Risky Teen Driving Habits Predicts Future Crashes
Teen drivers are typically involved in more accidents than more experienced drivers. A recent study seems to point out the causes of these teen driver accidents. A study of new drivers showed that as the number of sharp turns and… Continue reading
Teens: Smart Ways of Organizing your Study Time for Maximum Efforts
Many teens, like many adults, don’t understand about time management. They struggle to meet their daily obligations – time with family and friends, homework, extracurricular activities and possibly after-school jobs. They’re looking for smart ways of organizing their study time to get maximum results.
If you’re like most teens who struggle with studying effectively, chances are you have poor study skills. You may waste time instead of use it wisely. You’re also likely to have low or failing grades and are frustrated because you want to do better. Don’t lose hope; you can learn how to organize and maximize the time you study.
The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child
We all know as parents that discussing and negotiating the rules with our children is never easy. Children are all very different, and what might need to be a rule for one, may not even be an issue for another. That being said, there are many parameters that we set as parents that are the hard and fast rules – those with no ‘wiggle room.’ Those are the rules set forth to protect our child’s health, safety and well-being. These rules and their consequences should be very clearly defined and it should be understood by all involved that they are there for a very important reason and that they are ‘all or nothing.’
Stress-Busting Tips for Teens
Stress itself is a person’s reaction to life changes, and there is hardly a time in one’s life with more changes than the teen years! Added on to all these life changes is the fact that there is a lot going on in the life of the average teen – concerns about appearance, extracurricular activities, friends, school projects, social events, and so forth can all converge on teens at once. Here are some tips for parents to share with their teens.
Deep Breathing Really? Just breathing deeply makes everything go away? Not exactly! But deliberate, slow, deep breathing exercises can significantly increase your body’s coping mechanisms, sources say. This is why deep breathing is so often a component of meditation.
Sure-Fire Ways to Get Your Teen to Read Every Day
With advances in technology, reading is becoming a lost art. More and more kids are finding other activities to engage in. what can you do to get your teen to read every day?
Reading is truly fundamental. Reading texts and instructions requires more than a rudimentary understanding of the English language. Even kids that don’t attend college need to have skills and vocabulary that can be learned by constant reading. So, how can you make sure they read? Here are a few tips.
Bored Teens? Keep Them Organized This Summer
Have you ever heard your teen remark that they are bored? It can be like a broken record by summer’s end. Here are some ideas to help you avoid hearing those words again this summer.
Why are teens bored so… Continue reading
Tips for Keeping Your Teen Safe on the Road this Summer
The time has come! Your teen has just received his license and the worry begins. Although summer is just around the corner, teens that drive will be spending more time on the road. To this end, here are tips for… Continue reading
Top Five Summer Jobs for Teens
As summer approaches, it’s time for your teen to get a job. This will be good preparation for their future role in the workplace. Here are the top five summer jobs for teens you may want to consider:
1. If… Continue reading
Teens Cutting and Other Self Injurious Behavior in Children and Adolescents
Most parents believe that the transition from child to pre-teen to adolescent is fraught with behavioral and emotional challenges due to a variety of causes – hormones, peer influences, and rebelliousness to name a few. However, the vast majority of children transition through adolescence relatively unscathed and go on to live happy and productive lives. The individuals who struggle during adolescence often have underlying psychiatric disorders and are experiencing stressful environments such as family, social, health, or academic issues.
Self-injurious behavior is one maladaptive behavior that has increased in frequency in adolescents. Self-injury, “cutting,” or “self-cutting” is defined as purposeful self-harm without the intent of suicide. Cutting is usually accomplished with sharp objects (razor blades, knives, or broken glass for example) but can also include burning oneself (using fire or through friction such as rubbing an eraser repeatedly on the skin), self-biting, pinching, or punching. It is almost always a repetitive behavior, and contrary to popular belief, it is not usually an attention-seeking behavior. Research has shown that the location of the self-injury is usually in areas that are hidden by clothing such as the arms, abdomen, inner thighs, feet, genitals, and torso (especially near the breasts in females).
Having the Puberty Talk
Puberty is one of the most dramatic periods a person undergoes in his life. It is the transition from childhood to adulthood. Our bodies go through physical changes and our minds undergo an incredible transformation. Some parents dread this phase in their children because their dependent child is now becoming a young independent adult. Aside from the physical changes, the emotional changes are the most difficult. The more we understand as parents the better we are equipped to manage this challenging period and brings on greater opportunities to develop a trusting close relationship.
Boys and girls go through puberty on different times; in general girls start puberty earlier than boys. Girls start puberty between 8 and 13 years of age and boys start between 10 to 14 years of age. The main thing that pre-teens notice in elementary middle school is that girls go through a growth spurt and all of the sudden they are much taller than boys their age. Other more dramatic changes occur that are not obviously seen in the early stages of puberty.
