To all of our visitors,

Raising teenagers can be a wonderful adventure. Teens can be funny, touching, innovative, unbelievably intelligent, loving and respectful, or just plain silly. Those are the good times. Teen behavior behavior takes many forms. When our kids were toddlers, they didn't know they could get hurt or even killed if they ran out into the street. Although adolescents know better, sometimes even now they may, metaphorically, run out into the street. They think they are invincible, and they live to push the envelope.

We know parents, and you probably do too, who think they know everything about their kids: what they are doing, who they are with, etc. They do not think their child would ever lie to them. But guess what? It isn't always like that. Your very normal teenager can look you straight in the eye and lie to you.

Of course not everything about the teenage years is worrisome, and being the parent of a teen is not a negative. But the consequences of adolescent behavior can be great; we feel that parents and caregivers who have the most awareness are prepared for any eventuality. Your teenager may never experiment with drugs, may never attempt something unlawful, or may not have premarital sex. But here are some statistics you should be aware of:

• One-third of teens and nearly half of 17-year olds attend house parties where parents are present and teens are drinking, smoking marijuana or using cocaine, Ecstasy or prescription drugs, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XI: Teens and Parents.

• According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report of 2007: Alcohol is the drug of choice among America's adolescents, used by more young people than tobacco or illicit drugs.

• The Surgeon General also maintains that 7 million of the 11 million underage drinkers in this country are binge drinkers.

• According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute: Nearly half (46%) of all 15-19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once.

• Close to 4 in 10 girls who had first intercourse at 13 or 14 report it was either non-voluntary or unwanted. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

• 1 out of 4 teens having sex get STIs (sexually transmitted infections).

• The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) says that suicide is the third largest cause of death among teenagers. Auto accidents are the first.

• Approximately 750,000 teenagers in the U.S. suffer from depression, some so seriously it leads to suicide.

• One in five adolescents suffers from a mental health disorder.

We invite you to click on our Parenting Topics. We will be adding new material often, so keep checking back. If there is something you'd like to see on the website, let us know. Soon our Parent Forum will be activated, as will our Ask the Expert and Ask a Teen.

We formed this 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization so that all parents everywhere, regardless of income or education, could get the information they need at no charge. If your group of friends, or your school or community center, church or synagogue, would like our panel of specialists to visit and speak on a subject important to the parents of adolescents in your community, let us know and we will arrange it. Contact us at: info@parentingteensresourcenetwork.org.

We are here for you.

Carey Simon

President