Decoder - Breaking down teen culture, substance abuse, and 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 [...]
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 [...]
Why Not Prohibit Alcohol Use?
Tens of thousands of teens would argue that marijuana should be legal because it is no more harmful than alcohol ? some even insist it?s less harmful. It?s not an unreasonable position to take. With all the controversy about some college presidents wanting to lower the drinking age, the alcohol debate has been ignited once [...]
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 [...]
Prescription Drug Abuse: Is It Really a Problem?
While many people still don’t see the intentional abuse of prescription drugs as a serious problem, one mom I’ve come to know well, Misty Fetko, can tell you just how serious a problem it is. On the morning of July 16, 2003, two days before her son Carl was supposed to leave for college she found him unconscious and not [...]
The New Diluted Community Service
Years ago, I worked with a young man who had been court ordered to do community service for a vandalism incident following several other infractions. He chose to volunteer in a nursing home to fulfill his 40-hour obligation. After going for several weeks, he developed a close relationship with a 90-year-old woman. They played cards, [...]