The issue of teen drinking continues to be a source of pain and broken trust for many parents. I’ve seen a growing number of parents respond to the issue by making the home a “safe haven” for drinking alcohol. The rationale is, “teens are going to drink alcohol. I don’t won’t them to get hurt of hurt someone else ...
Continue ReadingWhen I was in high school, my biggest social concerns were where I was going to go skateboarding, who I was going to go out with on Friday night, and how I was going to get gas money. As a faithful member of the “me” generation, everything on my radar had to do with, well…me. But things have changed for teens of this g...
Continue ReadingI recently had the opportunity to lead our Wired Generation workshop for a group of elementary school parents. We talked about risk behavior for teens and tweens concerning cell phones, gaming systems, email, and online blog sites. Afterward the most interesting comment was from a mom who remarked, “I thought I had a few...
Continue ReadingMore than 80% of high schoolers and 50% of middle schoolers carry a cell phone. We all know that the thing they spend most of there time doing with the phone is texting. The average teen sends/receives an average of 2400 each month. As a parent, you’ve probably had a talk with your teen about it, yelled about it, or rolled you...
Continue ReadingIn fall and spring a ritual takes place among millions of 14-24 year olds that has nothing to do with school. For one hour every Thursday night they tune in to watch a group of castaways that have been left on an uninhabited island far away. They watch these ordinary people on Survivor form alliances against one another, compete...
Continue ReadingSexting is exactly what it sounds like––sending a sexually related message to another person via text or instant message. And it’s much more common among teenagers than you might think. There have been several recent studies concerning the how and why of teen sexting. In a study from Drexel University more than half of the...
Continue ReadingThe hope we all have for our children is that they will use technology in a way that is honoring of themselves, those around them, and their faith. Many times we feel like trying to keep up with all the screens in our teens lives is like trying to beat back the ocean waves with a broom. You take all of the appropriate steps t...
Continue ReadingHave your ever heard of the 10,000 rule? Malcolm Gladwell popularized the phrase in his book Outliers. The 10,000 rule is the idea that it take roughly 10,000 hours of practice at something to master it. You don’t become great by accident. Most people would consider The Beatles the greatest rock-n-roll band of all time. It ...
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