Encouragement for Single Parents with Teenagers

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?

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

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

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."

Read more

By: Sadie Fowler, Shelbyville Times-Gazette

Public meeting to focus on teen drug and alcohol abuse

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

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

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