Category Archives: Parenting Teens
Teens and Lies – What Steps to Take
Nothing erodes trust between a parent and teenager as much as lying. There may be feelings of anger toward the teen when a parent realizes they’ve been lied to. Even though teens and lies seem to go hand-in-hand at times, you want to know what steps to take to help your teen stop lying.
There may be many reasons why teenagers lie. They could have fallen in with bad influences and turn to lying to fit in. They may also lie because they feel bad about themselves and the lies help them feel better. Lying could also be a defense mechanism. The fact is, however, no matter what their reasons, you want your teen to know lying can have unpleasant consequences in the future.
How to Talk to Your Kids about Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Even though you may not think your child is old enough, you may want to learn how to talk to them about alcohol and drug abuse at an early age rather than waiting. If you wait too long, it may be too late. Every year more and more children begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol, which could lead to a lifelong problem with substance abuse.
If you begin telling children how you feel about drug and alcohol use while they’re young, you’l have a better chance of instilling that same belief in them. Talk about how drugs and alcohol in terms they will understand. Explain that people who use them sometimes hurt other people because they can’t control their actions.
The Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Alcohol in Children
Quite often, if someone is concerned about a loved one and alcohol abuse, they are concerned about an adult. However, it is possible these days that the person involved is a child. You may want to know the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol in children for future reference. Hopefully you’ll never need the information, but it’s good to have just in case.
Children that start using alcohol are four times more likely to develop an alcohol addiction than children who avoid it. Addiction, however, is not the only problem associated with alcohol abuse. The following are some of the other effects that come with children using alcohol.
Do You Know Your Teen’s Friends?
We hope, as parents, that what we’ve taught our children will be the guiding force behind them as they become teenagers. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, no matter how well we think we did. Before long, they begin to listen more to friends than to their parents. Do you know your teen’s friends, and why is it important that you do?
While it’s important to encourage your teens to have friendships with their own peers, it’s also wise to know who your teen’s friends are. How do you get to know them, however, when it seems like your teen is always on the go?
Need to Get Closer to Your Teenager?
At a time when it seems like families are being torn apart, it’s important to get closer to your teenager. How on earth do you do that when they’re changing every day? The following ideas and tips may be just what you need to get closer to your teen and realize that they really are wonderful.
As pre-teens reach their teenage years, you may feel like you’re revisiting their toddler years. They try to run from you and assert their independence; however, now they’re not merely seeking independence but also learning about who they are and what they have to contribute to the world. Even though they run away, the will still come back – although it may not be permanent. That’s why it’s so important to get closer to your teen now while you still have time.
Keep Your Teenager Fitness Motivated
Not too many years ago you could expect children and teens to get exercise during gym class at school as well as spending time outdoors playing or riding bicycles. However, with the popularity of televisions, computers, and gaming systems, children and teens are spending less time in physical activity and more time being sedentary. Your goal is to keep your teenager fitness motivated as they grow.
Everyone knows the importance of maintaining a healthy body, but that doesn’t mean that they do what’s best in order to stay healthy. Quite often this means they’ll sit around instead of being active. They may also eat too much or the wrong foods which leads them to gain an unhealthy amount of weight.
Overweight Teenagers – How to Get Them Moving!
There has been so much in the news and on television about how many people are obese in the United States and around the world. What’s even more alarming than the adult rate of obesity is the number of overweight teenagers. Here are some ideas of how to deal with overweight teenagers and how to get them moving.
If you have an overweight teenager, you might want to consider your entire family. Is there a pattern of being overweight among your parents or your partner’s parents? What about grandparents? Were they overweight? Part of the reason for your teen being overweight may be hereditary, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do something about it.
