Search Results for: blog teens need to feel secure

New Gun Control Laws and Special Needs

Today, January 15, 2013, Vice President Biden delivered his policy proposals to President Obama regarding ways to reduce gun violence. New York Governor Cuomo also unveiled rules to prevent gun violence. Some of the new regulations are going to affect children, teens, and adults who have mental illnesses. Here is what parents need to know. Now is the time to do something. The tragedy that happened in Newtown, Connecticut, has sparked a push for legislators to enact laws that are intended to reduce the amount of gun violence in the United States. Some feel that this is what we have … Continue reading →

When Teens Don’t Share Everything

Some recent events that have unfolded in my home have opened my eyes to some truths that while they may not be easy to accept, they are part of raising teenagers. It is the belief that your teens will share everything going on in their world. I guess I really thought I had the market on this one but apparently not. One of the things that both my husband and I have strived to do in our home is to create a safe, secure refuge. That means our children can trust us, even when it means telling us the hard … Continue reading →

Renowned Child Psychiatrist Talks About Teens (and Parents) Texting

I recently received an invitation to interview renowned child psychiatrist Dr. Charles Sophy who is the Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Dr. Sophy has also made feature appearances on television’s “Celebrity Rehab.” After submitting my questions about teens and texting I received a video response. It enlightened me to a few things about teens and texting that I had not really thought about before. The first thing that really hit me was how statistics show that half of parents are texting while driving. My first thought was, “How could parents do that?” … Continue reading →

Teens Need to Feel Secure

Today begins yet another milestone in my teenager’s life as he begins driver’s education. I have vivid memories of when he was three years old and driving his motorized red jeep. It is so hard to believe he will be getting behind a real wheel. My husband and I were talking last night about our son and how hard it is to believe that he is taking driver’s education. Something suddenly struck me. I asked my husband if he noticed how our son doesn’t seem ready to grow up. What I mean is that although he wants to take driver’s … Continue reading →

Talking to Your Teens

Talking to your teens isn’t the easiest feat in the world. Of course it depends on two things, what gender your teen is and their personality. Boys tend to be vague in their communication. It can be a bit trickier trying to get a teen boy to talk. Girls can be dramatic, which can be difficult to understand. I think if there is one bit of advice I would give to every parent of teenagers it is, don’t give up. Never, ever give up on talking to your teen. Half of the time it may appear they aren’t listening. You … Continue reading →

Teen Challenges: Lying

This blog is a kickoff to a little series I will be doing on teen challenges.  While some of the issues we face in parenting teenagers are different for each family, there are many common ones that we deal with. So let’s start off with a big one—the juicy lies that sometimes come out of our teen’s mouths.  Oh, this is one that I have the most difficulty in dealing with.  Because I have taught my children from early on that the consequences will be much more severe if caught lying. By now my teens should have figured out that … Continue reading →

Ask Your Teen’s Opinion

Does your teen feel important?  One of the best ways we can help in this area is to ask our teen’s opinion. Depending on your personality and parenting style, this could be difficult.  For others it may come too easily.  As with anything, there needs to be a healthy balance. Here is one of the benefits you will receive when you ask your teen’s opinion.  They will be allowed the freedom of expression; the opportunity to communicate with us.  That is a good thing. It can sometimes be difficult to get details from our teens, such as when we ask … Continue reading →

Would You Marry Yourself?

Would you want to marry yourself?  Most of us probably don’t think about this but you might want to if you have teenagers. Why?  They are getting closer and closer to that time of making a lifetime commitment.  And the chances are pretty high they will choose someone similar to their same-sex parent. It’s an interesting thing to consider.  Although my 18-year-old son is nowhere near ready to get married, he does talk about the traits he would like in a wife.  Many of them are similar to mine. Hopefully he will bypass the negative one in me when it … Continue reading →

10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away: Don’t Show Affection (Part 10)

You might be surprised at this last part of my blog series, “10 Ways to Push Your Teen Away.” We are going to wrap it all up with a pretty bow called affection. I think the reason some might be surprised is because it has never crossed their mind the importance of showing affection to your teen. In fact, for some parents it might actually feel very uncomfortable. And then for other parents, they get the sense that their teen doesn’t want affection. In fact, you might be outright rejected when you attempt to give a hug. But don’t let … Continue reading →

Acknowledging Your Teen’s Pain

Don’t we all like our feelings to be acknowledged? What if you were going through something painful, either emotionally or physically, would it help to hear someone acknowledge your pain? I imagine this is what people with conditions like fibromyalgia experience. Their pain may not be seen as “real” by others but for those who are suffering, it is more than real. Well this is what my 12-year-old son has been going through for several months. On and off he has been experiencing stomach pains that can last a day or several. He has missed a good deal of school … Continue reading →