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Key Teen Development Tips for Parents

July 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A teen singing.

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You are raising a teen. That means that you have one of the biggest challenges to face. You need to take these people who were children and make them into productive members of society. It is not an easy task to do, though. Development of teens is often best in hands on environments.

Tips for Success

When it comes to teen development, you do have options. It is a good idea to spend some time focusing on what your teen’s need are and what your concerns are. The following tips can help you.

  • When it comes to parenting teens, realize that it is a challenge. Everyone struggles at least a bit with the process. However, teens are testing the boundaries. They want to see what the consequences are.
  • Realize that there is a great deal to teach teens. You need to teach them how to drive and how to note do drugs. You may need to teach them how to manage money, such as by using a Reach prepaid card. There is a lot to teach but taking it step by step helps.
  • You need to realize that you are not the only one to educate your child. He or she will learn from teachers, other students and other adults. Sometimes this can be a challenge in itself.

As you consider the development of your teen, realize that if you take an active role in helping your child to grow, you will be fine. Most often, knowing their parents are there is all these kids need.

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

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.

Filed Under: Counseling, General Tagged With: , ,

Parenting Teens

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

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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.

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

Helping Your Teen to be a Responsible Driver

July 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When it comes time for a teenager to drive, parents are often concerned at how their child will handle this new and important responsibility. They can guide their teen through this process to create a knowledgeable, safe driver for the road.

When a teen first starts to drive, one lesson that parents can teach is financial responsiblity. The teen has to understand how to budget money for expenses such as gas, insurance and car maintenance. They can learn this through using a reach prepaid card and being taught the basics of monthly budgeting. Parents are role models for their teen by showing them how to save and to put bills before personal desires.

Enrolling your teenager is a driver’s education course is the perfect way to get them solid teaching on how to drive. These are offered through local schools during the summer, where your child will get both classroom and hands-on experience driving. Safety is one of the primary lessons taught, preparing your teen for unlikely events that may come up while driving. This is a good choice if you don’t have the time to teach your teen yourself.

You should also discuss with your teenager the danger of drinking and driving, driving while talking on a cell phone and driving aggressively. There are many videos and information guides available on these subjects from various organizations and the government. The time spent teaching your teenager to be a better driver will give you peace of mind and put a safer person in the driver seat.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

How to Buy an Affordable Car for Your Teen

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When buying an affordable car for your teenager there are a few things to keep in mind.

Know Your Budget

Once you have worked out how much you can afford to spend on the car, stick to it. Your teenager may have ideas on what they want that are way out of your budget. Be firm with them and explain that it won’t be any more than the amount you have designated. Or they can save up and chip in for the rest of the amount if it is over your budget. If you have an existing car loan, you can look into car refinance to add to the budget.

Do Your Research

If you are buying a new car do your research to find the most economical model. A car may have an affordable price, but the upkeep may be too much for you and your teen to maintain. Look at aspects such as gas usage per mile, service checks to keep the car under warranty, and the cost of parts. Locally made cars will have cheaper parts compared to imported cars. If you are buying a used car, enlist the help of someone who knows about cars to help you make your choice.

Talk to Your Teen

Once you have figured out your budget and narrowed the car choices down to a few, talk to your teen about the responsibility involved. By doing this you will be able to gauge their level of awareness and responsibility when it comes to owning and taking care of a car.

Keeping the above in mind will make the process easier for you.

 

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

Sports can Drive Success of Teens

March 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Raising a teenager can be a tough job. One tactic that many parents have had success with is involving their teen in sports. Both team and individual sports take time for practice and time to actually compete. This time spent in sports programs accomplishes two things. It keeps the child busy and it can develop good character traits. These activities can shape a young person to be productive and self sufficient later in life. We have many teens studying through online degree programs, but still parents should not neglect and keep them away from sports and make them study all time of the day.

A key factor in teens that get into trouble in school or have brushes with the law or use drugs boils down to free time. If a child has a lot of time with no scheduled activities, unscheduled activities are likely to happen. There is nothing wrong with unscheduled activities on their own but trouble happens when a young person is unsupervised and the wrong type of activity fills the gap. That could be associating with kids who are a bad influence or just trying things that are dangerous with existing friends. Having sports in the life of a young person reduces the amount of free time on their hands. Being involved in sports involves practice for individual and team skills and competition. The competition also may involve travel to compete against other schools or regions. This adds up to less time that a child has to find trouble.

The second benefit of getting your teen involved in sports is the development of character. This term means different things to different people. A general definition of character that can be built through sports is a sense of following the rules, working with others and caring about others. Another trait that can be developed is the quest for success or winning. Organized team sports have rules that must be learned and followed to participate. This can be good practice for a young adult that must follow rules when they have left school and the guidance that it can provide.

Keeping a young adult busy is no easy task. Finding a sport that they enjoy and encouraging their involvement can pay big dividends.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

How to Tell if Your Teen is Being Bullied and What to Do

February 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

High-profile cases of teen bullying have rocked the nation. Instances of teen suicide as a result of bullying have led many parents to worry about their own children and wonder what they can do.

How to Know Your Teen is Being Bullied

Many kids won’t broadcast they are being bullied so parents need to watch for the signs. Your teen might invent ways to get out of school or other situations in which they experience bullying. Trouble sleeping and concentrating can also indicate your teen is being bullied. Behavioral changes such as depression, irritability and even physical illness are also good indicators. Knowing your teen’s regular routine and watching for changes in it is a good sign he is being bullied.

If your child is being bullied, it is important to help him know that there isn’t anything wrong with him and that he is loved and accepted. Restoring his self confidence will go a long way toward moving on from bullying.

What Teens can Do

Avoidance is a good idea; however, your child should not have to drastically alter his life to avoid a bully. For example, your teen can take a different route to class if a particular hallway is a problem. If your teen is confronted, encourage him to walk away. Most bullies thrive on the reaction so no reaction provides little incentive to bully.

If your child can’t avoid a bully, tell him to stand tall and talk convincingly to show the bully he can’t be pushed around. Your teen should avoid physical violence which usually just makes the situation worse.

What Schools Should Do

It is incumbent on your teen’s school to keep the attending children safe, including keeping them safe from each other. Make sure the school is informed of any instances of bullying and follow up to make sure the school takes action. If you feel your concerns are not being addressed, contact the school board or PTA.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: ,

When Mood Swings Aren’t the Status Quo

February 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Parents of teenagers must pay attention to a whole host of new issues that weren’t present just a few years earlier. Not only has your teen gone through growth spurts, changes in hormones, the discovery of the opposite sex and the temptation of drugs, your teen and you as a parent have to deal with the ever-present mood swing.

Mood swings are when your teen’s feelings fluctuate between euphoria and depression. As a parent of a teen, you have probably seen your child ecstatic one moment and crying the next. With extreme mood swings, there is no in between and moderate behavior may be almost completely nonexistent. When will this end?

A Teenage Brain

First, we must look at what a teen’s brain is doing developmentally. A teenager’s brain, especially the pre-frontal cortex, is still undergoing major growth. This area of the brain is responsible for a teen’s judgment, self-control and planning. The lack of completed development is evident in a teen’s risk-taking behavior. Or, you might remember a time when you’ve asked your teen why he did something, such as eat the lasagna you made for dinner, and he didn’t have a good answer. That is his lack of judgment showing.

So this is good news because eventually, your teen will mature; however, the bad news is there isn’t much you can do for mood swings in a teenager, except tolerate it. As a parent, you also need to know when your teen’s mood swings aren’t normal.

Clues Mood Swings are Something More

  • Depression that persists for more than two weeks and is disabling
  • Casual comments or queries about suicide
  • Destructive or aggressive behavior. It is important to set limits but also teach your teen anger management skills
  • Eating disorders such as teen bulimia and anorexia. Watch your teen for extreme fluctuations in weight.
  • Alcohol and drug abuse

 

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: , , ,

Cutting Down on Teen Crashes

February 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has developed a four-pronged approach to prevent driving-related accidents among teen drivers. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the U.S.  Compared to drivers in other age groups, drivers age 15- to 20-years old are involved in three times as many fatal crashes. Crashes are responsible for 35 percent of all teen deaths.

According to research, the inexperience and immaturity of teen drivers is aggravated by speed, drinking and driving, not wearing seatbelts, driving at night and distracted driving.Therefore, the NHTSA has developed a site to provide information about increasing seat belt use, implementing graduated driver licensing (GDL), reducing teen access to alcohol and parental responsibility.

Seat belt use – In 2006, observed seat belt use among 16- to 24-year olds stood at just 76 percent, the lowest of any age group. For the same year, 58 percent of people aged 16 to 20 who were involved in fatal crashes were unbuckled.

GDL laws – Three-stage GDL laws have been shown to address the issues of immaturity and inexperience, they primary factor contributing to deadly crashes of teens. These laws reduce high-risk exposure for new drivers. The District of Columbia and 46 states employ these laws and analysis shows that crashes have decreased as much as 50 percent for 16- to 17-year olds.

Teen access to alcohol – A major deterrent for violating youth access laws is enforcing in a highly visible way the laws governing underage purchase, possession and provision laws. Parental responsibility is also key in helping teens stay safe.

Parental responsibility – Setting standards for your teen and enforcing is central to safe driving. Remind your child driving is a privilege, one he will lose if he doesn’t follow the rules.

  • No alcohol
  • Always use seatbelts
  • No cell phone or texting while driving
  • Curfew
  • Maximum of one passenger at all times
  • GDL
Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: , ,
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