Were you ever taught that the goal of technological advancement was to enable human endeavours to be achieved more efficiently resulting in a more leisurely lifestyle for all? Computers will save us time. Automated machines will take care of all manual tasks. Instantaneous communications will mean life becomes less stressful and easier to manage. Do […]
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One of my axioms about working with teenagers is: “Adolescence is like gravity, It is much easier to work with it than against it.” A lot of the talk about dealing with teenagers focuses on how to combat or overcome the forces of adolescence. As adults it can be easy to think of the teenager […]
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We are all very familiar with teenagers who absolutely must have the latest fashion item or trendy gadget that is taking the world by storm. It was true when I was a teenager (Reebok Pumps or Walkmans anyone?) and nothing much has changed. As long as teenagers have access to money there will be people […]
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The old saying “Sticks and stones may beak my bones, but names will never hurt me” has been long acknowledged as less than accurate. Name calling and teasing can have real and very damaging effects, especially on young people. I‘m sure many of us can still remember names or verbal taunts from the playground or […]
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This is the second part of two-part post on conversations parents absolutely must have with their teenagers, preferably before the teen years. I want to acknowledge before continuing that talking about these topics will happen more effectively as a series of short conversations over time rather than one long conversation. These short conversations are most […]
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Communicating with teenagers is not always easy. In fact sometimes it can feel impossible. When confronted with overwhelming levels of grunts, rolled eyes, and expressions that say “Why are you destroying my life by continuing to exist” adults can feel it is all just too hard. While communication can be challenging, it is important, and […]
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Taking risks is part of life. It is most definitely part of growing up. If we don’t take risks we never learn about our own capabilities or discover the joy of new experiences. Risk can be good, but they can also be unhealthy. Part of an adult’s role in nurturing teenagers is to encourage risks […]
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Today’s kids are playing games on consoles, computers, portables and online more than ever before. Remember when computer games were all about playing Pac Man or Space Invaders at the local arcade? Or when the ultimate in home entertainment was having an Atari console? How about when things got really high tech and portable games […]
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Adolescence is a time of life when a person’s self esteem is known to fluctuate significantly. It is estimated that up to a half of adolescents will struggle with low self esteem, many of these occurrences during the early teen years. In previous posts I have discussed the key factors that influence teenager’s self esteem […]
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Parents, are you a friend of your teenage child on Facebook? If you are do you know if your teen is happy about it? A survey, released last week by AOL and conducted by The Nielsen Company, sheds some light on one of the new battlegrounds of modern parenting. According to the survey, of 1,024 […]
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