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Risky Teen Driving Behaviors

Next month my daughter signs up for driver’s education. Although she isn’t my first child to learn how to drive, she is the only one enthusiastic about it. My oldest son just never really enjoyed driving and would avoid it at all costs. It’s likely that this time around as the parent of a teen driver, there will be greater worries. But I’m not the only one concerned about the safety of teens behind the wheel. The AAA is sponsoring “National Teen Driver Safety Week,” which runs from October 14 through October 20. The focus is on creating stronger graduated … Continue reading →

Are You a Velcro Parent?

You may have heard of the “helicopter” parent. They are the type of parent that kind of hovers around their child, almost overly involved in their child’s life. But recently I heard a new term be used, the “Velcro” parent. This parent sticks to their child like Velcro. I was having a conversation with another parent about teens applying for jobs. I had told him a funny story about my oldest son and he made the comment that some teens not only have their parents fill out their job applications but come with them to their job interviews. Now I … Continue reading →

A Teen’s First Driving Experience

Well this past weekend we had it planned that my son would drive for the first time to his cousin’s house. However we weren’t feeling very comfortable about the idea. They live about 20 minutes away and the only way he knows how to get there is by expressway, so we were feeling a bit apprehensive. Well we happened to have dinner plans Friday night with friends of ours who have a son in college. We asked them how they handled their son driving and I thought they had a great plan. They allowed their son to drive to work … Continue reading →

Teens Need Rules But They Also Need Freedoms

There is no question that teenagers need rules, which is many times not a difficult thing for parents to mete out. What can be more challenging is also giving teenagers their freedoms. It can be difficult to draw the line between the two. However some issues are non-negotiable and require firm rules. For instance rules should be established concerning a curfew, the ability to drive the family car or even in dating. In each family the logistics of those rules will vary but they should be established and then discussed. I will admit that I have no problem coming up … Continue reading →

With Freedoms Come Responsibility

You will often hear me refer to Dr. Phil as I write some of these blogs on teenagers. He does a great job at tackling some of the issues that teens deal with today. One of the running themes that I see in virtually every show of his that deals with teenage issues is a sense of entitlement. Many teens believe that they are entitled to things, not just material possessions but it can come in the way of freedom. They feel like they are so close to adulthood that they have the right to do things that adults do. … Continue reading →