81% Of Adults Favor Parental Consent For Minors To Use Social Media

More than 40 states and the District of Columbia are suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging its platforms purposefully use addictive features that harm children’s mental health, Pew Research Center reported. Amid this news, U.S. adults and teens are more likely to support than oppose requiring parental consent for monitors to create a social media account and requiring people to verify their age before using these platforms, according to a pair of new Pew Research Center surveys. But adults are far more supportive than teens of these measures, as well as limiting how much time minors … Continue reading

Grounding Teens from Social Media May Harm Them

Have you ever grounded your teen from social media as a form of negative consequence for bad behavior? A new study indicates that while there are benefits for teens who voluntarily take a break from social media, those benefits do not extend to teens who have been forced off of it. Teens grounded from social media can experience more anxiety than parents may realize. A study from The Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago surveyed 790 American teens age 13 to 17 about their social media, messaging, and video content habits. The goal of the study was … 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

How to Get Your Kids to Talk With You

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Are you tired of getting one word answers from your kids? Are you wondering how to get your kid to finally open up and talk with you? The solution might be one that Kenneth Barish, Ph.D., wrote about for Huffington Post. Give his ideas a try, and see what happens! Frustrated parents should take a minute to read over what Kenneth Barish, Ph.D., wrote in an article titled: “Why Won’t She Talk to Us? How to Have Better Conversations With Your Children”. In it, he explains some of the reasons why kids become uncommunicative with their parents. In short, there … Continue reading

Parents Needed More Than Ever

I used to think the ideal years for being a stay-at-home mom was when the kids are very young, before they ventured off to school.  These are the years where so much forming and shaping of their lives takes place. Yet I have come to see another stage in life to be just as important.  It is during the teen years.  So often parents see this as their time…after all, teens are independent and don’t seem to need mom and dad as much as they used to. Whether the issue is staying home or just being available, too many parents … Continue reading

Plugged In Parent?

Are you a plugged in parent?  I’m talking about the kind of parent who is involved in your teenager’s life…in such a way that you would recognize signs of bad behavior.  Things like drinking, drugs, oh, even prostitution. Can you imagine not knowing that your teenager was not only sexually active but had been with married men?  Had prostituted herself out in order to get ecstasy? That was the situation in a recent Dr. Phil show I watched.  I would have to say this was probably the most clueless mother I have ever seen. The specifics of the show don’t … Continue reading

Mistake #5 Parents Make With Teenagers: Imbalanced Discipline

Today we are wrapping up the last blog for my “mistakes parents make” series. We’ve covered expecting the worse, looking for parenting answers in others, making mountains out of molehills, and making molehills out of mountains. Today is about imbalanced discipline.  And I will tell you, that I am the queen of this.  Yes, I fully admit that I don’t have this whole discipline thing down pat. You would think after raising one child to adulthood, one just over two years away from that and another well on his way, I would be an expert.  Okay, here’s the truth.  No … Continue reading

Mistake #4 Parents Make With Teenagers: Making Molehills Out of Mountains

In my last few blogs I’ve tackled three mistakes that parents make, expecting the worse, looking for parenting answers in others, and making mountains out of molehills.  Now I’m going to do a little bit of a reverse in parenting mistake #4, which is making molehills out of mountains. Just as parents can make a big deal out of something not so significant, the opposite is true.  However, this is probably one of the most dangerous mistakes that parents can make. Whenever parents suspect a serious issue is going on, it’s important to take action.  The problem is that we … Continue reading

Mistake #3 Parents Make With Teenagers: Making Mountains Out of Molehills

  We have talked about two different mistakes parents of teenagers make:  expecting the worse and looking for parenting answers in others.  Today’s mistake is making mountains out of molehills.  Of which I am sometimes the queen. The best example I can give in my parenting experience is when my daughter first began to wear makeup.  She thought the raccoon look was the way to go.  I absolutely hated the thick, black lines that surrounded her eyes. It would cause constant arguments between us.  One time I even pulled her out of our church’s youth group to make her go … Continue reading

Mistake #2 Parents Make With Teenagers: Looking for Parenting Answers in Others

So far I have covered mistake #1 that parents of teenagers make, expecting the worse out of this stage of life.  The second mistake I am going to talk about is trying to find parenting answers through others. I know that sounds pretty strange, considering I am technically giving advice.  But at the heart of my message is this…every family is different, so you have to learn what’s best for yours. This doesn’t mean that help from others—whether it comes through books, seminars or blogs—shouldn’t be sought.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t be encouraged or inspired by others. But … Continue reading