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As much as a teen’s peer group has its influence over her actions, you are also a prime role model for her behavior. And the values or ideals you hold dear most likely may be passed on to your youngster. Don’t be a hypocrite. In order to keep your household lie-free, of course don’t get caught lying yourself! Adolescents cannot look up to someone who’s telling them one thing while doing another. As much as possible, live by what you preach. Use humor when you can. When discussing sensitive topics with your teen, such as sex or drug abuse, one can always look towards humor as a great tool in softening things up. If you crack a joke as an icebreaker to begin a topic about sex education, then once you are both laughing it’ll be easier to ease into the topic’s details. Humor can also make you both feel instantly more comfortable with one another. It’s a great way to alleviate any stress! This is just one helpful hint that may clear up the communication line between you and...

There is probably no greater problem facing moms and dads than dealing with angry teens. Anger and learning to deal with anger is a necessary and important part of growing up. Rather than rely on techniques to manage your angry youngster, it seems to help a lot of moms and dads if they understand what makes kids act that way. What Teens Say About Their Anger— "I get angry at my parents because they argue with each other. I don’t respect them." "I get angry because I love my parents and they act like they hate each other. How am I supposed to respect them when they act like that?" "I get angry when I have a lot of things on my mind that I can’t do anything about and then my parents ask me to do something when I’m already tired and over loaded." "I get angry when my parents are unfair and there’s no point in talking to them." "I get angry when my parents ask me how my day went. I’m trying to forget it and they make me remembe...

There are approximately 7 million people in the United States who identify as mixed-race with half of these being under the age of 18, and it is estimated that the mixed-race population in the U.S. will reach 21% by 2050. Yet, multiracial people and families remain marginalized and overlooked by mainstream U.S. society. As a result, the unique issues and struggles they face are often poorly understood by professionals, co-workers, friends and extended family, making it difficult to successfully manage challenges when they arise. Racial Struggles in Multi-racial Families— All families, regardless of race, encounter challenges and stressors, but there are a variety of unique racially-based issues and struggles that tend to confront multiracial families. To assess if your family may be grappling with any of these, consider the list of questions below. "Who am I?" A core struggle for mixed-race people is how to define themselves racially, which is influenced b...

Can an adolescent girl who sends nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend face prosecution for child pornography? Incredibly, the answer is yes! “ Sexting ” is a new phenomenon that describes the process by which teens send nude, semi-nude, or otherwise risqué pictures or videos of themselves or others via cell phone. The child or teen receiving the picture or video can easily download it onto the Internet, where millions of surfers can view it. If the individual in the picture is under 18 years old, then taking, sending, or possessing the photo is in violation of child pornography laws. As it stands today, if an individual under the age of 18 takes a nude photo of herself and distributes it to others, she is in violation of these laws. The penalties for these crimes are stiff. You can go to prison, and when you are paroled, you have to register as a sex offender. Such registration means your name and picture will be on the Internet and other media, making it hard for yo...

"My seventeen year old daughter is so very angry. She is involved with drugs and has gotten in some legal trouble as well. She is verbally abusive to me and to my husband who is her stepfather. The problem is that other times she is a joy to be around. She is funny, and very bright and creative. I wonder if she may have a psychological problem or may be an opposition defiant child. Not sure what to think right now." Click here for the answer... ==> My Out-of-Control Teen: Help for Parents

If your teenagers are like most adolescents, they spend a lot of time locked in their rooms on the computer. What are they doing in there? Although you'd like to think they're busily finishing their homework or doing research for an assignment, they're most likely updating their Facebook page or instant messaging their friends. While these activities may sound innocent enough, it's important for parents to watch carefully to ensure that their adolescents are safe online. Social networking websites are places adolescents go to share their lives with friends. The popularity of these sites has made it so most adolescents - and even most parents - now have a Facebook account. But before you feel too confident just because you know your teen has an account, consider whether you really know what your youngster is doing on these sites. According to a poll of 1,013 adolescents by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that tracks kid's media usage, parents...

When a bright, capable, and promising child comes home with a below average or failing report card, many parents respond with anger and frustration. Bright teenagers with behavioral and emotional problems often manage to keep up their grades and create the illusion that all is well. When those grades begin to slip, or suddenly drop precipitously, this serves as an urgent warning to moms and dads that the teenager who was furiously treading water is now drowning. Underachieving teens often find themselves in a vicious cycle. Cycle of School Failure: 1. Poor grades 2. Negative reaction by teachers/parents 3. Drop in self-esteem 4. Struggle to catch up 5. Worse grades 6. Teachers begin to "give up" on the child 7. Another drop in self-esteem 8. Apathy 9. Worse grades 10. Student begins to skip school or drop out all together Failing school can lead to social impairment if the student is held back, economic impact if the student drops out or ...

Today's high school kids say they are bored in class because they dislike the material and experience inadequate teacher interaction, according to a special report from Indiana University's High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE). The findings show that 2 out of 3 kids are bored in class every day, while 17 percent say they are bored in every class. More than 81,000 kids responded to the annual survey. HSSSE was administered in 110 high schools, ranging in size from 37 kids to nearly 4,000, across 26 states. According to the director of the project, the reasons high school kids claim they are bored are as significant as the boredom itself. The finding that nearly one in three respondents (31 percent) indicate he or she is bored in class due to "no interaction with teacher" is a troubling result. So, in a high school class, 1 out of 3 kids is sitting there and not interacting with a teacher on a daily basis and maybe never. They're not hav...

Moms and dads must be able to distinguish between healthy sibling conflict and damaging abuse. Sibling rivalry is a normal, and mostly harmless, part of growing up. Siblings often compete without anyone getting hurt. These sometimes fierce, but balanced comparisons regarding achievement, attractiveness, and social relations with peers may actually strengthen sibling ties. For example, fair and balanced competition teaches kids how to share, compromise, win without humiliation and lose without self-debasement. Sibling violence or abuse can be described as a repeated pattern of physical aggression with the intent to inflict harm and motivated by a need for power and control. Often, it is an escalating pattern of aggression that moms and dads have difficulty stopping. Some of the most important questions to ask are: “Is one child consistently a victim of the other?” “How often and how long has the behavior been occurring?” and “Is the behavior age appropriate?” A 6-year-old y...

Most experts agree that moms and dads should discuss rules, especially curfews, with their youngster, so the youngster understands why the rule is the way it is, and can have a chance to give input. If your youngster helps to create the rules, he'll be less likely to break them and defy your authority. Curfews are important because they set up reasonable boundaries to protect your family culture. Teenagers hate fixed, out-of-date, and inhuman rules with a passion. They want to be involved in the process of establishing them. So, sit down with your teenagers and work together on a list of specific rules for your household. Give them the opportunity to come up with ideas, add to the list, and comment on anything related to each of the rules. Here are some simple rules for putting curfews in place: 1. Communicate clearly what the agreed upon times are, through written and verbal reinforcements. This means, post it on the refrigerator and reinforce with a verbal remind...

Truancy has long been identified as an educational, social and juvenile justice issue worthy of public and private attention. It has been linked to many problem behaviors in adolescence, school failure, school dropout and juvenile delinquency, among others. Involving parents and other family members in truancy prevention and intervention is critical. There is a large body of research demonstrating the positive outcomes associated with increased parental involvement in school activities including improved academic achievement and reduced likelihood of dropout. Involving moms and dads in truancy programming is more than simply inviting their attendance at a school or court meeting. True participation means that parents are sought after for their advice, experience and expertise in the community, as clients of our public systems of care and as experts in the lives of their kids. This means engaging parents as a natural course of events, not just when things are not going well. An e...

Teen eating disorders can take a devastating toll on adolescents, especially adolescent females. To help protect your adolescent, understand the possible causes of teen eating disorders and know how to talk to your adolescent about healthy eating habits. Why adolescents develop eating disorders— Adolescents develop eating disorders — such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder — for many reasons. For example: Family stress. Problems at home, including perceived high parental expectations for achievement and appearance, can play a role in the development of teen eating disorders. Favorite activities. Participation in sports and activities that value leanness — such as wrestling, running and ballet — sometimes contribute to teen eating disorders. Low self-esteem. Adolescents who have low self-esteem may use their eating habits or weight loss to achieve a sense of stability or control. Personal factors. Some adolescents may be more likely to develop ...