Tips for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

"I have a daughter who has been a problem since the age of 15 …she is now 27yrs …has a 2yr old daughter …she dumped the child and went to stay with boyfriend …doesn’t even contribute a cent to this child and I find myself having to start all over again raising a child. I don’t like this situation, but I feel sorry for the child …what can I do in this situation?"

Click here for my response...

Adolescents in Trouble

Adolescents in Trouble: Criminal Behavior

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with criminal behavior in adolescents.

Websites—

·         American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center - articles, pending legislation, and a nice annotated list of links related to juvenile justice.

·         Juvenile Justice - by the (U.S.) National Criminal Justice Reference Service

·         Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse - Many links including those to departments of juvenile justice by state.

·         U.S. Juvenile Justice Law - Legal Information Institute, Cornell law School

Information and Stats—

·         Kids and Firearms - American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

·         Kids Who Steal - American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

·         National Youth Gang Center - from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

·         Office of Juvenile Justice Statistical Briefing Book - Facts and statistics published by this department.

Adolescents in Trouble: Substance Abuse

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with substance abuse.

Websites—

·          Prevention Online - by the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

·         Addiction Search - gateway to reliable information on all aspects of addiction.

Hotlines—

Web of Addictions Rolodex - hotline and organization contact information.



Information & Stats—

·         Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base - identify drugs, signs and usage, and treatment & solutions.

·         ASH Home Web age - News articles, documents, and statistics from Action on Smoking and Health.

·         Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research -University of Pittsburgh

·         Kids of Alcoholics - another factsheet from the AACAP.

·         Making Decisions about Substance Abuse Treatment - by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

·         Adolescents: Alcohol and Other Drugs - factsheet from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Recovery Programs—

·         Al-Anon / Alateen - "hope and help for families and friends of alcoholics".

·         Alcohol Anonymous - Web site of the international organization.

·         Cocaine Anonymous Home Page

·         Narcotics Anonymous - site of the World Service Office.

·         Self-Help Information Sources - A long list of sites from the Web of Addictions.

Adolescents in Trouble: Runaways

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with runaway behavior.

Websites—

·         Focus Adolescent Services - Community-based outreach program in Florida that offers information resources in addition to services for runaways and families.

·         National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids - This non-profit U.S. agency employs state-of-the-art technology to locate missing kids and adolescents.

·         National Runaway Switchboard - Volunteer organization which provides confidential help to runaways and their families, as well as information and educational services.

·         Runaway Lives - Personal stories about the runaway experience and discussion by runaways and their families.

·         Team Hope provides one-on-one support to moms/dads of missing kids through a volunteer network of moms/dads who have survived the experience. The website also offers a wealth of information on abduction, runaways, Internet enticement, etc.

·         The Open Directory: Family: Runaways

Missing Kids Sites—

Cyberpage's Missing Kids Page - Lists kids missing and contact information.

Information & Stats—

·         Covenant House: For Moms/dads: Youngster Missing? - Steps to take if your youngster is discovered missing.

·         Health Needs of Homeless and Runaway Youth: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine - from the Journal of Adolescent Health: 1992;13:717-726.

·         Helping Runaway and Homeless Youth Grow up Safe and Secure - Remarks by U.S Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala at the National Network for Youth Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., February 8, 1999

·         Interpol's Categories of Missing Kids (Runaways in Canada)

·         Interpol's Missing Kids Statistics, Other Interpol Countries

·         Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics - Runaways - U.S. statistics from the Department of Justice.

·         Teen Runaways, PBS Newshour transcript, May 14, 1996 - Rod Minott of KCTS-Seattle reports on how Washington State deals with teenage runaways.

·         The Iowa Legislative Report - Details Iowa's legislation which encourages counties to establish runaway assessment and treatment programs.

·         When Your Youngster Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide - Informative and sensitive site for moms/dads written (with assistance from law enforcement and youth service professionals) by moms/dads who have experienced the trauma of a missing youngster.

Hotlines—

·         Youngster Find of America, Inc. (New York)-phone 1-800-a-way-out

·         National Missing Kids's Locate Center (Oregon)-phone 1-800-999-7846

·         National Runaway Switchboard - phone 1-800-621-4003

Travel & Communication Services—

·         Guardian Youth Escort Service

·         Contact-A-Runaway - fee-based message service for runaways and moms/dads.

·         "Home Free" Bus Service - Greyhound Lines, in conjunction with the National Runaway Switchboard, will provide free one way transportation for runaway kids returning home through its "Home Free" program.

Prevention & Intervention—

·         Youngster Find Alberta - "... providing the citizens of Alberta with programs for prevention, intervention, location and recovery, and postvention/follow up."

·         Operation Go Home- Canadian organization dedicated to reuniting runaways with their families or matching them with agencies which can provide help. Educational materials are also available.

·         The Lost Youngster: Emergency Broadcast System Recovery Network

·         The Runaway Game - "Choose-your-own-adventure" style hypertext novel with 20 different endings designed to help adolescents understand the realities of life as a runaway. At the end of each chapter, readers make choices which lead to different scenarios.

·         Understanding and Preventing Teenage Runaways - advice a clinical psychologist.

·         Youth Crisis Center of Jacksonville, Florida - one community's response to the problem of runaways includes the SAFE PLACE program begun in 1986.

Adolescents in Trouble: Suicide

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with suicidal behavior.

Websites—

·         American Association of Suicidology

·         American Society for Suicide Prevention

·         Mental Health Net: Suicide

·         Open Directory: Teen Suicide

·         Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program

Hotlines—

·         Samaritans Online - Email and U.K./Ireland telephone support service.

·         Suicide Crisis Center - U.S. suicide hotlines.

·         Suicide Helplines - Worldwide list of hotlines.

Information and Stats—

·         HaveAHeart Homepage: A Rest Stop for the Depressed and Suicidal - Thoughtful discussion of suicidal feelings and how to cope with them by Stephen L. Bernhardt.

·         Healing of Nations - The wisdom of Native American traditions speaks to us all at this unique site. "Site index and resources" includes practical information and many relevant links.

·         SA\VE Home Page - Brief informative articles on many facets of suicide, a booklist, and statistics sources.

·         Suicide Awareness: Voices of Education (SA/VE)

·         Suicide Prevention - Myths and facts offered by the University of Illinois Counseling Center.

·         Teen Suicide - American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Adolescents in Trouble: Other Mental Disorders

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with mental disorders in adolescents.

Specialized Search Engines and Directories—

PsychCrawler - Search for info at the American Psychological Association site, the National Institute of Health, and seven other authoritative sites.

Websites—

·         Internet Mental Health

·         School Psychology Resources Online - Includes many links to sites about specific disorders.

Specific Disorder Sites—

·         Anxiety Disorders: National Institute of Mental Health

·         Kids & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation

·         Depression Resource Center

·         McMan's Depression and Bipolar Web

·         Pendulum Resources: Bipolar Disorders Portal

Information—

·         The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements

·         American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Facts for Families - Very informative fact sheets in English and Spanish covering a wide range of adolescent and family problems, their treatment, and coping strategies.

Adolescents in Trouble: Eating Disorders

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with eating disorders in adolescents.

Websites—

·         Anorexic Web - Very thoughtful, personal, and honest site is maintained by an eating disorders counselor who is also a recovering anorexic.

·         ANRED:Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.

·         Caring Online: offers a wide variety of resources dealing with all aspects of eating disorders, including support and personal stories.

·         Eating Disorders Recovery Online

·         International Eating Disorder Referral Organization - Provides information and treatment resources for all forms of eating disorders.

·         Internet Mental Health - Anorexia Nervosa

·         Internet Mental Health - Bulimia Nervosa

·         St. Joseph's Center for Eating Disorders

·         The Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders - excellent informative site

Hotlines and Discussion Groups—

·         Something Fishy: Online Support - includes online chats, bulletin boards, support groups, and email newsletters.

·         St. Joseph's Eating Disorders Discussion Board

Information and Stats—

·         Adolescents with Eating Disorders - American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

·         Eating Disorder Recovery: Information & Links - Informative and encouraging site with a focus on therapy by a licensed psychotherapist.

·         Athletes with Eating Disorders - Factsheets on all aspects by Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disoarders, Inc.

Adolescents in Trouble: Learning Disorders

Links to sites providing information helpful in understanding, preventing, and coping with eating disorders in adolescents.

Websites—

·         About.com: Learning Disabilities

·         LD Resources

·         Learning Disabilities -American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

·         The Instant Access Treasure Chest Guide to Learning Disabilities

Information—

·         The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements

·         Special Education Legal Rights Strategies and Resources

·         Math Learning Disabilities

·         Deaf Kids with Learning Disabilities

·         Kids Who Can't Pay Attention - American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

·         CH.A.D.D. - Kids and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder

·         About Learning Disabilities - Facts and myths from the Child Development Institute.

 

Adolescents in Trouble: Talk with Other Moms/dads

Newsgroups, Discussion Lists, Bulletin Boards & Chats—

·         alt.parenting.solutions

·         alt.moms/dads-adolescents

·         Focus on the Family - Focus on the Youngster Forum

·         Forum One - Search engine for over 280,000 message boards and other online discussions.

·         Google Groups - Search this massive index of Internet discussion groups and post messages.

·         KidSource Online Forums

·         KMH-L - Discussion list for moms/dads and professionals discussing mental health issues in kids and adolescents.

·         Liszt Directory of E-mail Discussion Groups - Search for a discussion list on a topic.

·         National Runaway Switchboard Moms/dads Chat

·         Parenting-L

·         The Parenting Chat

·         Tile.net/Lists - Similar to Liszt Directory above.