Could your teen be using or abusing drugs or alcohol? Ask yourself the following questions: 1. Have my teen’s group of friends changed suddenly? 2. Does my teen receive phone calls from people I’ve never heard of before? 3. Is he irritable? 4. Is he having trouble concentrating? 5. Is he getting into fights at […]
Problem
Beyond the normal amazement of how quickly time can fly, you may have the disquieting feeling that your teenager is growing up just a little “too fast.” Maybe you have a thirteen year old daughter who is dating a high school boy, and going to parties where alcohol is served. Perhaps your fourteen year old
While many teens experiment with a cigarette, alcohol or drugs just once, and others confine their substance use entirely to cigarettes, the trend is toward risk clusters instead of one type of risk taking behavior. Recognizing a risk cluster can help a parent spot early signs of trouble. There are four, well documented risk clusters.
Your teen has colds, headaches, stomach aches and a host of other physical complaints. You may find yourself wondering if he is becoming a hypochondriac! The unique stresses of adolescence can make some teens appear to be hypochondriacs. • First, the physical and life changes in teens cause stress and heightened body awareness, so aches
Everyone has his or her own normal biological time table for pubertal development. Some boys, for example, show signs of puberty while still in elementary school, while others can get well into high school still looking like little boys. Being different from the average can be especially hard on a boy who’s puberty is delayed.
Are you a perfectionist? Consider what your perfectionism has or hasn’t done for you and what it may be doing to and for your teenager. Being ambitious, hard working, and goal-oriented can be quite different from invariably demanding top performance from yourself and from your teenager. • Perfectionists work under unrelenting tension, and this takes
Perhaps your child’s teen years are on the horizon, or perhaps they’ve already begun. These can be difficult, demanding years, ones that require emotional preparation on your part. How can you prepare yourself as a parent? • First, work on your own self-esteem, so you can withstand with wisdom, insight, and good humor the occasional
The turbulent times of adolescence can mean trouble at school, either academically or socially. If your teen’s grades have fallen, talk with him and his teachers about this to discover the reason. Make sure that he has enough structured study time and completes homework assignments on time. • Consider a temporary dip in grades as
Many teens who have sex don’t use birth control, initially or ever. Why do they take such risks? Quite often it’s because they believe certain birth control myths. These include: 1. “Birth control is unromantic.” Ask a teen how romantic pregnancy or fears of pregnancy might be. The fact is, using a reliable method of
Last month you gave advice to parents who had just decided to divorce. How about tips for those of us who have to deal with problems after the divorce? I often encounter stress when my 13-year-old visits her father, my ex-husband. It just seems to be such a hassle. — G.A., McAllen, Texas Your daughter
