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Save Money and Teach A Lesson

July 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In today’s world, parents face many difficult responsibilities. Parenting a teen in the throes of rebellion can seem almost impossible. Drugs and alcohol, the horror of teenage driving, medical needs, and education can quickly mount up. The problems can combine to create an enormous financial strain on parents, one that needs a manageable solution. One idea is to work with your teenager to develop a budget for their clothing needs. Online shopping and a Reach Prepaid Card can help you control your teenagers spending while teaching them a valuable lesson.

Aside from medical needs and education expenses, one of the biggest money drains on parents is buying their teenagers clothing. Today, teenagers are under an enormous amount of pressure to feel like they fit in. They do this primarily with the clothing they wear. As a parent, you can aid their development by helping them understand the cost associated with clothing. Consider developing a yearly clothing allowance and using a Reach Prepaid Card to pay for the clothing.

Remember that your teen does not yet have the discipline to understand spending a budget over a period of a year. Because of this, it is important to reload the card several times over the course of the year. For example, if you have budgeted $1000 for their clothing, consider loading their Reach Prepaid Card at four times during the year, $250.00 each time. This will help make sure they stick to their budget.

Parenting a teen is costly, but, by enlisting their help, you can work to keep some of the costs in line while teaching them a valuable life skill.

Filed Under: Advice, Counseling, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

How To Teach a Teen Financial Discipline

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Bought a travel wallet :(

Image by mroach via Flickr

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is teach your teen how to manage and respect money. A young adult with good financial discipline has a better chance at being an independent adult.

Don’t Spend What You Haven’t Earned

As soon as your teenager is old enough to get a job, you should demand he do so. The fastest way to get a kid to respect money is to make him earn his own. Once he understands the value of a hard-earned dollar, the rest of the money education will be pretty easy.

Kids need to know that it is best to pay cash for the things they want. Reinforce the importance of saving money for those things. Since you’ll be paying for medical needs, food, shelter and basic clothing, make your teen buy the extra stuff. Help him learn how to save and budget. As he develops a new responsibility for money, you might even want to give him a Reach prepaid card so he can begin to learn about credit, too.

Make Sure Credit Cards Are Your Teen’s Responsibility

If you choose to get your kid a prepaid credit card, make sure it’s his money that you use to set the limit. Make him reload it. This is a great way to help your child visualize money that he doesn’t necessarily “see.” People get into financial trouble with credit when they start to think about those loans as something to worry about tomorrow.

As your child learns to use his card, he’ll also be building his own good credit score. That will be a great help when he’s ready to step out on his own. Make money management a key part of your child’s education.

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Parenting Teens

July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A picture of Japanese high school students fro...

Image via Wikipedia

Parenting teens can be hard on both the teen and the parent. Depending on the issues that are at hand, parents may feel like their teens are out of control, and that they need help. This is not a bad thing, in fact, reaching out for help and understanding your limitations will help your child correct their behaviors. Often times parents feel that they need to have all of the answers, but in reality they don’t.

Sit Down and Talk

Sit with your teen and talk about issue that you feel they are having. Instead of accusing them, inquire about their life and try to get a feel for what is going on with him or her. This will give you an indication is there is a problem. Sometimes teens just need more independence. Things like a reach prepaid card is a great way to let feel grown up without letting them go crazy.

Begin to develop a relationship with your teen so that there is a level of comfort between the two of you. If the line of communication are opened up, then the talking, bonding, and healing can begin. For teens this is a hard process because they either feel ashamed of their actions, or are afraid you won’t understand.

The biggest deterrent for teens to have a relationship with their parents is the fact that they don’t want to be belittled or scrutinized. Maintain a respectful flow of conversation, and allow them to speak. To relieve the pressure, repeat what they said in your own words. This will really help them see that you understand.

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Avoid Common Driving Distractions

March 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are tons of things that can distract a driver. You don’t have to be driving on a busy city street to be distracted. Rural settings can be extremely dangerous too. As technology moves forward and offers more ways to get and give information, we are constantly challenged to concentrate on the task at hand: operate the vehicle safely. Lives are at stake here.

Cell phones can be a big distraction. Many states have enacted laws prohibiting use of a cell phone while driving without a hands-free device. While a hands-free device can free up the hand of the person behind the wheel, some research has shown that the real distraction comes from having the conversation-not the act of holding the phone to your ear. This distraction is different from talking to someone that is riding in the car with you. A passenger can see some challenges, like an accident ahead, or traffic that is stopped. They may instinctively slow or stop their conversation or, better yet, offer to help by spotting exits or big hazards. The person on the other end of a cell phone conversation, however, cannot see any challenges that may face the driver. They will carry on their conversation regardless of the number of challenges facing the operator like slowing down, swerving to avoid a cow in the road, etc.

There are some options to remain free of distractions on the road. 1. Turn off the phone in the car. It may make more sense to return all calls when you are safely stopped. 2. Use technology. Some vehicles can “read” voice mails or e-mails aloud to the driver. Other equipment can actually jam your phone and not allow any calls to come in when the car is running.

Whatever option is chosen, it is important to remember that avoiding distractions when driving is crucial.

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Talk To Your Teenager About Addictions

February 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Very often, when talking about addiction, we tend to think of drug addicts, alcoholics or those who are addicted to sex. These are only some forms of dependency among many others. The list is long. You can just add to the previously mentioned list, a game addiction, Internet addiction, addiction to food, video game addiction and addiction to shopping. The targets of addiction are all the same. This is why it is important to talk to your teenager about addiction and how it can affect their lives.

Regardless of the source, an addiction is condition in which the person is dependent. This person is addicted psychologically and physically. Thus the only way to allow him to leave this vicious cycle is to first prepare his mind and body to be weaned. For example, consider someone who is dependent on cigarettes. When a relative or friend that they liked most of all dies suddenly of lung cancer, the dependent person, who previously did not care a lot about what may happen to his own health, suddenly realizes he does not want to join their loved one. This can be a strong fear that gives him enough strength to resist the temptation.

The threat of death is an example of a reason to hammer into the heads of your son or daughter that will ensure that they will not be tempted. You can use heroin addiction as an example to explain to your child the dangers. The addict will pain associated with being physical deprived, but also with the behavioral symptoms and the constant habit of wanting a drug to make them lose control.

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Tobacco Use Among Teens on the Decline; Marijuana Use Stagnates

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Cigarette smoking among teens is on the decline, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Based on the 35th annual study, cigarette smoking among students in 8th, 10th and 12th grades is at lowest point in the history of the study.

Online survey software tools are being used to measure drug, alcohol and cigarette use among adolescents nationwide since 1975. The survey is conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. Categories of drug use broken down by grade as well as by life-time use, past year use and past month use.

According to the study results from 2009, cigarette smoking dropped among all three survey groups. This is significant because addiction to tobacco is considered one of the top preventable contributors to many U.S. health problems.

Lifetime use of methamphetamines also dropped significantly from 2004 to 2009. For 8th-graders, lifetime use went from 2.3 percent to 1.6 percent. Amphetamines, alcohol and cocaine use also showed steady, five-year declines for 10th and 12th graders.

Teen attitudes toward substance abuse also showed many positive changes which is a good indicator of future changes in use. Senior perceptions of the harmfulness of LSD, amphetamines, heroin, cocaine and several other drugs have increased while their perception of the availability of several drugs has decreased.

Despite these positive notes, the study results show some points of concern. Marijuana use which had been declining consistently since the mid-1990’s, has remained virtually unchanged over the last five years with past month usage up in all three grades studied in a year-on-year comparison.

The use of smokeless tobacco also increased significantly for 10th graders in all three categories. Prescription drug use has also been on the rise for 10th graders with an increase in past year nonmedical use of Vicodin and Oxycontin for the previous five years.

Seniors reported that they were able to obtain prescription drugs which they used for nonmedical reasons either by buying them from a friend or relative or being given them (52 percent) or getting them by prescription (30 percent). Very few 12th graders purchased these drugs over the Internet.

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Signs of Teen Stress and How to Help

February 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many teens feel stressed-out occasionally but as many as one-third of U.S. teens express stress on a daily basis, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan. As many as two-thirds of teens report being stressed out at least once a week. So how do you know your teen is stressed?

Symptoms of Stress

  • Chronic fatigue — constantly tired
  • Anger at people making demands and self-criticism for putting up with demands
  • Negativity and irritability
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things
  • Frequent headaches and stomachaches
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Difficulty sleeping and depression
  • Shortness of breath
  • Suspiciousness
  • Feelings of helplessness
  • Increased degree of risk taking

What Parents Can Do

  • Be sensitive to any changes in your teen’s behavior or moods
  • Once you recognize one of the signs of stress, try to identify what is causing the stress
  • Spend time with your teen just having fun. Not only can down time help reduce stress but it can also help build stronger relationships
  • Give your teen the opportunity to learn stress management techniques. These can range from learning time management to breathing exercises
  • Help your teen have realistic expectations academically as well is in any extracurricular activities he might participate
  • Encourage your child toward exercise or sports which can help prevent or minimize feelings of stress.
  • Don’t pass your stress to your teens. This can only double their load, not lessen yours.
  • Help your child to build their relationships with others. Being able to share their feelings with friends or family members who care can help relieve their stress.

Stress is a necessary part of our lives. Some stress is healthy. Like exercise, stress helps us grow stronger. Helping your teenager understand this will help them throughout his life.

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