What Teen Girls Experience Online

It is well known that adult women experience harassment online. It can be stressful, frustrating, and abusive. What many parents do not realize is that teenage girls are also experiencing online harassment. It might be a good idea to sit down and ask your teenager about what she has faced via social media. The Pew Research Center did a study called “Teens, Technology, and Romantic Relationships”. Both male and female teens were included in the study. The teens were between the ages of 13 and 17. All of them were American. Some of the study revealed data about how teens … Continue reading →

Tips for Salvaging a Rough Morning

Not every day starts out bright and filled with sunshine. There are going to be some days when kids wake up “on the wrong side of the bed” and are grumpy. Fortunately, there are some things that parents can do to salvage a rough morning – and prevent it from spoiling the rest of the day. Rachel Macy Stafford wrote a piece for Huffington Post Parents called “10 Ways to Salvage a Bad Morning Before Parting Ways”. In it, she has listed 10 ways that a parent can influence a grumpy child to change his or her mood and have … Continue reading →

Reasons Parents Should talk to Their Teens About Pregnancy

It might be uncomfortable, but it is important that parents talk with their teens about pregnancy. Having that discussion, in a non-judgmental way, can inspire a teen to really open up and ask the questions that are on their mind. It can also help build trust between you and your teen. That’s important if you want them to come to you for answers about pregnancy in the future. Make sure you speak with your daughters and your sons. The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is high. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among countries that … Continue reading →

Criticism From Mom “Shuts Down” Teen’s Brains

No one ever said that parenting a teenager would be easy. Have you ever felt like your teen stopped being “present” while you were talking to him or her? There is a reason for that, especially if you were complaining at the time. A study found that teen’s brains actually “shut down” when the teen hears criticism that comes from his or her mother. Many parents have wondered about what goes on in the brains of their teenagers. A group of researchers attempted to find out. The group of researchers were from the Universities of Pittsburgh, California-Berkeley, and Harvard. The … Continue reading →

Your Parenting Style Impacts Your Teen’s Autonomy

One of the many goals of parenting is to raise children who become successful adults. Ideally, teens should develop the skills they need in order to become adults who can function in the “real world”. A study shows that your parenting style impacts your teen’s autonomy and the quality of his or her romantic relationships as an adult. Developmentally speaking, teenagers are at a stage when they are beginning to separate from their family and seek out their own, individual, identity. Little kids typically have a strong desire to seek approval from their parents. Teens, however, are much more interested … Continue reading →

Gen X Parents Raising Connected Children

The world has changed, in so many ways, between when you were a child and today. Parents who are part of Generation X are the first to raise children (and teens) in a world where the internet is so prevalent. Times have changed, in so many ways! The Washington Post has an article titled “Parenting as a Gen Xer: We’re the first generation of parents in the age of iEverything”. It was written by Allison Slater Tate and posted on September 19, 2014. In it, she comments on the difficulties faced by parent who can’t understand why their kids won’t … Continue reading →

Ways to Help Your Child Understand Business

Do your children understand the value of a dollar? Many kids do not. There are things that parents can do to help their children, and teenagers, to get a basic grasp of money. They can also learn a little bit about business. Forbes has a really interesting article titled “13 Ways to Help Your Children Understand Business”. It was written by Dan Matthews, and posted on May 30, 2014. He gathered tips that will help parents to encourage their kids to become interested in finance and business. Each tip came from someone who is involved in business. One of those … Continue reading →

AAP Recommends Some Schools Start Later

Having trouble getting your teenager to get up and prepare for school in the morning? There is a reason why that it happening – and it isn’t entirely your teen’s fault. Some of it has to do with developmental biology. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that the start time of the school day be later for middle schools and high schools. The purpose is to combat sleep deprivation in teens. The AAP published a new policy statement in August of 2014. They are recommending that schools delay the start time of class until 8:30 in the morning … Continue reading →

Creating First Day of School Memories

In less than two weeks, my three children head back to school. This year is the first year that my youngest will be in school all day away from home. The moment he gets on the bus will be bittersweet, of course, but I’ll be sure to document it well with photographs of his beaming face as he embraces what it means to be a big boy. One tradition that I started when my first-born went off on the bus for the first time was to take a short video of him, standing by a certain rock in the yard … Continue reading →