Image via Wikipedia Sometimes teenagers do bad things. Firstly, they're as imperfect as everybody else is. Secondly, they tend to act out when they feel like they haven't got enough freedom- which tends to be most of the time. However, there are going to be times when most teens do something that goes beyond mere rebellion against you, and can actually be dangerous or stupid enough to warrant a serious punishment. When that happens, a more serious punishment is in order. Before you even consider it, you can't torture your teen, no matter how tempting it might be after they've totaled … [Read more...]
Helping Your Teen Drive
Driving is as natural in our society as voting or getting a job is. Without driving, a lot of people would not be able to do much of anything in life. However, no one is born naturally gifted with great driving skills. So when your teen decides that the open road is calling him or her too loudly to ignore, it's time you stepped in and delivered some practical, applicable training before they try to wing it. Driving is not that difficult, when a person understand the techniques. While not everyone will end up driving a race car, most people will eventually end up driving some sort of … [Read more...]
Driving Isn’t a Right
Image by State Library of Queensland, Australia via Flickr For a lot of teens, discipline is a mild problem. Only when they're especially enraged at a particular injustice do they lash out, in most cases. However, when a teen is behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, they have every bit of physical power any adult can bring to bear. This is a huge responsibility, and it isn't one that should be taken lightly by the teen or by his or her parents. First off, every activity behind the wheel needs to be performed exactingly. Because driving is something most people do every day, it can … [Read more...]
Teen slang: Know the danger words
Image via Wikipedia Teens work hard to separate themselves from the protective nests of their parents. Adopting new words they think their parents might not be familiar with is part of the whole process of growing up and finding their own identities. But there are some terms that should raise giant red flags - words and phrases that refer to illegal or dangerous behavior. As a responsible parent, it's a good idea to be familiar with the evolving slang so that you can take action if your child or their friends appear to be in over their heads. 4:20, 4/20 - Code for smoking … [Read more...]
Encouraging Teens to be Charitable
As a parent of a teenager you are always looking for ways to continue their transition into a well-rounded adult while keeping them safe and engaged. Encouraging them to be charitable is always an excellent exercise and there are many ways that teens can become involved, contribute and give back. Giving can be as simple as donating a car to Kars for Kids, or it can mean investing time or money. Plus, there are so many side benefits to charitable giving as well. Whether giving to charity involves their money, physical items such as clothing or toys, or giving of their time – learning to … [Read more...]
Where to Turn if You Suspect Your Teen is Using Drugs
If you are seeing the warning signs of drug use with your teen, you must take action as soon as possible. Drug use hits teens in any area and socioeconomic status, and it does not take much to undermine an individual’s well-being. Don’t hesitate to find out more about the situation. You should first examine the signs and talk to your teen. If you don’t think it’s wise to confront him or her directly, you can talk to your teen to spend time and develop your relationship – while watching how they spend their time. Talk to your teen’s friends and family to see if they have … [Read more...]
Parenting – Punishment Or Reward?
Parenting - the most important job you will ever do and yet there are no guidelines, no manual and no exact right way to do it. There are classes on parenting, but any parent who has raised a child from infant to adulthood knows that classes do not even begin to scratch the surface, and even if they did, new issues come up daily, making parenting classes obsolete once that child is potty trained. It would be wonderful to have a manual. You open a book, read the part where it tells you what to do and it works. There are self help books, but they do little more than console us … [Read more...]
Keeping Tabs On Your Teen
Teens today can communicate with each other every minute of every day. The telephone hanging on the wall in your house may as well be a plant holder. They don't need that. They have more communication devices that Captain Kirk had on The Enterprise. They can call their friends, they can text, they can e-mail or Skype, they can communicate through a social network or even a gaming site. With a laptop and a cell phone, a teen has the capacity to communicate with anyone, at any time, anywhere, including not in this country. While this technology is amazing, without proper guidance, it … [Read more...]
The New Driver
As excited as a teenager is to be a new driver, there is a parent or two at the other end of that line chewing their nails and pulling their hair out. Learning to drive is scary for a teenager, petrifying for their parents. As parents, we hate to admit our children are growing up, and getting that driver's license is a sure sign that is happening. We would like to think that our children are more than ready to accept this huge responsibility, that they know how important it is to be adult when behind the wheel. Then we quickly remember that this is the child who cannot find her bed … [Read more...]
Is Unsafe Driving A Rebellious Statement For Your Teen? How To Tackle It?
Does your teen take pleasure in ignoring your words of advice and strictures when you are sitting beside him or her in the vehicle? Do you feel that your teenager child pays lip service to all your words of advice and proceeds to rebel against each and every instruction? If yes, then perhaps the answer to this behavior may be hidden inside your house. Do you give adequate space to your teenager? Does he or she have adequate freedom in your house? Well, this is a controversial question because the definition of adequate freedom is something that parents and teenagers always disagree upon. … [Read more...]