Goodluck 2009 Graduates

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

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

Here are a few quotes for the graduates:

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

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

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

For more quotes: quotegarden.com

Teens Who Make A Difference

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

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

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

Tips and Tools to Keeping Your Family Safe Online

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.

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-Sue Scheff

Teen on a Mission to Bring Prayer to His Fellow Students

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.

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

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.

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-Connecticut's Department of Motor Vehicles

Parents and Teens: What Do They Need to Know?

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.

Ten Years After the Columbine Massacre

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - BINGHAMTON, NY -- Ten years after the horrific massacre at Columbine High School sharpened the nation’s views on youth violence, Binghamton University researcher Mary Muscari sees cause for optimism — and for deep concern — about the way adolescents are growing up in America.

“Many things have gotten better. School shootings are horrible things, but they’re incredibly rare,” said Muscari, associate professor in the Decker School of Nursing and a nationally known expert on parenting. “Schools are still basically a safe place. However, we have enormous issues with bullying and cyberbullying.”

Muscari has worked with juvenile delinquents since the early 1980s. As a pediatric nurse practitioner, she has also worked with healthy children throughout her more than 30-year career. Muscari, author of five books for parents, has conducted workshops around the country on topics such as keeping kids safe from predators, bullying and how to raise nonviolent children.
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Muscari continues: “Some degree of teen-parent friction is expected, but disruptive family conflict isn’t normal. Neither is persistent defiance, fighting or property destruction. This turmoil represents pathology, and it will not be outgrown.” She goes on to list behaviors that warrant professional attention.

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