The school break for the holidays has begun, and our absolute best tip for surviving it with your teen is to have fun! Here are 20 ideas for activities your teen can do over the holiday break. Encourage your teenager to choose a couple of these activities as a family experience or time with their friends. Bake and decorate cookies.
Read moreWith all of the holiday hype, this season is not always easy! There is stress, extra family, teens home from school, demands on your time, financial burden, and unrealistic expectations. We want your family to have the best holidays possible, so we offer these recommendations: Fight boredom. Time off from school with nothing to do increases the chance that your
Read moreResearch shows that teenagers with involved parents are more likely to make better decisions, stay out of trouble, and develop into successful, independent adults. However, it can be difficult for a parent to know how to be involved. When your child was young, you worked to meet all of their needs. As teens take over that responsibility, you may not
Read moreHow are you feeling about this year’s holidays? The majority of us feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Everyone, including teens, are eager to have pleasant, memorable holidays, but somehow stress and family conflict can creep in and take the joy out of the season. If one of the reasons for your holiday anxiety is because you dread the
Read moreDoes a “grateful teenager” seem like an oxymoron to you? It’s actually not as impossible as it might seem. There are many ways that we, as adults, can encourage teens to develop a grateful outlook on life. Talk. Our culture does not promote gratefulness, but instead encourages the idea of “must-haves” to be happy. In today’s world of modern conveniences,
Read moreA recent study from the Pew Research Center found that 91% of teens have posted a photo of themselves online. With smartphones becoming the standard tool for many teens, selfies (short for self-portraits) are widespread on social media. Although selfies may seem innocent enough, there is a lot of psychology behind the process that can impact your teen. Here is
Read moreAs your child transitions from elementary school into middle and high schools, they are faced with many changes, but one of the most dramatic is the social scene. Suddenly, the kids at school are a little meaner, a little more particular about who they are hanging out with, and much more likely to form cliques. As kids navigate these changes,
Read moreNovember is National Runaway Prevention Month, which is spearheaded by the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) and National Network for Youth (NN4Y). The goal is to raise awareness of the runaway and homeless youth crisis and the issues that these young people face and to educate the public about solutions and the role they can play in ending youth homelessness. You
Read moreTragic events – whether it’s an earthquake, tornado, school shooting, or some other disaster – are not easy to comprehend or accept, even for the most mature. Although discussing tragedies with teens is a challenge, it is also very important. Even if your teen hasn’t talked to you about the disaster, there is little doubt that they have heard about
Read moreStudies show that teens are more successful when they have open communication with their parents. Teens who report having good communication with their mom or dad are more likely to have better grades and less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Additionally, studies have proven that parents are their teens’ greatest influence when it comes to family values, expectations and
Read moreEver had that moment where you want to ask your teen, “What were you thinking?!?” Unfortunately, as teens walk the path of becoming independent adults, exploring their limits and abilities is part of developing their identities. Risk-taking is an important way for teenagers to learn about themselves. It peaks at around 15-16 years and tends to tail off by early
Read more“Sexting” is sending sexually explicit messages or photos via cell phone or instant messenger. A new study from Drexel University, based on a survey of undergraduate students at a large northeastern university, has yielded some surprising results about teens and sexting: More than half of respondents (54%) reported sexting as minors. However, only 28 percent sent sexts with photographs. The
Read moreWhen humans are under pressure, we don’t always make the best decisions. Despite our intelligence, we are not great at considering all of the consequences of our decisions while people are staring at us waiting for our decision. This is true of adults, but it’s even more accurate in describing teens. When teens are put on the spot, they have
Read moreThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines binge drinking as “consuming 5 or more drink in 2 hours for men and consuming 4 or more drinks in 2 hours for women.” CDC’s research about teens and binge drinking in America demonstrates that: One in five high school seniors (20%) reports binge drinking in the last two weeks, and
Read moreYou might have heard that families should eat dinner together. Research indicates there are many benefits to teens whose families regularly enjoy meals together, including: Meals tend to be healthier when families sit together, so teens are less likely to be overweight and are more likely to eat healthy food. Teens who enjoy regular family meals have better grades and
Read moreSchool shootings, bullying, fighting, and other forms of teen violence are becoming more frequent in America. To prevent violence, we need the cooperation of our teens. They are on the front lines, not adults. The students are the ones that see the knife that some kid brings to school, or see the bully humiliate his victim, or hear the rumors
Read moreSome teens are naturally motivated and others are not. Some teens are able to succeed at school with ease, and others struggle. But, what is a parent to do when their teen simply refuses to do homework or is suddenly failing a class? Experts recommend parents work to discover the root cause and creatively problem solve with their teen. Ask
Read moreEven though the school year has just begun, if your teen is a junior or senior in high school this year, more than likely the main topic in your household is what your teen is going to do after they graduate. If your teen would like to attend college, they are probably feeling a little overwhelmed. While they may feel
Read moreHeading back to school brings every teen some level of anxiety. Common fears that teens face are: Making new friends Facing bullies Feeling “uncool” Finding someone to sit with at lunch or on the bus Developing their identity and/or fitting in Dating issues Not being able to understand the schoolwork Getting a bad teacher Pressure to perform academically as they
Read moreAs teens develop into adults, they must learn how to appropriately deal with difficult people to be successful in their lives. Difficult people are simply a fact of life – whether it’s because your personalities clash or because the person has some qualities or behaviors that irritate you. Particularly, as teens head to school again, they are bound to face
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