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 […]
The teen years can be a time of special difficulty and risk for a teenager who has diabetes, asthma, or some other chronic disease. The teen with epilepsy fears that he may not be able to get a driver’s license. The teen with diabetes has to eat on a certain schedule. This can also be
Teenagers are highly conscious and critical of their own bodies. Many girls worry about being too fat, even when their weight is normal. Many boys worry about being too short. You can help your teen to develop a better body image in several ways: 1. Compliment your teenager, whenever you can, about physical attributes. Too
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.
While most New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken, you and your teen might resolve, day by day, during the coming year, to improve your relationship with the following resolutions: 1. We will listen to each other. Each of us has a right to a point of view, a right to be heard, even
Even though the shopping days may have dwindled down to none, even though your family may already have opened a variety of gifts, there is still one more Christmas gift you can give your teenager today that can make this holiday special. The best gift you can give your teen today is some special time
Sometimes love needs a helping hand. And extended family members can be a big help when you’re faced with the challenge of raising a teenager. How can extended family members help? 1. They can offer reassurance, share experiences, and help you to gain perspective. Especially if they’ve raised difficult teenagers and have lived to tell
Having a child get caught up in a cult can be a frightening, frustrating, even a tragic experience for a family. How can you prevent such an occurrence in your family? • First, take steps to strengthen your teen’s self-esteem and his traditional religious or other altruistic ties. Teens most vulnerable to cults are those
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
It can be a shock to discover that your teen is having sex. You may feel anxious, angry, disappointed, and distressed, and wonder “What do I do now?” Here are some suggestions: • First, take time to collect your thoughts. Calm down if at all possible before discussing the matter. Lashing out at your teen
