Decoder - Breaking down teen culture, substance abuse, and parenting
One million kids view drug use videos on the Internet! Yours?
I’ve noticed a bit of a trend over the past several months. In talking with parents, and especially folks in the news media who are parents, they seem to be more and more attuned to issues like online predators and sexual content on the web that place their kids at risk. They also see all [...]
Techno Perfection: Teens Need to Be Perma-Hot
Techno Perfection: n. An individual?s personal desire to look good and be in flattering poses and styles at all times based on the new ability to edit, crop, color and change the way that individual looks online. What are some aspects of techno perfection? 1) Constant Vanity Teens and tweens are growing up in a culture where they [...]
Airborne Toxic Event - Attempts at Connecting with my Teen Daughter
As many of you are well aware, it?s not always easy for us parents to connect with our teenagers. They can be moody. They can be withdrawn. They can turn on the tight-lipped, arms-crossed, eye-roll, leave-me-alone posture with incredible ease. So how can we break through this teenage angst and get them to open up? Parenting [...]
Boredom: A Gateway to Trouble
I?ve seen many at-risk teenagers over the years and have been struck by their complaints about boredom. Take Mike, a 15-year-old ninth grader who hated being alone. He?d surf the web, listen to his iPod, play video games, text his friends, and frantically search for ?something to do.? In fact, he would go to great [...]
?Mom, What?s an Abortion??
Oh, to be the parent of a tween! Last week my son came home from school and after settling in, sat down at the kitchen table and said, “Mom, what’s an abortion?” At this point, I am used to the open conversations we have about these sorts of topics, but it never ceases to amaze me the [...]
TTYL: How Generation Text Prefers to Talk
Earlier this week, the Partnership released a survey with MetLife Foundation showing that one in four teens would prefer to talk to their parents about drugs and alcohol by using email or their cell phones. Meantime, only three percent of parents want to discuss these subjects by cell or email. I don?t blame them [...]