Parent Talk Today » teens

Are Teens Getting Tired of Social Media?

Kathy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:05:20 +0000

Facing a time crunch with homework, tests and other real-world activities, some teens are just saying no to Facebook and other social-media temptations, according to a recent New York Times article.

Some are going so far as to ask a friend to change their Facebook password to help them avoid the siren song of social media.

According to the article, Facebook will not reveal how many users have deactivated service, but Kimberly Young, a psychologist who is the director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa., said she had spoken with dozens of teenagers trying to break the Facebook habit.

“It’s like any other addiction,” Young says. “It’s hard to wean yourself.”

Are your kids cutting back on social-media use? How about yourself? Is it time for a reality check regarding how much of our lives we’re willing to devote to the social-media beast?

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Take Me Out to The Blog Carnival!

Kathy Sena — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:18:24 +0000

It's blog-carnival time over at About.com, and I'm jazzed that Parent Talk Today was mentioned on their "End Mid-Summer Madness Now!" post.

Head over there right now (or after you hang around here for a bit!) to learn about:

° The dangers kids can get into when they have too much time on their hands in the summer.

° How to strengthen the bond with your children.

° Fun ways to interact with preschoolers.

° How parents who work from a home office can swing a break now and then. (Picnic, anyone?)

° How to get fit as a family.

° How to participate in community service as a family.

° How to host a teen slumber party

° Play-date tips.

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Got a Teen? Don’t Take the Bait!

Kathy Sena — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:57:53 +0000

This morning on the way to school, my seventh grader and I heard a silly commercial on the radio. I commented that it must be running at the same time every day because we had heard the exact same commercial while sitting at the same stop light the day before.

Just making conversation, right?

My son suddenly must have realized that he hadn't fulfilled his "if mom says the sky is blue I must insist it's green" quota for the day. So he came up with: "It wasn't exactly the same commercial as the one that ran yesterday."

Then he looked at me expectantly…

For the record? Yes, friends, it was EXACTLY the same commercial. But to my credit, I did something I don't often manage to do: I didn't take the bait. I just sort of shrugged as if to say "Oh well. You may be right. Who knows?"

Drove him nuts. Who was this mom who failed to engage in a debate over… nothing? After a couple more attempts resulted in less that his desired results, we moved on to another topic.

Success! I was not the catch of the day.

To make it an even better day, a friend just sent me this poster. I'm tempted to print it out and hang it in the kitchen. But then I'd be the one doing the baiting, right?

OK, I'll resist. At least I can share it with you — my fellow fish in the parenting-teens ocean.

Have you been baited by your teen lately? How did you handle it? Today I was on my game. But tomorrow? I may need all the tips I can get!

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Teens and Smoking: Why?

Kathy Sena — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:55:29 +0000

On the way back from dropping my son off at school this morning, I pulled up alongside an older Volvo
at a stop light. I smiled when I saw two girls, about 17 years old, in
the car, thinking that the driver's parents had probably made darned
sure she was driving a safe car.

They were so young and beautiful. Smiling, chatting, downing their Starbucks coffee drinks. Then, almost in unison, they both stuck their hands out the car window and flicked ashes from a cigarette.

My heart sank.

My mother in law, Pat, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when my son, Matt, was just in first grade. A lifelong smoker, she tried many times to quit. But the habit, which she picked up in college, was too tough for her to give up. I remember her telling all this to Matt and then telling him to NEVER start smoking. To this day, he still talks about that conversation with his grandmother.

This morning, I wanted to get out of my car and go tell all of this to those girls. Those lovely, healthy young women with beautiful skin, bright eyes and (I hoped) still-healthy lungs and hearts.

I didn't, of course. The light turned green. We went our separate ways. And I don't expect those two girls to be seeking out a parenting blog… Until they are parents themselves, of course. When they're addicted to smoking and worried like hell that the second-hand smoke, and the example they're setting, might be hurting their kids. When they're looking up articles on Google about how to quit smoking or how to make sure their own kids never smoke.

How much easier it would be for today's teens to not pick up that first cigarette. Or to quit now, after a few months of smoking, rather than having to stare down that nicotine beast after a decade or more of damage.

If you're a parent who is smelling cigarette smoke on your kid's clothes when then come home, please show them this post. You may not be the parent of those two particular girls. But then again, there might be an older, gold-colored Volvo sitting in your driveway right now.

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Momagers, Momtourages and Mommy Mobs, Oh My!

Kathy Sena — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:05:46 +0000

“We really want the kids to feel special at the magazine drive contest
next week, and do not want anyone to feel like a ‘loser’ because they
are all winners. So, we will all be responsible for bringing in
presents and trophies for someone else’s child so everyone is included!”

“You did a fabulous job at the Need-Organic-Glue-in-the-Classrooms Fundraiser. Thanks so much!”

“In honor of Shalom-Winroads School’s 12.5-year anniversary, we are having a benefit. Have you bought your table yet?”

If you're a mom with a kid in preschool through middle school, you may be laughing, because you know these quotes from a post over at On Youth and Teens Today With Vanessa Van Petten aren't all that much of an exaggeration…

Be sure to read the entire post. Vanessa is one of my favorite parenting bloggers. She throws in a lot of humor with her great insights. Head over there right now and subscribe… before you read another e-mail from the PTA president.

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Get Creative When Giving Teens Gift Money

Kathy Sena — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:05:52 +0000

Denise Witmer, over at About.com: Teens, has some terrific advice for parents and relatives who want to give a teen money for the holidays. (And what teen doesn't love the idea of receiving a little mad money?)

Here are a few of Witmer's suggestions:

Put the money in a new wallet and wrap the wallet.
Stick the money in a festive envelope and place it in a book on learning about money.
Disperse the money into gift cards to your teen’s favorite
stores. Add a card that sets a date to go shopping and spend some time
together.

For more creative and fun ideas, visit About.com: Teens.

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Teens Say Prescription Drugs Are Easier to Buy Than Beer

Kathy Sena — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:13:24 +0000

Hi everyone –

As I was finishing writing this post, my 12-year-old son wandered into the office, and the photo and headline here grabbed his attention. We ended up having a really good chat about kids and drugs. You never know when and where these opportunities will arise! OK, back to the blog:

Parents who don't monitor their kids' school-night
activities, safeguard their prescription drugs, address the problem of
drugs in their kids' schools, and set good examples increase the
risk that their teens will smoke, drink, and use
illegal and prescription drugs.

That's the word from the 13^th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

The survey
found that the later teens are out of the house hanging out with
friends on school nights, the more likely they are to be involved with
alcohol and drug use.

46
percent of 12- to 17-year olds report leaving their house to hang out
with friends on school nights. Among these teens:

° 50 percent who come home after 10:00 p.m. say that drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana or other drug use occurs.

° 29 percent who
come home after 8:00 p.m. and before 10:00 p.m. say that drinking
alcohol, smoking marijuana or other drug use occurs.

For the first
time in the CASA survey’s history, more teens said prescription drugs
were easier to buy than beer (19 vs. 15 percent). Almost half (46 percent) of teens say
painkillers are the most commonly abused prescription drug among teens.

When teens who know prescription drug abusers were asked where those kids get their drugs:

° 31 percent said from friends or classmates

° 34 percent said from home, parents or the family medicine cabinet

° 16 percent said other

° 9 percent said from a drug dealer

Talking with your child about drug and alcohol abuse, safeguarding the family medicine cabinet (including keeping a count of pills that might be abused) and setting family rules and curfews can all help prevent teen drug and alcohol abuse.

What conversations are you having with your kids about this important topic? Please share your thoughts in "comments."

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Death by Pecking (Or Fudge Ripple, Whichever Comes First)

Kathy Sena — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:06:13 +0000

You’ve seen the t-shirts that say “Raising Children is Like Being
Pecked To Death by Chickens,” right? Well, raising a teenager, I’m
learning, can be like being pecked to death by a very large,
hormone-filled rooster.

I’m off to the grocery store to escape the coop. (And because we’re out of food, but that’s beside the point.)

Yes, folks, I’m living proof that one can spend 12 years writing about parenting, child psychology, education, kids’ health, yada, yada, yada — and still be driven insane by one 12-year-old boy.

OK, frozen-food department, here I come. Better lock up the chocolate ice cream.

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Parenting Teens Just Got (a Little Bit) Easier

Kathy Sena — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:21:26 +0000

Our son is only starting sixth grade in the fall, but Randy and I already are getting a preview of the teen years that lie ahead. And we know we’ll have plenty of challenges and decisions to deal with.

Parenting a teen these days calls for a cool head — and solid information. The Parenting Teens Resource Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing news, resources and journal articles that are helpful for parents of teens. (Disclosure: I have contributed writing to this site. But I spend more time there as a parent than as a writer. There’s just so much helpful info available.)

Also, through the organization’s online Parent Forum, parents can talk to each other and ask questions of parenting experts and teens themselves.

Because, let’s face it, none of us has all the answers. Do you know what the latest “gateway” drug is? Is your teenager too old
for the pediatrician’s office? Could your student athlete be tempted to use steroids? In addition to information on drugs and alcohol abuse, the site covers gambling, internet/video game use, teen weight issues, sports and sports injuries, bullying, dating, single parenting, gender issues, teaching life skills and much more. Check it out.

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