all, be sure to go straight to God’s Word and soak in what He is saying to YOU as a parent. We can read wonderful sites and books, but ultimately we need to be going to THE BOOK for our final advice. Proverbs is a wonderful book with very easy-to-read, practical parenting advice!

Proverbs 22:6… "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Is Your Teen Using Drugs?

2010-06-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

In areas all around the world, illegal drug substances have caused a tremendous amount of problems for a large number of families. What makes it even worse, is that drugs have also become a problem that more and more teenagers are getting involved in every single year. This can be very frustrating and frightening for parents that suspect their teen may be using drugs because chances are, their child is not going to come straight out and tell them they are. A perfect answer to find the answers to this dilemma is to have an expert recover deleted text from your teenager's cell phone. Most people simply erase any text that they do not want anyone else to find, adn they are completely unaware that the data can still be recovered.

Cell phone forensic investigations have made it possible for parents to easily be able to find out exactly what their teenagers are doing at times they think that their parents have no clue as to what is going on. When you suspect that your child is dabbling in illegal drug substances or other things that they should not be messing with, all you have to do is contact an expert that knows how to recover deleted text from the cell phone that your teen uses.

Read entire article here.

-Ed Opperman, www.articlesbase.com

Understanding Eating Disorders: What is an Eating Disorder

2010-05-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

Eating disorders are very common among the teens. Teens facing eating disorders often tend to put on weight all of a sudden. They often tend to skip their meal and they tend to vomit if they eat anything.

They even feel sick if they try eating more then usual. Teens suffering from eating disorders feel exhausted, fatigued and irritable. They fall sick and suffer terribly from stomach cramps.

Weight obsession is a serious problem for the eating disorders and millions of teens suffer this especially girls.
Out of every seven women are struggling from eating disorder at any given time. According to a survey by Youth Risk in 2003, 36% of the teen girls were overweight while 59% of them were trying to loose weight. More than 90% of the teenage girls have an eating disorder.
What is an Eating Disorder: read here

-www.teenhealthline.com

Cyber Bullying Illegal: Mass. Governor Signs Landmark Anti-Bullying Law

2010-05-24T05:10:00.000-07:00

The governor of Massachusetts has signed a bill designed to crack down on school bullies and require teachers to report bullying to principals.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill Monday. It had been passed after the suicides of two students who were said to be victims of intense harassment.

Sirdeaner Walker, of Springfield, called the bill a watershed moment. Her 11-year-old son, Carl Walker-Hoover, hanged himself at home last year. Walker said he had been tormented by classmates.

In January, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince killed herself after allegedly being bullied at South Hadley High School. Several classmates have pleaded not guilty after being charged with various crimes in connection with her death.

The new law prohibits bullying on school property and outlaws cyberbullying.

The Department of Education reports that 25 percent of American students say they were bullied at least once a day. States have tried to address the issue by mandating their school districts adopt anti-bullying initiatives, CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano reported in a story featuring Sirdeaner Walker last month.

CBS News has identified 10 other students ages 13 to as young as nine years old who were bullied and committed suicide in the last 12 months. Suicide is so rare among children that young the CDC doesn't even consistently track the numbers.

Yale professor Young-Shin Kim has done research on what's been termed "bullycide" and has found that victims of bullying are 5.6 times more at risk of attempting or thinking about suicide.

"I want Carl's legacy to be not that he was 11 years old and he committed suicide," Walker said. "I want Carl's legacy to be we've enacted laws to protect and help all of our children."

-Posted by Edecio Martinez, cbsnews.com

Taking It Easy with Time and Touch

2010-05-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's because I just had another birthday. maybe it's because I'm a granddad several times over. Or maybe it's because of a struggling young seminarian I met recently who wishes he had been higher on his parents' priority list than, say, fifth or sixth. He was hurried and ignored through childhood, then tolerated and misunderstood through adolescence, and finally expected to "be a man" without having been taught how.

My words are dedicated to all of you who have the opportunity to make an investment in a growing child so that he or she might someday be whole and healthy, secure and mature. Granted, yours is a tough job. Relentless and thankless . . . at least for now. There is every temptation to escape from the responsibilities that are yours and yours alone. But nobody is better qualified to shape the thinking, to answer the questions, to assist during the struggles, to calm the fears, to administer the discipline, to know the innermost heart, or to love and affirm the life of your offspring than you.

When it comes to "training up the child in the way he should go," you've got the inside lane, Mom and Dad. No teacher or coach, neighbor or friend, no grandparent or sibling, counselor or minister will have the influence on your kid that you are having. So - take it easy! Remember (as Anne Ortlund puts it) "children are wet cement." They take the shape of your mold. They're learning even when you don't think they're watching. And those little guys and gals are plenty smart. They hear tone as well as terms. They read looks as well as books. They figure out motives, even those you think you can hide. They are not fooled, not in the long haul.

The two most important tools of parenting are time and touch. Believe me, both are essential. If you and I hope to release from our nest fairly capable and relatively stable people who can soar and make it on their own, we'll need to pay the price of saying no to many of our own wants and needs in order to interact with our young . . . and we'll have to keep breaking down the distance that only naturally forms as our little people grow up.

Time and touch. nothing new, I realize, yet both remain irreducible minimums when it comes to good parenting. Take it easy! Listen to your boy or girl, look them in the eye, put your arms around them, hug them close, tell them how valuable they are. Don't hold back. Take the time to do it. Reach. Touch.

Don't stand alongside your son or daughter like statues, unable to say what you feel, uncomfortable and distant. Take time to feel, to listen, to hold your child close.

When you are tempted to get involved in some energy-draining, time-consuming opportunity that will only increase the distance between you and yours, stop and think of the unspoken message it will convey. Ask yourself hard questions like, "Could my time be better spent at home?" and "Won't there be similar opportunities in the years to come?" Then turn your attention to your boy or girl. Hold nothing back as you renew acquaintances.
Take it easy!

-Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, The Finishing Touch: Becoming God's Masterpiece (Nashville: Word, 1994), 524-25. Copyright © 1994 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved.
-www.oneplace.com

May is national teen pregnancy prevention month

2010-05-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Bristol Palin makes it look way too easy. She appears on the cover of national magazines with her famous mom and baby. She partners with organizations that encourage teens to practice sexual abstinence.

What are conspicuously absent are the pictures of crying babies who suffer from chronic health issues and their mothers who have dropped out of high school.

While I certainly wish Bristol and Tripp all the best, I’m concerned about the growing trend in teen pregnancy. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, one third of all young women become pregnant before they reach their 20th birthdays. Eighty percent of these 750,000 pregnancies are unplanned. Seventy-nine percent are to unmarried teens.

Although teen pregnancies declined between 1991 and 2005, they rose for the second straight year in 2007. Teenage birth rates in the United States are high, exceeding those found in most industrialized nations.

Teens and their babies face increased health risks.

Read entire article here.

By Linda Lewis Griffith, St. Louis Tribune

Kyleigh's Law Aims to Protect Teen Drivers

2010-05-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

New Jersey will become the first state to require decals on the cars of teen drivers when Kyleigh's Law takes effect on Saturday, and people are split on how they feel about the law.

The new mandate will require all motorists with a permit or provisional license to display a reflective red sticker on their front and back license plates. Not placing the decal on a car of a qualifying driver carries a $100 fine. They are available at $4 per pair and are available at any local motor vehicle agency.

The new law, named after 16-year-old West Morris Central student Kyleigh D'Alessio, aims to cut down on accidents among teen drivers. Donna Weeks, Kyleigh's mother, began lobbying for new legislation when her daughter and another high school student died in a 2006 crash in Washington Township.

Kyleigh's Law targets the most vulnerable of all age groups, teens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Teen Driver Fact Sheet, "Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash." In 2008, 3,500 American teens between the ages of 15 and 19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes.

The law's intent is to cut down on the number of accidents by easing the identification of teen drivers for police officers. It would enable officers to more strictly enforce the restrictions placed on younger motorists. A driver who holds a provisional license may not drive between the hours of 11:01 p.m. and 5 a.m. and is only permitted to drive with a parent, guardian or dependent or one other passenger unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Study: Teens prefer texting to talking

2010-04-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Like previous generations, today's teens seem to be constantly on the
phone. But now they're doing a lot more texting than talking.

One third of teens in the U.S. text more than 100 times a day, according to
a study released Tuesday by Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Based on a survey and focus groups conducted with teenagers between 12 and
17, Pew found that text messaging is by far the most common way that kids
communicate with each other, more than chatting on the phone, e-mailing, using
social-networking sites, or talking face to face.

More than 75 percent of teens now own cell phones, notes Pew, up from just
45 percent in 2004. Around 72 percent of all teens, or 88 percent of teens who
own mobile phones, use text messages to communicate. That marks a big jump from
2006 when only 51 percent of teens texted on their phones.

Read entire article

By: Lance Whitney, http://news.cnet.com

5 Teen Behavior Problems: A Troubleshooting Guide

2010-04-19T05:24:00.000-07:00

To be fair, no one has ever pretended that parenting a teenager was going to be easy. Still, until your own kids reach that stage, it's tempting to believe your family will be immune to teen behavior problems. No, you tell yourself, your teenager will never talk back, stay out too late or pierce her eyebrow.

Dream on.

Teenagers are basically hard-wired to butt heads with their parents, says Stuart Goldman, MD, director of psychiatric education at Children's Hospital in Boston. "Adolescence is a time of rapid change for kids both physically and cognitively," he explains. "It's the task of the teenager to fire their parents and then re-hire them years later, but as consultants rather than managers."

But that doesn't mean you have to take it lying down. With the right approach, you can troubleshoot the following teen behavior problems in a relatively civilized fashion.

Teen Behavior Problem 1: Your Teen Seems To Hate You

-Read all

By Christina Frank
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Tips for Parenting A Troubled Teen

2010-04-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

Teens who are having problems that are causing negative behavior to them is termed as troubled teen. These problems continue to affect them which will stop them to develop into a successful adult.

The problems that the teens are facing are beyond the normal issues. The problems might be related to environment, peer pressure and abusive relationship. These problems can give rise to mental and physical issues in the teens.

Analyze carefully the behavior of the troubled teen. Understand what is happening to the teen before and after the behavior. Once you understand the bad behavior, you can target on undesirable behavior of the teen.

Many times you will find that your teen won’t follow any rule and end up with what they wanted to have. That is why it is important to understand the reason behind the behavior of the troubled teen. Once you are able to understand the reason you can use the specific technique to treat your troubled teen. Behavior modification is the effective technique used for the troubled teen.

Signs of Troubled Teens:-

If you observe that your teen is showing the following signs frequently, it means that you are dealing with a troubled teen. Below are the signs given:-

You will find that your teen’s grade is falling down.
You will observe that your teen’s mood swings easily.
Your teen will feel intense sad
Your teen will avoid positive friendship
You will find that your teen has become secretive
You will find that your teen’s attitude has become defiant
You will see your teen has become rebellion
Your teen will find humor when others are distress
You will observe that your teen spend a lot of time in sleeping

4 Ways to deal with Troubled Teens:-

Be a supportive parent. Assure your teen that you love him very much. Always be there with your teen whenever he needs you.
Praise your teen whenever he shows positive behavior. You can also give reward to your teen.
Set rules for your teens. Give punishment whenever you find that your teen has break the rule. Make rules which are real and practically applicable
Do not argue with your troubled teen. If you find that your teen is arguing with you, ignore his behavior. Be firm at the same time flexible whenever required.
-parenting.ygoy.com

2010-04-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

In the uproar around the suicides of Ms. Prince, 15, and an 11-year-old boy subjected to harassment in nearby Springfield last year, the Massachusetts legislature stepped up work on an anti-bullying law that is now near passage. The law would require school staff members to report suspected incidents and principals to investigate them. It would also demand that schools teach about the dangers of bullying.

Forty-one other states have anti-bullying laws of varying strength.

In the Prince case, two boys and four girls, ages 16 to 18, face a different mix of felony charges that include statutory rape, violation of civil rights with bodily injury, harassment, stalking and disturbing a school assembly. Three younger girls have been charged in juvenile court, Elizabeth D. Scheibel, the Northwestern district attorney, said at a news conference in Northampton, Mass.

Appearing with state and local police officials on Monday, Ms. Scheibel said that Ms. Prince’s suicide came after nearly three months of severe taunting and physical threats by a cluster of fellow students.

“The investigation revealed relentless activities directed toward Phoebe to make it impossible for her to stay at school,” Ms. Scheibel said. The conduct of those charged, she said, “far exceeded the limits of normal teenage relationship-related quarrels.”

It was particularly alarming, the district attorney said, that some teachers, administrators and other staff members at the school were aware of the harassment but did not stop it. “The actions or inactions of some adults at the school were troublesome,” Ms. Scheibel said, but did not violate any laws.

Read entire article here

-By Holly Epstein Ojalvo, nytimes.com

School-Assisted Abortion a Shocking Lesson

2010-03-29T05:03:00.000-07:00

Parents of school children in Seattle are learning a shocking lesson, when it comes to some very important decisions they don't have a say. The mother of a 15-year old girl recently discovered that Ballard High School helped her daughter get an abortion and never informed her.

But it doesn't end there. The school can also send children off campus for mental health care and drug addiction treatment without their parents ever knowing. Supporters say the confidentiality allows teens who are too afraid to tell mom and dad to get necessary treatment.

Parents signed consent forms for off-school treatment thinking it was limited to emergency health care when the parents could not be reached. But the teen health clinics at 14 Seattle schools are about much more. They have a full-time registered nurse, counselor and nursing assistant on hand to help kids with more sensitive issues.

When the 15-year old girl's pregnancy was confirmed, they counseled her on the options. The mother says they encouraged her to have an abortion and not tell her parents. She claims her daughter was told that if she informed her parents they would have to pay for the abortion, otherwise it's free.

The teen clinics are administered by the King County Health Department. Officials say school clinic workers are supposed to encourage girls to include their parents in the decision. They will not comment on the specifics of the case.

As for the fact the girl was called a taxi and transported by herself to a clinic to have her abortion then driven back to finish her school day, officials say that's not unusual. They would not say how many girls have been helped to have an abortion.

Washington State is one of thirteen states that does not have either a parental consent or parental notification law. Girls of any age can obtain an abortion without having to tell a parent.

State lawmakers included mental health care and drug counseling on the list of services kids can get without parental notification.

By: Dan Springer, FoxNews.com

How to Build A Relationship with Your Child

2010-03-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Parenting is very challenging, because each child has their own unique needs. The best approach to meeting the needs of each child is to build a relationship with them from the time they are born until they leave this world. You should always consider how your actions will negatively or positively impact the development of the relationship.

Here are 12 steps every parent should consider in building a relationship with their child.

Step 1: Respect
Every parent should Respect their children in front of others regardless of their behavior. This will teach them how to respect you and others. Avoid trying to embarrass them in front of others in an attempt to change the negative behavior. It might work for the short term but long term it will backfire.

Step 2: Effort
It will take great Effort to understand your child especially when they are making wrong choices. When a child makes a wrong choice, take the time to talk with the child to verify why the choice was made. Don’t accept “I don’t know” but avoid getting angry because the door of communication must remain open. They will tell you the reasons for their decision, when they are ready, if the relationship is healthy.

Read Steps 3-12

by Billy J Strawter Sr, christian-parent.com

A Mother Needs Faith, Not Perfection

2010-03-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

. . . we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. . . . ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 (MSG)

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life. ~ Abrahan Lincoln (1809-1865)

A mom is like the orchestra conductor in the symphony of her daughter's life. Mom, if you tap your baton to the sheet music of Scripture, some amazing things can happen in your daughter' s heart.

Moms have a profound influence on us—for good, or not. Both of us [Doreen and Pam] feel grateful for positive, proactive mothers who cared for each of us and influenced our lives in amazing ways, in spite of their own personal pain or any drama going on in their private lives. Our mothers' influence gave us a heart for serving others and the confidence to lead.

Read entire article.

By: Pam Farrel and Doreen Hanna, crosswalk.com
Raising a Modern-Day Princess

James Dobson signs off, for now

2010-03-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Everything has its season, the Bible says.

For Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, one season will end today. But another will soon begin.

An estimated 200 million people worldwide will tune in Friday to Dobson’s final turn as host of the “Focus on the Family” radio show. After 33 years, Dobson will finally say goodbye to the Colorado Springs-based ministry he founded.

From a modest weekly radio show in a two-room rented office in Arcadia, Calif., it grew into a multimillion-dollar empire, and Dobson grew from an unknown child psychologist to one of the most influential evangelical leaders of our time, advising presidents as casually as he advised moms.

But the send-off has been muted by Dobson’s announcement in December that he’s starting another Christian ministry and radio show similar to the Focus enterprise.
Dobson, 73, has said he formed the new ministry because the traditional family model is breaking down. “I have asked myself how I can sit and watch the world go by without trying to help if I can,” Dobson wrote. “That is what motivates me at this time.”

Dobson and his 39-year-old son, Ryan, both of whom declined to be interviewed for this article, hope to launch their new ministry May 3 with the airing of their co-hosted radio show, “Family Talk With James Dobson.” Dobson has said "Family Talk" was not created to directly compete with Focus on the Family.

-By Mark Barna, gazette.com

Today’s Troubled Teens Need Solutions That Work

2010-02-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

In the past people have relied on all sorts of approaches to help kids be able to kick drugs, but in reality drugs have been an issue since ancient times when the drug of choice tended to be alcohol of some form or another. Today, kids face the same temptations as adults, but they are less equipped to be able to handle the threat to their health and well being so it is up to adults to step in and do what we can to help these kids get their lives back into their own hands. Finding a great residential drug treatment center can help pull the teen from the place where they are suffering and give them a new look at life where they can make serious changes and actually affect a difference in their own life. This kind of approach can accomplish a great deal of good and help them to find out who they are outside of drugs or alcohol. This is the very first step to serious healing.

When we are looking at these centers there are all sorts of factors to take in, but the key is to look at the heart of the program or programs being offered to find out what makes the place tick. If we can look into the philosophy of treatments we can get a solid understanding of what the organization is seeking to do for kids and how they intend to help troubled teens turn their lives around and shape behaviors that give them rewards instead of further woes. Starting here is the best approach to choosing the right care for a teen today.

-Qualihits

Drug Rehabs in Houston:

Teens may face criminal charges in cyberbullying case

2010-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

The mom of a frightened 14-year-old Newburyport High freshman said her “heart was just breaking” over the relentless cyberbullying her boy was subjected to by cruel pranksters who now could face criminal charges.

“It has to stop,” said the distraught mom, who alerted police after recovering from the shock.
Three Newburyport teens could face identity theft allegations for setting up a bogus Facebook account where the woman’s unsuspecting son became the target of their cyberhate.

“My heart was just breaking,” said the mom of the Facebook farce.
Her boy ended up eating lunch alone and confronting fellow students flamed by his online alter ego. He became ostracized and even contemplated leaving school, she said.

The boy told the Herald yesterday his alleged tormentors should pay.
“They kind of get what they deserve,” said the 14-year-old. “I would ask them why they did it. I’m just curious as to why they would do something like this and spend so much time.”

A juvenile clerk magistrate will decide the teens’ fates at a closed-door hearing on Tuesday.
“It amounted to cyberbullying,” said Newburyport police Lt. Mark Murray. “The problem is that the cyberbullying law is not put into effect yet.”

Read entire story
-By Laura Crimaldi, BostonHerald.com

Lenient parents seen as part of the problem

2010-02-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

The Santa Rosa parents provided a table and counter covered in booze and then left about 50 teens to have at it, including then 13-year-old Zachary Parenti of Sebastopol.

“Everyone was really drunk. Hundreds of dollars of property was destroyed. I drank an entire bottle of Tequila,” said Parenti, now 14, an Analy High School freshman and member of 1-4-1, a teen club at the west Sonoma County high school.

For many teenagers, drinking alcohol is a rite of passage, with partying teens filling Facebook pages with pictures of beer bashes, images reminiscent of dozens of popular movies that have championed a basic theme for decades: “Dude, where's the party?”

But with recent health studies showing the harmful effects of alcohol on the teen brain and the ever-present risk of drinking-related tragedies on the road, parents are trying to figure out what to do about the age-old problem of teen drinking.

And some parents say many parents are part of the problem.

Read entire article.

by: Randi Rossmann

Christian Parenting That Is Not Succeeding

2010-02-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

More than any other generation, today's parents are worried sick that they will mess up their children's lives. There is so much fretting that even the backlash has spawned a notable movement and subgenre of its own, the slacker mom.

I find most Christian parents at the front of the line—the anxiety and success line, not the slacker line. Our most consuming concern is that our children "turn out"—that is, that our Christian faith and values are successfully transmitted, and that our children grow up to be churchgoing, God-honoring adults. It appears that many of us are not succeeding.

The exodus of young adults from evangelical churches in the U.S. is well reported, perhaps over-reported and hyper-hyped. If this isn't enough to induce parental panic, another unsettling report came our way in a summer 2008 Newsweek article, "But I Did Everything Right!" Sharon Begley reported that, contrary to the opinions of decades of experts, genetics may have a more potent impact on child development than our own parenting practices.

These scientific findings are not only ultimately hopeful and helpful for parents; more importantly, they also support Scripture in an area that has been plagued with presumption, behaviorism, and wrong thinking for decades.

Many Christian writers and parents have absorbed these values and drifted into what could be called spiritual determinism. We have absorbed the cultural belief in psychological determinism but spiritualized it with Bible verses, and one verse in particular. The result is a Christianized version of the cultural myth. It reads something like this: "Christian parenting techniques produce godly children."

Proverbs 22:6 has been widely adopted as both psychological premise and theological promise, despite the widespread recognition that hermeneutically, the Proverbs are not promises from God, but general observations.... Read more.

By Leslie Leyland Fields, Christianity Today

Teen Suicide Prompts A Look At Bullying

2010-01-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

Phoebe Prince’s lilting Irish accent and wide smile made the 15-year-old freshman stand out at South Hadley High School, where she enrolled last fall after her family relocated from a tiny village in the west of Ireland.

Her principal called her smart and charming. A boy invited the new girl to the school’s winter cotillion, a highlight of the school year. But two days before the Jan. 16 dance, Prince died in an apparent suicide, after incessant bullying by classmates at the 700-student high school.

“In a school with that many kids, there are going to be issues,’’ Sergeant Robert Whelihan, a spokesman for the South Hadley Police Department said yesterday. “We are investigating what effects the bullying might have had on the suicide.’’

The bullying included disagreements over teen romances at school, school officials said. And it continued with taunting text messages and harassing postings on Facebook, the popular social networking site.

“The real problem now is the texting stuff and the cyber-bullying,’’ said South Hadley School Superintendent Gus A. Sayer. “Some kids can be very mean towards one another using that medium.’’

Sayer declined to comment on the exact nature of the bullying, but said much of it was done online or by cellphones. Read more.

-Kathy McCabe, boston.com

To Save A Life Movie Opens January 22, 2010

2010-01-18T05:29:00.000-08:00

On January 22, 2010 To Save a Life opens in theaters nationwide. This exciting Christian film confronts many teen issues. New Song Pictures gives viewers a touching story that will certainly change the way they see people. The story is inspiring and the way it deals with the issues the characters face is remarkable.

To Save a Life is the story of a teenage boy, Jake (Randy Wayne), who must make the choice to do what is popular or what is right. In the past he made the choice to be popular and it cost him a friend, literally. Now he will not let that happen again. Jake must also decide what he believes as far as God. A youth pastor, Chris (Joshua Weigel), comes into Jake’s path and he has a very unique, but effective way of dealing with the teens. Jake’s faith is tested by many difficulties, but the final outcome is inspirational.

To Save a Life discusses difficult topics such as suicide, cutting, divorce, teen pregnancy, dating, partying, drinking/drugs, depression, abortion, adultery and more. Although it is very tastefully handled, parents and leaders should know. This is a very moving film that will help adults to understand what our teens are facing and teens to see what their actions towards others could be saying.
To Save a Life is a powerful movie. It is a great film for any teen, parent, youth group, etc. I do want to warn there are some topics that might be too mature for younger kids; however most teens are aware of these issues. Please check out the official website www.tosavealifemovie.com to find a theater near you and for resources. Today many teens are faced with issues and situations similar to those discussed in the movie and this film may be just what is needed, to save a life.

-by: Dana Chafin at FamilyChristianMovies.com

The Myth of the Perfect Parent

2010-01-11T05:24:00.000-08:00

My family and I were traveling in Guatemala a few years ago. We visited a man who had given his life to serving a poor congregation. We sat at the kitchen table with him, a man who had been bent into humility by the burdens of pastoring in a struggling nation while raising four children.

Still in the muddy trenches of parenthood with our five sons and one daughter, we confessed to him our feelings of inadequacy. "Your children are grown. What have you learned looking back on your years of child-raising? Do you have any advice for us?" We looked at him, needy, expectant.

He would have none of it. "I'm not one to talk to. I don't exactly have a perfect record." One of his children was immersed in an addiction, he told us, visibly sad. Another had a failed marriage.

He was silent for a moment, nodding slowly, and then continued. "I never lived up to my mother's expectations either. I've been reading her journal lately, and I see how she prayed for me, what she prayed. And I've never lived up to what she hoped for me," he said, his voice a near-whisper. "I think she considered me a failure."

Read More

-Leslie Leyland Fields, ChristianityToday.com

Make Family Your New Year Priority

2010-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

As we begin the New Year it's time for America to face the fact that the modern American family is in crisis. With the pressures of dual careers, often no one is keeping the home fires burning. What families gain with an additional bread-earner, they often pay for with a loss of nurturing.

Many of our nation's children spend more time with an endless flow of randomly-assigned teachers and "care givers" than they do with their own parents. This trend has left children of all ages hungry for the richness and depth of fully developed parent/child relationships.
Family members are often like ships that pass in the night. Many get lost in the fog of a busy life, crash on the reefs of loneliness and end up split apart. Everyone suffers, and children suffer most.

Read entire article

Rebecca Hagelin Author, 30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family, crosswalk.com

Helping Teens Take Perspective of the New Year

2009-12-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

The teen years can be the most difficult of all years. Think back on your sixth grade through twelfth grade years. What do you remember? Unfortunately our lives are often colored by events that happen to us in our teen years. Maybe you were bullied. Maybe your parents got a divorce. All of life's embarrassing changes happen to our physical bodies during our teen years. And everything tends to be amplified and awkward. How do we help our teens get perspective and make changes for the New Year?
The New Year is a great opportunity to sit down with your teens and reflect on those things - good and bad - that occurred during the year. Grab an old calendar and take it apart, or on a large sheet of butcher paper, draw lines dividing into twelve equal parts. Lay out the year by month in sequential order from January to December. Using various colored pencils or markers, pick a color or group of colors to mark the bad events. Use another color or set of colors to mark the good events. Go through the year, month by month writing down the events. For every bad event that is remembered and marked, the teens need to come up with at least two good events to place on the calendar. For every bad event remembered, have the teens think of at least one good thing that happened because of the bad event.
What the teens will eventually discover is that the good events outweigh the bad and they will actually remember the good, more than the bad.
After that exercise, talk with your teens about the New Year as an opportunity to start over, make a few changes, and make the bad events of the past into good events of the future.
Grab a new calendar for the New Year and start making plans to implement changes and make hopeful plans.

-Jan Sullivan
AprilWord

Jan Sullivan received a Masters Degree in Youth Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary. She served as a youth pastor for thirteen years in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. She published her first book, Forever Family, in July 2008. Her second, Never Alone, was published in August 2009. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her dog Abby and spends her time loving teenagers and consuming Christian fiction. Modeling her life after Christ, the great storyteller, Jan hopes that her stories will lead young people to make decisions to follow Christ.

jan@aprilword.com

http://www.aprilword.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jan_Sullivan

Christmas Gift for Teens

2009-12-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

Rich in truth, moving in story, profound in content … it’s what you want every teenager to read, reflect and relate to as they attempt to navigate the most turbulent waters of life … the teenage years! With the Spirit of faith, hope and love, Kelly Litvak and Shirley Hanson have assembled more than a book, it is a snapshot of an intersection between the two most important stories in history, God’s story and yours. ~ Jerry Edmonson, Lead Pastor, The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch

Order yours today. It's the easiest gift you'll purchase but the one that will sow seeds that will grow a lifetime.

Teen Pregnancy: A Growing Issue

2009-12-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

Despite countless government, religious, and community efforts, teen pregnancy continues to be a growing teen issue. An issue, that some teens, actually think they want.

Post staff writer N.C. Aizenman discusses why two teen sisters from Silver Spring would decide to start trying to get pregnant at ages 14 and 15, and why the teen pregnancy rate for Latinas born in the United States remains stubbornly high.

Read entire aritcle.

N.C. Aizenman

Washington Post staff writer, WashingtonPost.com
Friday, December 11, 2009; 12:30 PM

Helping teens see their potential future may help those teens who think having a baby will give them a life they desire.

Bullying May be Considered a Silent Epidemic

2009-12-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Experts have found that bullying links a rash of suicides by young teens in the United States, reports MNN.
A 2007 report entitled "Health Behavior in School-Aged Children" said, "Being bullied is also associated with poor academic achievement, low self-esteem, problems making friends, loneliness and higher levels of substance use." The report also said that 11 percent of U.S. students reported being the victims of bullies at least twice in the last two months.
Do the numbers mean that bullying could be considered a silent epidemic? What exactly is it? In today's world, it seems like bullying has become more insidious with the advent of the internet, text messaging and social networking sites.

Read entire article.

-ChristianTelegraph.com

10 Tips to Prepare for the 2009 Holiday Season

2009-11-30T06:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that the 2009 holiday season is upon our doorstep already. For so many people, 2009 has been a roller coaster experience. And some are ready to get off the ride! The economy has impacted everyone, some much more than others. And the impact hasn't just been financial. Attitudes, emotions, plans, and mindsets have all been affected. I have no doubt that this year's recession has resulted in a culture-wide increase in stress and anxiety.
For many of us, the holiday season is a time that is anticipated with both joy and anxiety. Sure, we love the celebrations, the family traditions, and we cherish the memories of holidays gone by; but along with them, we add the stresses of preparation, expectations and the fear of letdowns, or family squabbles that we have experienced in the past. And, this year, the stress and anxiety level is likely to be amplified. With this in mind, here are ten tips I believe can be helpful in getting ready for an enjoyable, meaningful holiday season in 2009.

-Jim Burns, HomeWord, Crosswalk.com

Teen Drug Use

2009-11-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

Personally, I don’t think parents of kids today can hear enough about the dangers of drug abuse. It has never been more deadly, and that is not saying it was not deadly years ago, however the access seems to be easier and the peer pressure is growing. When I hear parents tell me their teen is “only smoking pot” it bewilders me that many don’t understand that is the gateway to many other substances for many kids. I won’t say all, but many will start with pot and graduate to meth, crack, and so many others on the streets now. One of the most dangerous, in my opinion, is heroin. Take a few minutes to read a recent article by Connect with Kids about this drug and some parenting tips. Read more.

-Sue Scheff (P.U.R.E.)

Teen Rebellion

2009-11-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

The topic of teen rebellion usually triggers some kind of emotional response. It can ignite fear in the hearts of parents who have children on the brink of adolescence; it can prompt both defensiveness and despair in the hearts of parents struggling through the teen years; and it can inspire a sigh of relief for parents who now have adult children. Whether your teen is opposing your authority or God's, rebellion is never easy to deal with.

Read entire article.
-Pam Woody, FocusOnTheFamily.com

Helping Teens Make Wise Book Choices

2009-11-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

When children are younger parents watch what they read. They may even read everything their child reads to make sure the material is appropriate.

As they grow adults may decide that their teen is old enough to make their own choices when it comes to reading. Perhaps parents of teens should reconsider.

...for many girls in similar positions, Twilight was not just light reading, it was a way of life. They obeyed this book as if it were their Bible. They viewed Edward Cullen as their perfect man, and put themselves in the place of Bella Swan, the leading lady.

I began to worry about girls I knew nothing about. I feared the reality of the world would be an unequivocal shock to them. Teen pregnancy statistics are alarmingly high. While I am not necessarily interested in discussing the pros and cons of abstinence, I cannot help but feel that books such as Meyer’s promote a dangerous naïveté. They prepare many girls for a world they will never know.

Novels such as Twilight explore issues such as teenage relationships and sexuality by not exploring them at all. This don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy provides many students with skewed and narrow views of their society.

How can they deal with hormones and deep emotions if such things are implied to be almost taboo? It is a dark world that we live in, and while I do not believe that teenagers should either be exposed to or protected completely from this, I believe that it is crucial to prepare them.

-How Far is Too Far? Navigating the World of Young Adult Fiction by Beth Greaves

Six Ways to Build Your Teen's Identity

2009-10-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

In many ways, American teens have never had it tougher. Perhaps a surprising statement, given the United States' obvious affluence compared to the rest of the world.
If you're a parent today, you know what I mean. Social pressures are more pervasive and destructive than ever before in American history. Parents often feel helpless to equip their teens with the tools to navigate – and steer clear – of harmful relationships, attitudes and behaviors.

Ideally, the process of equipping our kids to live and thrive in an often Christian-hostile world begins as soon as they are born. In fact, parents are the single most important developmental influence in a child's life, apart from the Holy Spirit himself.

But even if time has slipped away, and your teenager seems out of reach, you can begin to lay building blocks to help your teen grow to maturity in Christ and make a positive impact on his or her world. Love, commitment, self-discipline, perseverance and a lot of prayer are required, but you can do it.

Assisting your teen in forging a strong, positive identity is one way to help her form convictions based on truth, and then stand firm in them regardless of what everyone else does.

Read entire article
by: Tiffany Stuart, FocusOnTheFamily.com

Wilderness Therapy Programs Overview

2009-10-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Wilderness therapy programs are often confused with wilderness experience programs. They are extremely different in that wilderness therapy programs treat kids with a variety of behavioral problems, drug and alcohol abuse issues, violent behaviors, truancy, theft, and many more reasons.

Statistics show that most of the teens in these programs are boys between 13 and 15 years of age. However, there are wilderness therapy programs that take in girls and those of all different ages. There are many programs though that are specifically teen boys.

Most wilderness therapy programs offer the same process for treatment. More often than not there is the first phase of getting all of the boys clean of drugs and alcohol physically. Most have staff that are trained to deal with withdrawals and other detoxification issues that may arise.

The second phase is a personal accountability as well as social accountability phase. Generally speaking there will be team building activities where the teens are forced to work together as a group to succeed. During this phase it is crucial to let natural consequences fall into place. If a teen decides not to do a necessary step they may have natural consequences to endure. For instance, if they are in charge of trash items after mealtime and neglect to do their job they may have to deal with wild animals coming into camp. Not only will this scare them but they will take a bit of heat from their peers. This is good in that it helps them realize that most things are not just about them but their choices affect those around them.

In the third phase the teens are taught how to implement what they learned at home and learn coping skills to keep from the temptation of drugs and alcohol use and other at risk behaviors. Some wilderness therapy programs are only three weeks and for those with ongoing or long term addiction problems or long term behavior problems this may not be long enough for them to really learn all that they need to learn for re-entering their home life and social circle at home. All wilderness therapy time frames are different.

These programs are becoming recognized as a great alternative to traditional mental health treatment facilities and they are also talked up because most are much more affordable. It is nice that there are options for family. It is hard to find hard data concerning wilderness therapy programs because they are still quite new and only a limited number of teens get the experience. At last official count there were less than 40 wilderness therapy programs in the United States.

-teenhelp.com

Teens Lack Social Skills

2009-10-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Cell phones can and are a benefit to those who use them responsibly. But more and more teens and adults are using them without the thought of others.

The teen who sends text messages at the dinner table or the adult who talks on the phone during a meeting send an unwritten message to those around him/her... "No one is as important as me."

Our society has become a "me society" and the very things that can keep us connected, are driving us apart. Families who sit around and text and play games but never talk are missing out on family time.

The teens who text instead of talk are missing out on learning how to socially interact face-to-face. When those same teens are in the workforce they will lack the skills necessary to succeed.

An article from wausaudailyherald.com sums it up best:

The reason we have social norms in the first place is simple: They govern how we interact with one another, and they put into place some of the widely accepted rules of consideration for our fellows. Those same considerations ought to apply in our digital world of constant connection. There are times when all of us, president or teenager, simply need to put away our phones.

Read entire article here.

Paying for Troubled Teen Programs

2009-09-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

There are many grant programs for troubled children. These are social welfare programs where social services and juvenile authorities team up with local business enterprises or institutions to help youth work for income and learn to live on their own.

Grant programs are State sponsored or sponsored by not for profit groups. Troubled youth are enrolled in the program and given work background and academic training. They are taught things to develop a sense of purpose and self esteem. Marketing, sales, gardening and local community services are some of the many work programs that take in troubled teens to teach them life skills. Troubled adolescents learn to cope with real life work issues and give up their negative thought and habits. Since the work is paid for, these young men and women have an added incentive to join the program. They learn the importance of living a dignified disciplined lifestyle and the value of becoming well adjusted adults with successful careers. These programs enroll teenagers for work after school hours so that their education is not neglected.

Teen Suicide: 'It's OK to Ask for Help'

2009-09-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

When it comes to teen suicide, Bedford County resident Tina Henderson is frustrated with a lack of discussion about the third-highest cause of death for American youths.
"No one wants to talk about it," Henderson said. "I think because there's a stigma attached to it. If your son or daughter dies from an accident or cancer or some other disease, it's OK. But if they take their own life, there must be something wrong with your family or with them."
This month marks the anniversary of her son Eric's passing. Eric died by suicide three weeks before his 14th birthday.
She said rumors began swirling almost immediately.
"People care too much about what other people say," she said. "People look at you differently or at least you feel like they do after you have someone commit suicide."
Henderson spent years traveling the country on behalf of the Bedford County chapter of the Yellow Ribbon International Suicide Prevention Program, whose singular goal is to prevent more deaths like Eric's.
While she was well-received in places as far away as Wisconsin and in other counties across the state, Henderson couldn't get any interest locally. The program dispenses cards that people who are thinking about suicide can hand to someone to get them help, when they can't speak about the issue.
"We were on national TV talking about it, but we can't talk about it here," Henderson said.
She has since closed the local chapter, although she still comes across suicide attempts through her work in an emergency room. Her co-workers know to pass those patients to Henderson.
"I want to talk to them," she said. "I'm just trying to tell them it's OK to ask for help."
The Yellow Ribbon program was founded after the 1994 death by suicide of 17-year-old Mike Emme. Despite pulling another teenage friend out of suicidal thoughts just days before, Mike killed himself after a difficult break-up.
More than half of the 180 chapters around the world were formed by family members of suicide victims.

Troubled teens reveal social divide

2009-09-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

Today’s teens are most worried about losing weight and fitting in. But more teenagers from low income families worry about bullying, drugs, and smoking compared to peers from high income families. Surveys for NHS Teen LifeCheck published today reveal social similarities and divides on some of the top teenage concerns.

Of the teenagers surveyed, almost double the number of teens from low income families worried about bullying. However, teens from higher income families are more likely to worry about peer pressure and fitting in.

The research was undertaken for the NHS Teen LifeCheck website on behalf of the Department of Health. This online service - www.teenlifecheck.co.uk - is aimed at teens with the highest risk of future ill health caused by their lifestyle choices. The website encourages them to complete its quiz and act on the results, and signposts people to support for issues like bullying.

-www.nursinginpractice.com

Teen is Burdened by Parents' Divorce

2009-09-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, divorce has become a topic that is woven into every aspect of society. If someone in your family has not been divorced, a friend or coworker has.

Children and teens deal with all kinds of emotions toward each parent as seen by the Question and Answer below:

Q. My parents are going through a divorce. I have a lot of anger toward my dad because he packed up and left us while Mom and I were out of town. Also, it’s pretty obvious he has a girlfriend. He won’t answer any of my calls or take responsibility for what he’s done.

I’m also angry with my mother because she’s constantly bringing up Dad every five minutes and it’s frustrating. I want to get through this, but Mom won’t let go. I understand it’s hard for her, but she doesn’t even try.

I’m 17 years old and have enough problems to deal with. How can I get past this whole ordeal, forgive my dad, help my mom, and make her realize she shouldn’t be talking to me about her problems?

A. It is normal for you to be angry and upset. Your father is behaving selfishly, and your mother is leaning on you for emotional support. It will help if you can talk to someone about your situation, perhaps your school counselor, a favorite teacher, an adult relative, or the parent of a friend.

In time, you will forgive your father because you sound smart enough to understand that it will help you move forward. You also can tell your mother that you know she is hurting and ask her to please vent to a professional. It would be better for both of you.

-www.boston.com

Tips for Parenting Teens

2009-08-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

Adolescence is a fascinating and crazy time of life. It reminds me in some ways of the very early space probes that blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. I remember my excitement when Col. John Glenn and the other astronauts embarked on their perilous journeys into space. It was a thrilling time to be an American.
People who lived through those years will recall that a period of maximum danger occurred as each spacecraft was re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The flier inside was entirely dependent on the heat shield on the bottom of the capsule to protect him from temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If the craft descended at the wrong angle, the astronaut would be burned to cinders.

At that precise moment of anxiety, negative ions would accumulate around the capsule and prevent all communication with the earth for approximately seven minutes. The world waited breathlessly for news of the astronaut's safety. Presently, the reassuring voice of Chris Craft would break in to say, "This is Mission Control. We have made contact with Friendship Seven. Everything is A-okay. Splashdown is imminent." Cheers and prayers went up in restaurants, banks, airports and millions of homes across the country. Even Walter Cronkite seemed relieved.

The analogy to adolescence is not so difficult to recognize. After the training and preparation of childhood are over, a pubescent youngster marches out to the launching pad. His parents watch apprehensively as he climbs aboard a capsule called adolescence and waits for his rockets to fire. His father and mother wish they could go with him, but there is room for just one person in the spacecraft. Besides, nobody invited them. Without warning, the mighty rocket engines begin to roar and the "umbilical cord" falls away. "Liftoff! We have liftoff!" screams the boy's father.
Junior, who was a baby only yesterday, is on his way to the edge of the universe. A few weeks later...

Read More

-Dr. James Dobson, Focus on The Family

Teens' School Questions Answered

2009-08-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

This week school bells will be ringing in many area districts. That means anxious students fretting about their wardrobes, school dances, social issues and homework.

To help ease some of their worries, we asked Angela Brace, a counselor specializing in issues dealing with children and adolescents at Kent's Counseling for Wellness, to answer inquiries from local students.
The questions are from members of the Beacon Journal's Teen Group, a team of 12- to 19-year-olds who are helping us define and tell stories affecting teens.
The following queries are from those entering middle school, high school and college:

Read More

-By Kim Hone-McMahan, Beacon Journal staff writer

Back to school: Stressing Over a New School?

2009-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Does “back to school” mean a new school to one of your teens or preteens? This is a stress for everyone, not just your teen.
Depending on how many of your teens friends are going to advance to the same school, or how social your teen is, makes the world of difference on how they will get on.
The stress of a new school can be major, but it’s not something that cannot be dealt with. First...

Read more

-By: Richard Hills, examiner.com

Methadone: The latest teen threat

2009-08-10T08:21:00.001-07:00

The last thing 15-year-old Austin Riley Jones told his mother was “good night” and that he loved her.

“I love you, too, Bubba,” Cathy Bandoni told her son, who had spent the day cleaning to raise $20 to take his girlfriend to the movies and then had dinner with his parents.

But the next morning, Jan. 18, Austin did not wake up. Bandoni and her husband, Davy Jones, discovered their only son died in his sleep of a methadone overdose.

Austin’s parents have teamed up with local anti-drug coalition members to warn the public about the dangers of methadone — a prescription painkiller that authorities say is cheap, accessible and increasingly has been causing fatal overdoses.

Local drug abuse task force officials will be meeting Monday to discuss ideas for a public anti-methadone abuse campaign that will also extend throughout the school district. They are hoping it will be as successful as the recent anti-methamphetamine efforts in Washoe County that authorities say contributed to a decline in its use.

Bandoni and Jones learned that the two tiny methadone pills their 6-foot, 200-pound son took after a party the night before created a deadly combination with his routine depression medication.

Washoe County Medical Examiner Dr. Ellen Clark ruled Austin’s death accidental and found that he died of acute combined methadone and fluoxetine intoxication. He had a prescription for the latter drug. Clark described him in her autopsy report as a “naive user,” meaning that deadly dose likely was his first time trying it.

“Our son died on two methadone tablets,” Bandoni said. “He didn’t know what he was getting himself into. This is just so shocking. I never thought in a million years this would happen to us.”

“It wasn’t a handful of pills he took, he took two and was just experimenting,” said Jones, who memorialized his son by having a tattoo of his face etched into his arm. “It’s insane. There is no forgiveness to this drug. It’s deadly. Austin had the whole world in front of him.”

Sgt. Mac Venzon, who heads the regional Street Enforcement Team, which targets drug and prostitution activity, said more local youths are experimenting with prescription drugs in general and believe they are safer than drugs purchased on the street.

Read entire article

-By Jaclyn O'Malley

Teens will face driving test, extra restrictions in September

2009-08-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

A new state law that goes into effect Sept. 1 will require all new drivers younger than age of 21 to pass the state driving exam, reinstating a policy the state ended in 1995.

If teens are issued their learner’s permit by Aug. 31, they don’t have to take the driving test.

The law, H.B. 339, also requires students enrolled in a driver’s ed course to have 20 more hours of behind-the-wheel practice before being issued a license. This means 34 hours of driving practice instead of 14 to pass the course.

In addition, the law will extend the restrictions on provisional licenses, which are issued to teens who have held a learner’s permit for six months, from six months to one year. Restrictions include banning teens from driving with more than one passenger younger than age 21 or from driving between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. except for work, school-related activities or emergency situations.

Edith Galan, 16, of Waco High School, does not have her license yet. She said she had not decided whether she would take driver’s ed or simply take the driving test.

“I don’t know what to think of that, if it’s a good or bad thing (to have to take the driving test),” Edith said.

State officials think the changes will improve teens’ safety on the road. The number of fatal car crashes in which teenagers were the drivers decreased by 32.9 percent from 2002 to 2007, according to a new study released by the Texas Transportation Institute, part of the Texas A&M University System.

-By Regina Dennis Tribune-Herald staff writer

Read more

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A Teacher's View of Cell Phones at School

2009-07-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this as a comment in a parenting diary, but with back-to-school just around the corner, I thought it might contain a few useful considerations for a broader audience.

First off, I’m not only a teacher, but also a Mom with a 13 yo son. He "has" a cell phone, albeit it is an AT&T Go Phone without email, txt msging, or camera, and it lives in the kitchen cupboard, and it only gets handed out on an as-needed basis (e.g. He’s away from home in FL, on a band trip).

Why have we as parents decided to be so restrictive with this modern-day, wonderful piece of technology?

If you are going back and forth about whether to give or not to give a cell phone to your child as part of their back-to-school accouterments, I’ve provided a list of some things to consider or at least be aware of.

-by: BKAMR, www.dailykos.com

Anorexic Teen's Tragic Death

2009-07-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Jessica MacMillan seemed to have everything to live for but she hid a dark secret.

Beautiful, with a bright future, the 19-year-old psychology student from West Pennant Hills had many friends and had just begun dating her first boyfriend.

But for seven years, she had been battling anorexia nervosa.

After she took her own life on June 13, Jessica's family decided they did not want her death to be in vain.

They have organized a walkathon on Saturday to raise money and awareness for an eating disorder charity, the Butterfly Foundation.

Jessica was diagnosed with the illness when she was 12, after having problems adjusting to the transition from primary to high school, her mother Jo said.

"Jessica's always been tiny - people used to say to her, `You're so lucky', because she could eat two Quarter Pounders and never put on any weight," Mrs Macmillan said.

"She felt the only way she was going to be accepted was by keeping thin."

Read More

Stories like Jessica's happen more often than we'd like to think. Teens struggle with all kinds of self-esteem issues that can eventually take over and even end their lives. Recognizing signs early and knowing treatment options can be of help if your teen happens to struggle with an eating disorder.

The Problems Teenagers Face

2009-07-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is one of the most difficult periods in a teenager’s life.

The problems teenagers face today are daunting indeed. While peer pressure and cliques have been negative influences for decades, there are some new elements which are frightening, both for teens and parents.

When you put it all together, it is hard to know how to manage and help overcome these challenging problems teenagers face in the modern world.

Here we take a look, point by point, at six major elements and how to help teens get through this stressful, dangerous period.

-www.moreinformationon.com

Keep Your Teen from Getting Bored this Summer by Organizing Their Time

2009-07-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Teens are always on the go in the fast paced setting the school year. Taking a break over the summer to many teens means slacking off and sleeping in.

When a teen goes from this go, go, go pace to nothing, it’s okay for a day or two, but then they get bored and parents pay the consequences. A bored teen is an annoying teen or worse, one who finds trouble.

The easiest way to stop your teen from getting bored is to schedule out his/her summer days so that he/she knows what is going to happen and can pick and choose what he/she wants to do by learning to make choices.

-written by: Denise Witmer, About.com

Letting Go of Your Teen

2009-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

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.

How Your Teen is Wired

2009-06-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Teen Receives Her First Car Through Incentive Program

2009-06-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Tips and Tools to Keeping Your Family Safe Online

2009-05-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

The importance of family internet safety education and etiquette is often overlooked by both kids and teenagers today.

While most teens are more ahead of the curve than most parents when it comes to the internet, they may not have the knowledge to help keep them safe from online dangers and its potentially negative effects.

On behalf of Girl Scouts of the USA and Microsoft Windows, I have been asked to to introduce you to a new initiative called “LMK (text-speak for “Let Me Know,”) which provides parents and girls with resources catering to both generations, and whose goal is to bridge the digital gap between parents and teenagers.

Teen on a Mission to Bring Prayer to His Fellow Students

2009-05-18T07:08:00.001-07:00

With all the talk of teen issues, there are positive stories of teens who are setting amazing examples for other teens. Here is one such teen written about by The Daily Commercial, written by Roxanne Brown:

CLERMONT -- Every Thursday morning at about 7 a.m., dozens of students can be seen standing around the flagpole at East Ridge high school with hands held and heads bowed.
What they're doing is praying and it's all because of Jordan Blythe, 17, a student on a mission to making a difference through prayer.

"I believe that prayer is a powerful, powerful thing that has changed a lot of lives," Blythe said. "I pray about our country, our community, people in need, the economic crisis and all the people hurting because of it. But most of all I pray for this generation of youth and their need to rise and be good leaders."

Overall, Blythe is your average teenager.

"PROMise" Video Asks Teens to Pledge to Follow Safe Driving Laws at Prom Time

2009-05-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

PROMise video- 30 seconds

PROMise video- 1 minute

Videos are best viewed in QuickTime.

DMV has created a special public service video called "PROMise" as the first prom season approaches following the the start of tougher teen driving laws last August. It tells the story of promises teens should make about safe driving on prom night. It is a promise, though, that should carry over to every day and night of the year.

In addition, DMV has created a special My Safe Driving PROMise for students to sign and commit to following safe driving practices.

-Connecticut's Department of Motor Vehicles

Parents and Teens: What Do They Need to Know?

2009-05-06T07:04:00.001-07:00

The reality of life in some areas of the U.S. are dire. Many have lost jobs, homes, and the basic security that those things bring.

Parents find themselves not sure what to tell their teen. If you are in that situation, I encourage you to read "Need to Know Basis Applies to Your Kids" by Dr. Benjamin Garber, Healthy Parent.

Here is an exerpt:

As parents, we're our children's emotional anchors. We create the foundation upon which they slowly build self. Anything that shakes that foundation – from financial hardship to substance abuse, from co-parental conflict to serious illness – resonates through them.

Denying the reality can make the problem worse. The mom who reassures "Everything's fine, sweetie" through her tears or the dad who stomps away from the dinner table without any explanation then or later only adds confusion to the child's already stirred-up emotions.

This isn't reassuring, this is lying in the face of obvious changes. As a result, our kids will draw their own conclusions, too often blaming themselves, exaggerating the situation and assuming the worst.

I'm telling him what I believe he can understand. Good. Do this by figuring out what your kids are thinking and feeling.