The use of electronic cigarettes has been increasing rapidly among teens nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that current e-cigarette use among middle and high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014. The increases in e-cigarette and hookah use offset declines in use of more traditional products, such as cigarettes and cigars, resulting in no decline in
Read moreCheating in American high schools is widespread. A recent ABCNews poll of 12- to 17-year-olds provided these statistics: 70% of teens say at least some kids in their school cheat on tests. 60% have friends who have cheated. 30% say they themselves have cheated, rising to 43% of 16- and 17-year-olds. More than 50% say cheaters don’t get caught.
Read moreJust this past summer, Zach Anderson made headlines across the country. The 19-year-old boy from Indiana went on a dating app, called “Hot or Not,” hoping to meet a girl. After connecting with a girl who claimed she was 17 and chatting with her through the app, Anderson traveled from Indiana to Michigan to meet her. They had consensual sex.
Read moreIn the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. If you would like more information about these specific disorders, visit the National Eating Disorders website. Eating disorders are not a phase or lifestyle choice, but rather serious, life-threatening conditions
Read moreIf your child’s grades are acceptable and you receive positive reports from their teachers, then your child has earned the privilege of not having strict rules about how, where and when they do their homework. If your teen’s grades reflect missed assignments or their teachers are indicating that your teen is falling behind, then you need to establish some structure
Read moreSnapchat is a free mobile app that lets the user exchange photos, texts, and videos with friends. What differentiates Snapchat from other apps is that the image or message “disappears” in one to ten seconds. Of Snapchat users, 70% are female, and approximately 71% are under the age of 25. It is the third most popular social media platform behind
Read moreSetting goals is an important skill that can help anyone be more successful in life. Goals can provide direction and purpose in our lives. Learning to set goals takes practice, so it’s a great idea for parents and teachers to teach this skill to teens now to help them to become more successful in adulthood. The beginning of a new
Read moreDid you know that the United States has one of the highest college dropout rates in the industrialized world? This seems unbelievable since we are the “land of opportunity,” but unfortunately, the percentage of full-time students at four-year institutions who complete a bachelor’s degree in four years is only 37.9%, and the completion rate after six years is only 58.3%.
Read moreAs the school year approaches, many team sports are already in full swing with tryouts, open gym, and practices. High school sports offer teens a multitude of benefits, and a good coach can really make a big difference in a teen’s life. But, parents don’t always see eye-to-eye with coaches. While one parent may be concerned about a child’s lack
Read moreAs you may already know, communicating with teenagers is not always easy. Their conversations can be filled with one-word responses and plenty of eye-rolling. So, what’s a parent to do if they want to have a strong relationship with the teen in their life? Try to engage your teenager in activities that may naturally create bonds and spark interesting conversation:
Read moreThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released results this week from their annual survey on teen sex and contraception use. The report shows that while teen birth rates have declined over the last decade, use of emergency contraceptive, often called the morning-after pill, has dramatically increased. The CDC reports that, in 2013, 22% (more than 1 in 5)
Read moreExperts say that the biggest moral mistakes that teens are making today are lying, cheating and stealing, which are all acts of deception. Our culture subtly communicates to teens that the ends justifies the means – to get ahead, do whatever you need to do to overcome the obstacles to your success. Parents should pay attention to the messages that
Read moreWe all want our teens to be successful… which means that well-meaning parents can make a couple of common errors when raising their adolescent child: (1) we try to prevent our teen’s mistakes, or (2) we try to rescue and shield them when our teen does make a mistake. Unfortunately, humans tend to learn better through making our own mistakes
Read moreIf you’ve ever caught yourself saying mean things to yourself, like calling yourself fat, stupid, embarrassing, or a failure, then you know what it’s like to have an inner critic out of control. We can be incredibly judgmental of ourselves, and we can say things to ourselves that we would never say to a friend or acquaintance. Over the years,
Read moreWe may know the challenging statistics about teen drug use, but the majority of us are caught off guard if we discover that our child has a drug problem. Most parents believe that their child would never use drugs, and many of the warning signs of drug use can often be excused as normal teenage behavior. Here is your chance
Read moreParents tend to worry about their children for a million reasons, ranging from whether they will fit in, be respectful, get good grades, and stay safe. Keeping our teens healthy is probably one of the top concerns that a parent has. To keep you up to date, here is a list of some of the biggest health risks today’s teens
Read moreTeens certainly know how to push our buttons, and they can frequently be a source of conflict in our homes. Sometimes, however, a teen can be more problematic than that. If you are the parent of a teen who is using drugs, engaged in illegal activity, or is violent or abusive, then the level of stress in your home is
Read moreWe might hate to admit it, but all of us have at least one bad habit, and children are not immune to having some less-than-ideal behaviors. If you want your child to start adolescence in the best way possible, you might want to observe your tween’s habits to see where they are not making the best decisions. Below are a
Read moreBefore you think that this blog does not pertain to you or your teen, you should know that teen shoplifting is a rising problem nationwide. There are approximately 27 million shoplifters (or 1 in 11 people) in our nation today, and 25% of them are juveniles (age 17 and under). Teens may call it “five finger discount”, “lifting”, “jacking”, “racking”,
Read moreFor many, Memorial Day is the start of summer, and many teens are not sure what they would like to do over this long break. One option would be a summer job. While employment numbers have been low for the past few years, the economy is showing improvement. CBS News just recently reported that employment for teens, between the ages
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