Some teenagers sail into adulthood with no behavioral problems. Others, however have changed attitudes and behavior problems. Parents should monitor the changed behavior of their children and take appropriate steps. The signs of changed behavior include rebelliousness, defiance, unusual withdrawn behavior, violent behavior, substance abuse, addiction and compulsive obsessions like obsessions with body image. Teens go with a group of friends to whom their parents are not introduced. They become sneaky and hide aspects of their life from their parents. They withdraw from family and family activities. Some teens show signs of psychological problems like depression and anxiety.

Once teenage troubles are detected by parents, parents must take steps to solve the problem early and wean the teen from their troubles. Gentle non confrontational instruction will help to teach teens to lead responsible lives. Parents should listen to teens and be willing to act as consultants when the teen needs help. This is no time to play dictator. A dictatorial attitude will evoke a rebellious response and push the teen deeper in trouble. Parents should not trust the teen completely and if the teen does a rash act, parents should not hide behind a screen of disbelief. They should realize that the act of the teenager is a cry for help and professional help should be sought immediately. 

A troubled teen gets into habits that endanger the life and mental balance of the teen. Parents should endeavor to bring this balance back by helping the teen themselves or by consulting social workers or teen psychology experts. Parents need to keep track of their teen’s activities within reason. Parents should set down discipline rules that are not too harsh or too lenient. Disciplining is a part of loving and imparting values and sensible rules to a teen will save the teen from life threatening consequences.

Parental intervention is the beneficial first step to solve the troubles of an adolescent. Parents should spare no effort in correcting the behavioral problems of teens. If parents are unable to reform the child themselves, they should seek professional help. If professionals are not able to solve the problem, teenagers should be sent to special schools or programs  where living and  working with other troubled teens will help them to learn the values of discipline and leading a balanced lifestyle.

Parents should never shy away from seeking the help of professionals. These professionals are trained in dealing with teenage troubles. Physicians, therapists and counsellors are well versed in dealing with teens. Parents should be open minded and learn from these professionals ways by which the family can work towards helping the troubled teen.  

The primary institution where teenage issues can be resolved is the family and when a teen shows signs of trouble, family should make every effort to turn the life of the teen around.

Author: Jacob Wright
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cool mobile gadgets

Every parent does the best they can for their kids, but the bottom line is that once they get to those teenage years, many are more likely to go thorough a period where they are influenced by their peers rather than their parents. Unfortunately, many students are exposed to drinking at high school. There are some youngsters that seem to be constantly drinking and driving and never have an incident, whereas others have just one weak moment that ends in a driving catastrophe. I wish it wasn’t the case, but teens and drunk driving related incidents are on the increase.

Drinking alcohol and driving a vehicle is a potentially deadly cocktail of events at any age, but statistically, teens and drunk driving is even worse. Whether drunk or sober, when a young driver gets behind the wheel of a car, many of them feel the need to make an impression on their passengers by driving erratically and at high speeds. We all know that ’speed’ kills, but speeding cars plus intoxicated drivers is just asking for trouble.

Teens and drunk driving offences are not just something the bad kids do either, as even the smartest, the most reserved, and the most unlikely of them all, can and do fall victim to peer pressure on occasions. Another problems with teens (and I can remember this too!), is that they think they are indestructible and nothing bad could ever possibly happen to them. Even with educational programs and available statistics, most still think these are things that only happen to ‘other people’.

Remember, it’s not always drunk drivers that become the killed or injured parties. Many innocent passenger, motorists, and bystanders can get caught up in accidents caused by a drunk driver too. So what’s the answer? I guess, education, education, and more education on the perils of teens and drunk driving related incidences.

But I found a solution with my kids that seems to have worked wonders in installing a little sense and understanding into their growing minds. I made it an issue, a debate to be discussed, as opposed to a lecture on the dangers. It was also an education for me as a parent to realise that open discussion as opposed to laying down the laws was an effective way to communicate with adolescents and young adults.

By asking the boys for their feelings on the subject and also letting them know how worried their mother and I were about this growing problem, had us all sitting down and chatting for ages. We didn’t speak at them, we discussed with them, and there is a big difference. What’s more, we listened to what they had to say without interruption and I think that by the end of our conversation we had planted a seed of sensibility into their minds regarding teens and drunk driving.

Only time will tell, but we’ve found that by treating the kids as young adults instead of potential scoundrels has given both sides a little more mutual respect and that means they are more susceptive and less rebellious towards our ideals.

Author: Andy Maingam
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing

Kids and ADHD

Let’s start with kids and ADHD. There seems to be a big trend here in the US of drugging our children so they can “control” their behavior in school. I am NOT in favor of this practice.

Why is there such an epidemic of ADHD diagnoses in our children? I don’t want to oversimplify but I believe one reason is that our children don’t have the opportunities they had in previous generations to run around and expend their energy.

In years past, kids got to play in the parks, in the streets and in their own yards. Today, that happens less and less. Parents are too afraid to allow their children to be outside unsupervised, and rightly so! There are predators out there who would do your children harm. However, kids still need to expend their energy, somehow.

So, many times the activities available to them at home are sedentary, such as playing video games, watching television, talking on their cell phones or using the home computer. None of this provides opportunity to release energy, unless your children are like my niece who paces vigorously while talking on the phone.

Then we send them to school and expect them to sit down and be quiet. In addition, many schools are reducing the amount of physical education time for our kids and I’ve even seen recently that some schools forbid children to run at recess or use certain playground equipment because they fear of physical injury lawsuit. Is it any wonder our children are having difficulty?

Now I know there are parents and teachers out there who have stories of children who have been helped immensely by the addition of Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta or Dexedrine to their daily diet. If you know a child who is being helped by his or her medication, I’m not saying to discontinue it but for every child who is being helped, I believe there are at least three others who are still exhibiting all the ADHD behavior the medication was designed to reduce.

There have been studies done on placebo medications that show that in double blind studies, when neither the patient nor the doctor knew whether the patient was getting the actual drug or the placebo, the ones getting the placebo actually did better. Is it possible there is a placebo effect with some children?

If your child displays what you or the teachers believe is an excessive amount of energy, do your best to create situations where that child can expend energy. I have two boys who could both have been diagnosed with ADHD as children. They were very physical. Luckily, I lived in the country during a time when parents sent their kids out the door to simply “play.” I also spent a lot of my spare time running them around to different athletic events-YMCA soccer, wrestling, flag football, T-ball, basketball, you get the idea. This definitely helps.

Kids and Anger Management

I spoke with a woman over the weekend whose son is 10 years-old and she says has anger management issues. We didn’t really get into his specific behaviors but it caused me to reflect on some inherent differences between males and females.

I think that from very early on, boys and girls deal with their anger differently. As a general rule, girls need to talk about it to feel better, while boys need to work it out physically.

So if you have daughters, you want to teach them verbal skills to be able to work out their frustrations but with boys, you will need to provide opportunities for them to work out their anger physically-maybe with a punching bag, racquetball, running, or martial arts. The list of possibilities is truly endless but don’t expect your boys to “talk about it,” at least not until they’ve had the opportunity to release the anger in a safe physical manner.

Kids and Computers

This week, a mother contacted me about her child disobeying her limits with the home computer and sneaking time beyond her allowed limit.

In this situation, the mother had a need to protect and nurture her child. She wants to be able to loosely supervise her daughter’s time on the computer to possibly prevent her from falling prey to adults who victimize children by finding their victims on the Internet. She also wants to support her child’s need for physical activity so she restricts her computer usage and encourage outside physical activities instead. Is this mother wrong? Absolutely not.

Her daughter, on the other hand, has a desire to be on the computer. All her friends are on there and want to know why she isn’t. They don’t have limits while this girl does. This girl is quite accomplished on the computer and can build website pages for her friends. She also has a high need for freedom and doesn’t like being restricted and the computer is plain fun to her. She gets her love & belonging, power, freedom and fun needs met with the computer. Is she wrong? Absolutely not.

How does it get resolved? I think the way to resolve this issue is for the mother and daughter to sit down and talk about what each other needs and wants in the situation. If the child can convince her mother that she has the skills and knowledge necessary to protect herself from predators and she agrees to engage in other healthy activities each day, then her mother could relax her restriction on the amount of time she has on the computer.

In this case, and many others like it, the daughter wouldn’t be able to meet her freedom need with the computer if there wasn’t a rule to break. Sometimes we create the very behavior we are trying to stop with the rules we make. When a person has a high need for freedom, they will inevitably break the rules, particularly the ones they don’t like or that don’t make sense.

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever do and the stakes are incredibly high. We all do the best we can and hope for good results. Fortunately, when we have good intentions are kids generally survive in even thrive.

For more information on parenting teens and adolescents check out my Empowerment Parenting eCourse.

Author: Kim Olver
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates

Peer pressure can be quite stressful. Actions your teen normally wouldn’t consider if by himself/herself might be reconsidered in the presence of another teen or teens. This is why it’s important to know your teen’s friends. A teen that constantly hangs around friends who skip school and do drugs is at a higher risk of doing it himself/herself than a teen that has friends who excel in school and don’t party hard. People tend to pick up habits, good and bad, from the individuals they regularly associate with. It could be a pattern of speech, the way they view the world around them, to what is morally and ethically acceptable and unacceptable. It could even be a new hobby they pick up. Does this ring a bell, “Please Mom, can I have a ________ because everybody else has one?!” Everybody else being, those in their circle of friends or in their school. Or the cool kids.

The need to be accepted is natural. But it can come with high costs for a teen. A teen might want his/her independence, but isn’t able to handle it responsibly. Drinking (alcohol) and driving is an example. Another example is a teen that frequently socializes with other teens that steal. Even if he swears he’s not doing it himself, and therefore gives this as reason as to why it’s okay he hangs out with them, he’s still at risk. Even if he doesn’t think so. He’s not thinking things through. If he’s with these friends when there’s a bust he could be in real trouble. What if one of his friends buddies puts something in his backpack so the buddy won’t be caught with it. Your son now is up a creek. If your son wasn’t mixing with this crowd he wouldn’t be in the fix he now finds himself in. Teens need to know they need to be held accountable for picking certain friends.

This brings us to group mentality. It can be very strong. Especially if there is a charismatic leader in charge. Let’s say your daughter really wants to fit in with the cool group at school. Let’s also say she admires their leader. She might end up doing something mean to impress this leader. Also, if this group’s mentality is that it’s okay to do the things we do because we’re superior, what is this teaching your daughter? That if you think you are superior your say counts more? Even if years later she regrets the mean things she did, she has still hurt people. If you catch your teen doing mean things call them on it. If they try the excuse, “But everyone else was doing it,” remember it’s an excuse, not a reasonable reason. If many people in a neighborhood steal from a local store when there is a disaster it still is wrong. And against the law.

If you find your teen’s personality is changing for the worse have a talk with them. They might not want to talk with you but find out what’s going on anyway. Have a relative who they are close to get the “411″ as my teen niece calls it. Also, if your teen is normally easy going and cheerful, but has suddenly become aggressive and sullen, don’t ignore it. Check it out. Are you going through a divorce and complaining to them about it? Are you working long hours now and hardly seeing them because you think it’s okay because they’re almost grown up? Stop. Rethink. They aren’t adults. You are. You need to be the one they can reply on. Be there for your teen.

Find out what your teen is doing in school and after school. Find out what they’re doing on the weekends and with who. And remember a busy teen is less likely to find time to get into mischief. If presently your teen is getting into trouble with friends from school talk to your teen’s school counselor and get them involved in after school activities, charity work, or have them get a job. This way they have a chance to meet new friends who might have a better influence on them.

Author: Jay Marie P
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty

The high school years can bring with them overwhelming pressures, which can lead to risky behaviors like smoking, drinking and drug use. Stress is a major factor.

Parents should know that marijuana is the most widely used drug among girls. In fact, more teenage girls use marijuana than cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and all other illicit drugs combined! And girls are catching up with or have surpassed boys in other areas, such as alcohol, tobacco and general illicit drug use.

How can you help your daughter grow up healthy and confident?

First, learn how drug and alcohol abuse can negatively effect your daughter’s physical, psychological and social well-being. Second, spend some time with your daughter to find out what is going on in her life and learn what really stresses her out. Finally, maximize communication, model positive coping skills, motivate your daughter to be more self-confident and monitor her activities.

Adolescence is a time of change and upheaval. This can be a challenging time as you watch your daughter grow independent, make decisions and develop into a young adult. Some risks that are unique to teen girls, such as decreased self-confidence, depression and early puberty, can lead to drug and alcohol abuse. Even during this difficult time, parents are the most important influence in their child’s life. You can help your daughter navigate this exciting, but stressful time. Below are tips on how to raise healthy, drug-free daughters.

Author: Hafiz Muhammad Imran Khan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker

Even if your teen expresses interest, you don’t have to jump right into it. You can always say “Good – let me find out more about it and I’ll get back to you! I’m glad you’re so receptive to hearing about it.” Show your teen that you appreciate her mature approach to such a sensitive topic. This way when you bring it up again she’ll remember that she agreed to hear more from you about it, and that you rewarded her for her positive attitude.

If your teen acts surprised or insulted, do not push the issue. Just smile an understanding smile and say “I understand. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, it’s just something I noticed and I want you to know that you can talk to me about it at any time.” Wait another week or two to see if the subject pops up on her radar or if she approaches you about it. If not, approach her again and tell her you’ve been thinking about what you said about her weight. Again, you don’t want to hurt her feelings, but as her parent (guardian, caretaker, etc) you love her and are concerned about her health. Would she mind just listening to some of your thoughts on the matter and taking them into consideration?

You should also consider the possibility that your teen may be more receptive to having this type of conversation with someone other than you – perhaps a friend or another authority figure. Do not take any brush off’s personally. Simply encourage her to speak with a trusted person in her life – someone she respects and listens to, and someone you trust to have a positive influence on her.

Receptive or reluctant, here are some important do’s and dont’s to consider when speaking with your teen:

DO introduce the topic when your teen is in a positive frame of mind. Motivation is the key to successful weight loss. If your teen is down about her weight – or anything else – piling another problem onto her back will just cause her to sink lower and you will decrease your chances of making an impression.

DO NOT blame your child for her weight. 9 times out of 10 an overweight child is the product of a home that is not focused on healthy habits. Accept some accountability and tell your teen you want to make changes – for yourself, for her, for the household.

DO be the best role model you possibly can. This means lots of positive reinforcement and as much support as you can provide in the way of encouragement, healthy foods and snacks, and providing structure and guidance to your teen.

DO speak to your teen in terms of her “health”, versus her “weight.” Your goal is to introduce your teen to healthier eating habits and a healthier lifestyle. Losing weight is the benefit.

DO NOT point out other overweight teens or compare her to anyone else. As adults we are extremely sensitive about our body image – for teens this is even greater as they are much more impressionable and subject to peer feedback.

DO talk to your teen about the benefits to her. Ask her how she thinks losing weight and being healthy will help her, and help illustrate what she says with some personal examples.

DO NOT become the food police. It’s important that your teen feel comfortable and motivated through positive reinforcement to work on her weight loss goals. Any negative feedback could deflate her and sabotage her efforts to work harder.

DO encourage your teen toward more activity. Join her in a walk or suggest a regular walking partner. Buy a mini exercise trampoline or a dance exercise DVD … something fun but that also burns calories!

DO make sure your teen is getting enough sleep. Research shows that teens who do not get enough sleep each night are more prone to weight problems.

DO go food shopping with your teen so that you can pick out healthy foods and snacks together. Plan your weekly menu together so that she knows what to expect and can even contribute to creating dishes.

DO NOT compete or compare with your daughter. Although you want to model appropriate behavior for your teen, you do not want to intimidate her or make her feel envious. Show her love and support exclusive of her efforts to lose weight. Your weight and your body, or those of her friends, should not factor into her equation.

For more tips and articles on helping your overweight teen, please visit http://www.teenscanloseweight.com

Author: Alanna T
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Good eating habits begin in early childhood, and that’s when parents should start setting a good example. During the teenage years, however, parents have to be more subtle about guiding food choices. They can’t control what teens eat or don’t eat during the day, but they can offer healthy choices at home. Teens are impulsive eaters, usually munching on what’s right at hand. So stock the refrigerator with healthy snacks. Serve a nutritious dinner and try to make mealtime enjoyable. Also, be flexible about the time you eat dinner, taking into account a teenager’s often hectic schedule.

If your teenager avoids eat healthy foods because they think they’re fattening, nagging won’t help. Many experts believe this is the time for parents to step back, while continuing to offer healthy alternatives. Teens can be encouraged to eat fruits, cottage cheese and yogurt. Skin milk and fruit juice are other good choices. Getting teens to eat right can be a tough task, but don’t give up. Now more then ever is the time to tech them. You are what you eat

Author: Sittichai Phajan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cool mobile gadgets

As with all crisis situations, the “why?” is uppermost in all of our minds. How could this have happened? Where did we go wrong? We examine, scrutinise and debate our family’s and our own individual beliefs, attitudes, actions and behaviour, searching for the single, elusive answer that will throw some light on our failure to protect from harm this “troubled” and “troublesome” young, adolescent female in our midst. But the revelation is not forthcoming, nor is it possible to pinpoint the catalyst that transformed her into the demon that she’s become, haunting us all. She can’t begin to comprehend the emotional, mental and spiritual chaos that she’s unleashed on our entire family, nor does she care. In fact, she thinks it’s funny and doesn’t possess a single shred of remorse for the damage she’s inflicted on each and every one of us. The fallout continues.

Our tragic situation is a culmination of events and circumstances spanning several years. It has been aided and abetted by certain situations that have transpired, and has been encouraged by particular individuals with whom she has chosen to associate especially over the last two years. The desire was there and the opportunities presented themselves. A lethal, social concoction has been gently brewing in the background of our daily lives. None of us could, with sufficient certainty, discern the catastrophic change evolving in this girl until it was well established.

She is highly intelligent, a great actress, clever and devious. All wonderful attributes for living a double life. Blissfully ignorant, we stood in the wings, while our diva in centre stage gave the most convincing performances of her life and left us firstly gaping from disbelief, secondly gasping from the horror of it all, then finally leaving us drowning in a deluge of tears. Certainly, in hindsight, we can piece together parts of the jigsaw, but on the whole we largely missed and failed to act upon the first puffs of smoke tinkling the fire alarm bells of our minds. Thankfully she is still alive and (for the moment at least) has returned to the family fold. There is still hope.

I am not writing this as a sob-story, as a form of excuse to apportion blame, to absolve us from guilt or to give voice to religious fanaticism. Rather, I am compelled to spread the word as a dire warning to other unsuspecting parents, many of whom are totally oblivious to the insidious forces that are permeating every aspect of our modern, hectic, domestic lives. These forces are ultimately exerting their harmful influences on our (at least initially) innocent children. As parents, you need to be aware of and become educated about certain activities that your children may have become interested in and/or involved with, most probably without your knowledge. This way you may be a trifle more savvy than we were, and can perhaps nip a potentially dangerous situation in the bud. “Know thy enemy” is the first tenet of war. And believe me, if your child becomes involved in these activities, you will be at war. This is my mission; to forewarn and forearm you.

The tag “Emo” first oozed into our consciousness and vocabulary via the media with a report on television outlining the tragic deaths of two young schoolgirls in Melbourne a couple of years ago. They apparently committed suicide in a death pact. The term “Emo” was bandied about in connection with the tragedy.

My sister and I had never heard of this “cult” before. I remember my niece making the comment “You wouldn’t want to know,” when over a cup of coffee, we voiced our ignorance of the term and just what being “Emo” entailed. The tone of her response to our discussion appeared to us to be somewhat derisive of “Emos.” Our small voices of concern were effectively silenced by what we interpreted from her as an outward show of disgust for the cult. “Good,” we reassured ourselves. “No danger of her getting involved in that. She’s obviously not enamoured with it at all.” My niece did not elaborate and we did not press her for further information. Big mistake. We should have pursued it, because you see we were not correct in our assumption. She doesn’t embrace “Emo” but she is a “Scene” kid which is much worse. True “Scene” kids have little time for what they view as their inferior and pathetic rivals – “Emos.”

If you have never heard of “Scene” please take the time and make the effort to find out what it’s all about. There are literally thousands of websites devoted to this cult worldwide. “Scene” is being openly and aggressively promoted and marketed to vulnerable adolescents. By whom, one might well ask? It’s anybody’s guess.

As any parent knows peer pressure is the most formidable of foes and “Scene” capitalises on this. This movement is nothing short of sinister. The cult websites provide instructions and advice on how to become a “Scene” kid, covering everything from your hairstyle, what to wear, what music to listen to (including promoting the downloading of massive amounts of music with its astronomical associated costs), how to behave towards others and provides language scripts (stock sayings and covert terms recognizable only to other cult initiates, including advice on where, when and when not to use them). These web pages provide the definitive handbook for any interested party but are especially geared for insecure, impressionable adolescents yearning for acceptance and attention amongst their peers.

For those of you who are “Baby-boomers,” yes, it does seem on the surface that this behaviour is comparable to what teenagers were doing in the 60’s and 70’s. Peace, sex, free love, communes, pop music, “pep” pills and LSD were the key components of many teenagers’ lives in the 1960’s. Despite the hysteria presented in the media at the time though, not all teenagers were “Mods, Rockers, Bodgies or Widgies,” dabbled with drugs, or indulged in wanton promiscuity. In fact, a large proportion of young people grew up relative innocents, to become fairly well-balanced, responsible adults.

However, there are a number of key elements involved in ‘Scene” that were not a consideration, let alone an issue, during the Hippie era. There has been a major shift in attitude and behaviour amongst mainstream teenagers today and it is not necessarily for the better. This is being compounded by ready access to technology (including mobile phones, unbridled and unsupervised internet access and virtual social networking such as MSN, Myspace, Facebook, Stickam and Buzznet). The situation is further exacerbated through a loss of parental control and lack of support for parents, as well as a change in attitude and distinct lack of (or inappropriate) responses to the problems from the powers that be (i.e. Social Welfare and Health agencies, schools and the Police). This has become vividly apparent to us through our own family’s recent encounters with these authorities.

As far as I can determine, there are two levels of “Scene” kids. The first is mainly a group of young people making a particular fashion statement. The second borders on being a form of religion. True “Scene” is a very powerful movement and its membership is growing. On one website that I visited, the number of hits has reached 606,926. The “Scene” movement focusses on (for want of a better phrase) “the dark side”and promotes death, suicide and rebellion against any form of authority. Worse still, it is largely an underground movement which, to the best of my knowledge, few parents are educated about.

We recently discovered to our horror that in true cult fashion “Scene” quickly closes ranks around any potential threat to its membership. Drugs, alcohol, sex, witchcraft, self-mutilation, suicide attempts, thrill-seeking, alienating themselves from the rest of the family, truancy and running away from home are all activities which the “Scene” teenager willingly exposes himself/herself to and freely embraces. What is more disturbing however, is that “Scene” is not exclusively the domain of teenagers. As we also discovered for ourselves, there is a more mature age group circulating amongst “Scene” teens which raises a whole new set of disturbing and unsavoury questions.

“Scene” is the arch-enemy of all parents but especially so of any decent, caring, responsible guardian. If you have any reason to suspect that your adolescent might be undergoing fundamental changes in attitude, behaviour or dress code – investigate. Ask probing questions that you as a parent are entitled to know the answers to. Monitor your children’s movements. Check what they’re doing on their computers and mobile phones – who they’re talking to and about what. Be vigilant. Don’t be silenced with “put-downs” or snide comments. Be strong, steadfast and persistent. Persevere until you’re absolutely sure that all is as it should be.

While I firmly believe that “trust” is important in any relationship, it may be necessary to stoop to underhanded means – such as snooping – to gain the intelligence required to protect your child. Remember that you are foremost a parent and not your child’s best friend. You have a responsibility to lovingly guide, protect, censure and discipline your offspring. It may cause a backlash, but better this than to discover at a later date that while you have been out busting your boiler to provide for your family, exhausting yourself with cleaning, shopping and attending to all your other parental responsibilities, your child has lapsed into depression, got in with the “wrong” crowd, started taking drugs and drinking alcohol, is promiscuous, is sneaking out at night, is dabbling in the occult to boot, has developed psychosis and has violent thoughts.

Tears, tantrums and endless hours of ostracism from your teen will no doubt ensue and will be hard to tolerate. However, they are but a small price to pay for your family’s safety and sanity in the long run. You will weather the storm and the result will have been worth every ounce of your time, energy, courage and forbearance.

Author: Eleanor Wylie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information

To help train your teen on a wide range of driving skills a teen driving experience log book helps to ensure they are ready for the variety of road conditions. A teen driving experience log book allows the new driver and parent to identify if they are ready for their operators license.

Here are the components of the log and how to use them:

here.

Teaching their teen to drive is a stressful, emotional experience for many parents, but making training time count is one of the most important things you will ever do for your child.

Author: Rachaelle Lynn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times

Many parents bringing their adolescent sons into treatment are confused by the dramatic shift in their son’s behavior, often after a normal, happy childhood. The parents usually continue to care for their adolescent sons by the same methods they used when they were boys; supplying every possible emotional solution and material need. These young men have never learned how to delay gratification, deal with frustration, or acquire their own resources. This is exacerbated by our increasingly technological culture that supplies and values instant gratification.

Recent neurological research has shown that puberty triggers massive frontal cortex development in adolescents. This engenders dramatic mood shifts, impulsive decision-making, as well as increased learning potential. Additionally, there are intense drives to individuate from parents, create new self-identity and experience altered states. Without healthy opportunities to experience and express this shifting of consciousness, teens will often create dysfunctional relationships with drugs, sex, music, video games, or any activity that can become addictive.

A parent’s best intentions do not give their son opportunities to honor his biological urge to go out into the world and resolve life’s challenges. The additional frustration of having few culturally sanctioned outlets to freely express their energy causes them to increasingly withdraw and/or act-out.

They want to respect their parents but are hardened by the intuition that they are not being properly guided through this turbulent hormonal storm.

The problem is that we have not given young men what they need to be at peace with themselves and the world around them. For thousands of years a young man’s primary purpose was clear; to make the community safe and secure. Societal reverence for this inherent role was a powerful source of identity, self-esteem and direction for young men. Without the training and respect of the community for acting in this gallant, protective capacity, young men are now apathetic and confused.

There is a critical absence of ways and means with which to usher young men and women into adulthood in our society. All traditional cultures have rites of passage initiation rituals and mentoring to foster the proper development of adolescents. These time-honored activities fulfill the most fundamental need of a young man; to know his rightful place in the universe and his community. Through this realization a young man knows that he is a unique and special creation who is responsible for the wellbeing of his community.

Therapy based on traditional mentoring/initiation models teaches young men how to let go of their boyhood attitudes and inspires them to find their unique voice. When the therapist/mentor lets the young men voice their fears about adulthood without judgment, everyone begins to trust each other as they see their concerns are universal. The therapist/mentor respects the young men by holding the view that they are not broken and do not need to be fixed.

Young men are generally resistant to talk therapy. The efficacy of the initiation model is maximized by the fact that it is experiential. It has many attributes that are attractive to young men such as: nature, activity, honor, masculinity and mystery. Crucial personal growth, self knowledge and confidence are gained as they successfully overcome the specifically designed physical and emotional challenges of the initiation. They directly experience having the necessary innate intelligence to find their way in life. They also discover that by working in teams they are able to accomplish much more than they would on their own.

Another vital aspect of this process is that the young men are surrounded by adult men who display high moral and behavioral standards. They quickly learn that these men will not negotiate agreed upon communal principles. They then begin to emulate the virtues being modeled. By the end of the process, the young men learn that they want the same things as all men; freedom of expression, fraternity, and recognition. And most importantly, they know that it is by respecting themselves and others that these freedoms are ensured.

Mentors are the catalysts that have been used throughout history to teach and model the codes of conduct that promote family and community cooperation. A qualified mentor is any responsible same sex adult of the community who has the ability and dedication to pass on the initiatory knowledge that they have received. It is our experience that when such adults resume leading in the right direction, our young men enthusiastically join them!

Author: Richard Platt
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Benefits of electric pressure cooker