Teen Topics
Is Your Teen Ready to Be a Baby Sitter (700 words + 300 word sidebar)
This article shows parents what to look for before they allow their teen to baby-sit. The sidebar offers advice to beginning baby sitters as well as a resource list.
The Care & Feeding of a Teen-age Babysitter (1,225 words)
Great ideas and tips on where to find trustworthy, qualified teen-age babysitters and how to keep them happy. This article shares all of the things your babysitter wishes you knew.
Your Teen Behind the Wheel (2,000 words including sidebars)
Preparing your teen to drive? There’s no need to panic. This article summarizes what every parent of a l 5-year-old needs to know before their child gets behind the wheel to learn how to drive.
Scholar Athletes: Why Sports & Smarts Go Together (1,100)
The partnering of commitment in the classroom and commitment on the playing field propels many teens to achieve excellence in all parts of their lives. It’s a winning combination. Being part of a team helps prepare students for life. When you’re part of a team, you’re automatically accepted by teammates. You’re a part of something bigger. This article outlines the value of supporting teens as they strive to achieve in both academics and athletes. The article includes tips for parents to nurture their student athletes.
Show Me the Money (for College): Where to Start Your Scholarship Search! (900 words)
College costs are on the rise and even the thriftiest of families can’t keep up. There is money available to qualified, detail-oriented and tenacious applicants. All it takes is a time commitment and attention to detail.
This article outlines the how, when and where to look for scholarships. It also includes information on avoiding scholarship scams and provides a variety of resources to get your search on its way.
College Entrance Exams: What Your Teen Can Expect (1,150 words)
Patrick is a 16-year-old high school junior. He has known since middle school that college would be a part of his future. But now, along with many of his fellow juniors, Patrick is beginning the preparation for attending the college of his choice. Part of that preparation is achieving high scores on college entrance exams. He has already signed up to take the SAT l (Scholastic Assessment Test) and the ACT Assessment. In his sophomore year he took the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT). Local high schools offer this test as a tune-up before taking the SAT. This practice test helps freshmen or sophomore students be better prepared to take the SAT.
Why all this preparation and pre-planning to take a test? Because nowadays getting into the college of your choice may be just as hard as adequately completing all the units required for graduation.
Brace Your Child For a Winning Smile:
What You Need to Know Before Your Child Sees an Orthodontist (1,300 words including a sidebar)
With all of the changes in orthodontics, wearing braces isn’t that long and painful chapter in a child’s life that it used to be. This article highlights the technological improvements and talks about when to first take your child to the orthodontist.
Does Your Child Need Glasses? (950 words)
How can you tell if your child has a vision problem? This article helps parents evaluate when there’s cause for concern and what to look for as a sign of vision trouble.
Co-ed Birthday Parties: Where the Boys Meet the Girls (1,000 words + sidebar)
Help for parents of pre-teens and teens faced with hosting their first boy-girl party. In addition to tips, the article includes a sidebar of Party Ideas for the Adolescent Years.
Celebrate That Diploma: Planning a Terrific Graduation Party (1,100 words)
Do you have a son graduating from high school or college? Maybe he’s getting promoted from the sixth grade to middle school? Has your daughter just earned her teaching credential or master’s degree. If this June finds your family proudly sharing in the celebration of an academic accomplishment, then the word party” is definitely in your future. This article shares great advice for planning a terrific graduation celebration, ideas on invitations, decorations and gift suggestions are included.
Safe After-Proms and Grad Nites: What It Takes to Plan One (1,200 words)
During May and June local high schools will be a sea of celebration, beginning with prom and following up through graduation day. Both of these events are critical rites of passage for young adults. Both of these events also bring with them a certain amount of anxious feelings and trepidation for parents. Many parents throughout the county have found a way for their children to celebrate these important events and stay safe at the same time. The solution comes in the form of parent-organized After Proms and Grad Nite Parties. This article gives tried-and-true suggestions from parents who have staged these events with great success. Must reading for every parent of a graduating senior.
Lines of Communication
It’s Seth’s turn to take out the trash. Being 16, he often needs reminding. I thought about waiting until he notices that the can is overflowing and hope he’ll take it out on his own. But I’m a realist. The price of gas will dip below $3 before that happens. I could write a note and tape it on the refrigerator door. He’ll get hungry, eventually. Or I could walk up stairs to his room where he’s on his computer and ask him face-to-face, but that’s so 1970s.
I’m sure I’d get a quicker response if I used one of the electronic innovations he’s familiar with. But I’m slow to change. Not that I’m against progress or anything. I cheered when the NBC peacock appeared in living color instead of black-and-white. I switched to music recorded on CDs instead of cassettes. I happily turned in my rotary dial phone for one with a keypad. Still, I’m leery when it comes to using cyberspace gizmos to communicate with my Generation Y children. If it weren’t for Shawn, Jake and Seth, I could pretty much avoid these instantaneous transmitters of information altogether.
MOM = Made of Money
It happened in a flash at a mall not far from my home. The realization that I had become one of those mothers – a woman who indulges her young with too much, wanting to make sure they have everything. Unwittingly, I was becoming the kind of mother whose kids aren’t prepared for adulthood.
The truth hit me like two weeks’ worth of dirty clothes, tumbling down my laundry chute. Somewhere along the line, while I was performing day-to-day mothering duties, my three sons, Shawn, Jake and Seth, grew up thinking that MOM stood for Made of Money. I’m not sure when this happened, but I knew how. It wasn’t such a stretch for my kids to equate MOM with money. Nowadays, everything is labeled with an acronym. Kids watch DVDs, teams play OT and we use the ATM. It was a natural progression for MOM to mean Made of Money.
For the Love of Leftovers
“All we ever eat is leftovers!” — the Fadden brothers, in search of food
My sons insist that leftovers are the only food served in our house. Over the years, this rally cry for action from Shawn, Jake and Seth usually amounts to a request for fast food. This day, I unwisely challenge their assertion.
“You have to have a home-cooked meal in order for the leftovers to exist,” I insist. “That’s why they call them left-overs. They’re Left Over!”
“Mother U R the GR8ST”
I will probably never be named Mother of the Year and that’s OK with me. I’m happiest when I am praised, even for a moment, by one of my three sons. Kudos from my trio of boys don’t emerge from solving society’s problems. I haven’t unearthed a software solution to block spam, a plan to lower the price of gas or even an easy way to remove Orange Blast Gatorade stains from the front of baseball uniforms. You won’t see my name listed alongside great women like Clara Barton, Mother Teresa or Marie Curie. But I am remembered by my boys for less notable, but infinitely more important reasons. For example, over the years, I’ve heard: “Mom, you’re awesome.” (Shawn, when I found his missing soccer cleats.) “Claire, you’re clutch (Jake, after having his sweatshirt mended.) or “Mom, you rock!” (any of them upon discovering a full bag of peanut butter M&Ms in the pantry). The highlight, though, was the day my 12-year-old, Seth, declared me the greatest!
Music to My Ears
One random weeknight, Seth and I were alone for dinner. The rest of the family had other plans for their evening meal, and rather than cook for just two, I suggested eating out. My 14-year-old easily agreed. The hard part was deciding on where. Seth likes burgers. Me, I’m a salad eater. We compromised and went to Fuddrucker’s where we both could have what we wanted. Salad eater also likes chocolate milk shakes. So does hamburger teen. Luckily they have those too.
