5 Ways to Connect With Your Teenager
When my children were in their mid- to late teens, I looked at them, listened to them and sometimes reacted to them as if they were some type of illegal alien dropped into my life from some other planet, whose primary purpose was to eternally harass my existence and deplete my pocketbook. Sometimes I was frightened by what they seemed to be turning into. Sometimes I was proud of those sudden flashes of maturity, appreciativeness and good judgment they displayed. Most of the time, I was aware that I was on the adult side of that generation gap that existed some 25 short years earlier.Yikes! My Kid is Stealing!
One of the more common problems that we as parents encounter (but that nobody likes to talk about) is what to do when your child steals. There are a number of different reasons children steal and a number of different ways to handle the problem. Whatever the reason a child is stealing, parents need to approach the problem with wisdom. If parents just react according to their natural inclination, their response will almost certainly be wrong and destructive.Meditating Mamas
If we want to enjoy our daily lives, it is exceptionally helpful to slow down for part of the day and focus on your breath. Research has shown that periods of meditation — of focusing on your breath — helps us transcend worries, lowers our anxiety, diminishes depression and increases clarity. Meditation balances our moods and enhances our ability to connect fully with who we are.Frugal Family Fun
Here are some frugal entertainment ideas for the whole family. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Keep your eyes and ears open and you will find many more opportunities to have fun with your family without spending a lot of money.Fresh Ways to Have Fun Outside
Are you looking for fresh ways to spend time with your friends and family? Outdoor activities getting a little boring, are they? With your fast-paced life gaining speed all the time, it’s easy to stick to what’s familiar — but is that any way to live? Let’s take a few minutes and look at how easy it is to break out of the same-ole-routine and into the new with wholesome activities near home and out of doors. Read on to see why it’s tough to beat having fun with friends and family outdoors in the fresh air.Top 10 Ways to Be a Better Father
The expectations for fathers are increasing both at work and at home. Here are 10 ways for fathers to be more effective in the most important job they'll ever have. See your kids as capable. The Achilles’ heel of many fathers is to see their kids as "not good enough." Your kids will feel this, and they'll live up to these expectations. The more you approve of them, the greater they'll be!Look At It From A Kid’s-Eye View
It's quite easy for most fathers to look at their kids with a critical eye. And why not? There's a lot riding on the outcome of your kids' development. There's the nagging worry that you're not doing your job well enough and that your child will develop "problems." There's also the fear of being judged as an incompetent or uninvolved father by others. And there's the relentless presence of your children, making mistakes by the truckload while you watch.Communicate With Your Teen
There are many reasons parents and teens argue, but consider this: sometimes it’s because adolescents don’t “read” facial cues correctly. Often teens translate a parent’s worried or panic expression as anger. Then they respond to what they perceive as anger. In her landmark study the volunteers were asked to discern an emotion based on the facial expression in a series of faces. All adult volunteers correctly identified the emotions. However, many of the teenagers misunderstood the emotions. When Dr. Todd examined the brain scans, she found her teen volunteers utilized a different part of their brain when looking at the facial expressions.A Closer Look At Your Child's School Lunch
Starting in October 2002, irradiated meats became featured in many U.S. school lunch programs. Food manufacturers in the United States are currently allowed to irradiate raw meat and poultry to control microbial pathogens and began marketing irradiated beef products in mid 2000. However, according to Samuel Epstein, M.D., professor emeritus of environmental and occupational m medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, consumers are wary of irradiated food — and with good reason.When Your Teen Goes Vegetarian
With vegetarianism on the rise, many parents are hearing their teenagers claim they are going to become vegetarians. The parents’ first reaction may be to panic and insist that they continue to eat meat. Most parents are filled with questions about the safety of such a diet, what their teens will eat and how it will affect the family. Gaining an understanding of vegetarian nutrition will help to ease many of these concerns.You CAN Influence Your Teens Attitudes About Sex
Most parents would agree that they don’t want their middle- or high-schoolers to become sexually active. Teen sex can pose irreversible consequences including significant health risks, social and emotional effects and pregnancy. Sexually active girls are predisposed to genital tract infections, cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. For boys, unprotected intercourse increases the chances of prostate and urethral infections.The Family That Eats Together Stays Together
You often hear that families should eat together. What evidence is there that this is a good thing? A recent study suggests that family meals might increase adolescents’ well-being. Middle school (n=1608) and high school (n=3074) students, ages 11 to 18, completed surveys. The frequency of family meals, level of family connectedness, academic performance, substance use, self-esteem, depressions, suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts were assessed.Are violent movies, video games, and television programs harmful to my child’s education?
The answer is “yes” — experts agree that violent media is harmful to children and their education. Education is the act of acquiring knowledge; therefore, any activity that impedes this knowledge acquisition is undesirable and problematic. There are many factors that contribute to a child’s education, but popular media such as movies, video games and television are profoundly influential because statistics show that the average child spends more time in these activities above all other activities except for sleep.Redefining "Grounding" for Your Teens
I invite you to ground yourself in love and compassion. For thousands of years, great, grounded teachers have exemplified the power of love and compassion to generate happiness and to feel the joy of being alive. Ground yourself in love and compassion, and you will feel that same joy.Getting Kids to Organize Themselves
The school year is in full swing again in many places -- and with it, another opportunity to make the days run a bit smoother than they did before. Like most parents, I've discovered there are a handful of challenges each year that need to be addressed to make for a productive, successful school year.Parenting Teens - Connect With Your Teen
Check out 100 ways to connect with your teen at home.10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Talk to You
Parents can often be frustrated by their kids' unwillingness to share their lives with them. Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, there will be times when it's difficult to break through and find out what's really going on.
Teen Education & Careers
Summer Jobs: Your Teen’s Ticket to Success
Looking for something productive for your teens to do this summer? Consider the following ideas.Start a Teen Reading Group
If you're looking for a way to connect with your teenage daughter this summer, consider starting a girl's book study group with your daughter and her friends. You may think that teens would not respond well to this idea, but think again -- you just might be surprised.Job Shadowing:Valuable Job Experience for Teens
Teens today gain their awareness of various professions from the glorified images on television and movies. At the moment, there is a rise in interest in forensics due to the popularity of several shows depicting that career. Teens have little sense about the true reality of job choices. Do you like computers? Great! You'll be the next Bill Gates.
The Easy Way to Start a School Drama Club
You don't need to have an extensive theatre background to create a theatre group at your child’s school. All you need to get started is enthusiasm, a few good books or websites and, of course, this guideline.
These are some excellent ideas on how to communicate with your teens. Our children are our future, it's true. We have to work at being close and getting them to trust us.
Posted by: Jay Jobs | July 01, 2009 at 02:52 AM
Good one! These are some very good suggestions. I would definitely try them and I know they are really going to work well.
Posted by: Conflict resolution skills | September 24, 2011 at 05:39 AM
These are some extremely great ideas. I really need to try some of them in my life.
Posted by: patent attorney | September 27, 2011 at 08:16 AM