Hardships and Lessons Return with "Teen Mom"

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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