Recently there was yet another great reminder that today’s teens are growing up in a world vastly different from the one their parents grew up in. I am not referring to global warming, iphones, Justin Bieber, or Nintendo DS. What I am referring to is one of the more precious traditions in most families – […]
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One of the fears parents have about their children’s adolescence is that they will develop a drug or alcohol problem. The fear is not irrational. Many teens will experiment with various substances during adolescence, and we know that many addicts first encountered a problem with substance abuse during their teenage years. While there are known […]
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It appears that teenagers are getting wiser about how they conduct themselves on online. While the risks are just a prevalent as ever, a majority of teens seem to be making wise choices. However as with most arenas of life, more than a few teens have regrets about choices they have made online. A survey […]
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It is one of the many ironies of modern life. The more options we have to increase convenience in life, the more stressful life becomes. New research has found that stress is affecting a majority of modern families, and it is not just adults who are affected. Young people are experiencing significant levels of stress […]
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In the last few weeks in Australia the media has been awash with arguments about school league tables, national standardised testing, and funding formulas. While such matters should be debated, as they can have drastic effects on the quality of education, it felt like listening to people discuss how to rearrange deck chairs on the […]
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In my previous post I outlined the contours of dating and finding a romantic partner during adolescence. While that post is full of useful information (really it is you can check it out right here) it was lacking slightly. I made a passing reference to the impact of growing up in a digital world upon […]
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It is great when your kids are little, they have their friends, they play with their friends, they come home. Life is so simple. When they are really young they have friends who are boys and girls and the difference barely matters. As they get a bit older they start to hang out with the […]
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Ever wish you could grab snap shot into the collective mind of a generation. Well for those of us down under we get a chance each year to have a pretty good look. Every year in Australia a fantastic charity called Mission Australia conduct a nation wide survey of young people. This is the largest […]
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The school playground can be a hard place! I’m sure most of us have some memories of the stresses and strains of negotiating the politics of adolescent friendships and social networks – and we didn’t have to worry about online social networking. Popularity matters a lot when you’re a teenager. Even as an adult popularity […]
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This past weekend I have enjoyed observing via social media a good mate being a loving father to his son. As I have read the occasional update and seen a ‘twitpic’ or two of their father son camping trip, I have been reminded of what a formative time of life it is for young boys […]
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