Path for Education

As a teenager you can never have enough resources to help you along your education path. It is important for you to set goals not only for your education but for everything you do in life. By setting goals, especially if you write them down, you will be able to accomplish more and feel a better sense of self accomplishment every time you go back and review those goals to see how far you have come. You will also give your life direction. Without goals or direction you are much more likely to follow the lead of someone else without any sense of who they are or who they would like to become. If you do not design a path to get you where you want to be you are at a much higher risk of caving into peer pressure. Teenage years are the best years of your life and also the best time to prepare for the adult you want to become.

Obesity Statistics

Recently, I was reading about obesity problems, statistics on obesity, and eating disorder facts. Then I did some searching online for obesity on Google News Search. Some of the stuff that came up was amazing. I noticed a bunch of articles on the proposed "obesity tax" which would be placed on sugary drinks in the state of New York. This "obesity tax" has been proposed by the NY Gov. Then there were some articles on the obesity rates in China. Apparently, there are some concerns over rising obesity statistics due to the "new money" in China and changing habits.

I found some interesting obesity statistics on the CDC website:
State %
Alabama 30.3 Illinois 24.9 Montana 21.8 Rhode Island 21.4
Alaska 27.5 Indiana 26.8 Nebraska 26.0 South Carolina 28.4
Arizona 25.4 Iowa 26.9 Nevada 24.1 South Dakota 26.2
Arkansas 28.7 Kansas 26.9 New Hampshire 24.4 Tennessee 30.1
California 22.6 Kentucky 27.4 New Jersey 23.5 Texas 28.1
Colorado 18.7 Louisiana 29.8 New Mexico 24.0 Utah 21.8
Connecticut 21.2 Maine 24.8 New York 25.0 Vermont 21.3
Delaware 27.4 Maryland 25.4 North Carolina 28.0 Virginia 24.3 Washington DC 21.8 Massachusetts 21.3 North Dakota 26.5 Washington 25.3
Florida 23.6 Michigan 27.7 Ohio 27.5 West Virginia 29.5
Georgia 28.2 Minnesota 25.6 Oklahoma 28.1 Wisconsin 24.7
Hawaii 21.4 Mississippi 32.0 Oregon 25.5 Wyoming 23.7
Idaho 24.5 Missouri 27.5 Pennsylvania 27.1

Colorado has the lowest rates with some of the southern states being the worst. There are also some alarming statistics with regards to teens. If you have a teen that needs help - visit our website.

Child Behavior Charts and Contracts

Everyone I know (whether they would like to admit it or not) likes having structure in their lives. Organization, restrictions, clarity, and rewards provide us with a peace of mind. When this is not happening there is confusion, chaos, and frustration for everyone involved.

I recently went through this in my own family. I THOUGHT everyone knew the rules and understood their role in the family and what was expected of them. But, little by little I was hearing things like:
"I did the dishes but that other mess wasn't mine."
"It wasn't my turn to fold the towels."
"Nobody told me I shouldn't ..."
"Why am I being punished for that?"
"I didn't know it was my responsibility."
I had always prided myself on my communicating skills and talking with my children about even some times hard to address issues like alcohol, drugs, peer pressure, even sex. However, I realized I was not being clear enough on what our family values or goals are and what each individual needs to do to help us accomplish these goals. I was also not clear on what the reward or consequences would be if any of us lived up to these goals or failed to do our part.
In talking to others and doing my own research I found a solution that is working fabulous for our family, we have set up behavior charts and contracts. Let me first say I have tried the preschool charts on the refrigerator where they get a little star for good behavior. That worked for a week or so but it was still not defining in detail what was expected especially when it came to real issues like driving privlidges, alcohol or drug use, curfew rules, expectations of dating, and what is acceptable school behaviors and study habits.
I have included some links that I have found very helpful to our family on getting clarity, understanding, organization, and most of all Peace! Hope you find them helpful as well.

Teen Suicide

Statistics show that teen suicide is on the rise. Suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst teens age 15-24, car accidents and homicide being the top two. Although we can teach our teens to be cautious in a car to avoid car accidents and try to keep them from areas where homicide occurs, both of these causes of death are usually something that occurs tragically yet instantly and often unavoidable due to someone else's poor judgement. However, if we know what the warning signs of teen suicide are we may be able to get them help and avoid another tragic death.
Although there are many warning signs to watch for, depression is one of the most common signs in people who commit or attempt to commit suicide. Thanks to scientific technology producing medications for depression and educated counsellors there is help available for teens. We may even be able to prevent teen depression.
In the news this week a Florida teen broadcast his suicide via the internet. Accounts of the incident vary but all agree that he took a lethal dose of prescription pills and was found in a fetal position on his bed after someone from the internet site tracked down the boys information and called the authorities. Authorities fear this could spark kids to attempt copy cat suicides.
There is no question that teenagers are constantly under a considerable amount of stress. It is important that we spend time with our children and try to understand some of the things they may be struggling with and if we see that they may be dealing with more than they think they can handle we need to try to help relieve some of their stress or find a child therapist that they can relate to and work through some of their issues.
In the unfortunate event that anyone is put in the position of coping with suicide in their lives or the lives of their children it is important to understand there will be a process of healing and there are a number of things that are normal to through but there are a number of resources to help you get through this tragic time.

Teen Dating Abuse

I was reminded today of a very serious problem facing our youth. As our children near an age where they may start dating it is imperative we as parents start talking to them not only about sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and teen pregnancy, but also about other dangers such as verbal, emotional, and physical abuse that can occur within these relationships. It is important that they are informed and educated about what each of these factors of abuse are and how they can manifest themselves. Many teens are flattered by someone who is pursing them in an aggressive manner. They are impressed by someone who want to be with them or know where they are every second of every day, believing they are just showing how much they truly care about them. Not considering they may be over possessive or capable of teen violence, and hurting them.

In an article posted in the New York Times today they cover a story about a girl who got involved in a relationship where her boyfriend was possessive from the start but it wasn't until she broke up with him she found out just how dangerous her relationship with him was. She went to get some things from his apartment and was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Because of their experience her family has been able to get a law passed in Rhode Island, called the Lindsey Law, that will require all schools 7-12 grades to start educating teens on the dangers of teen dating abuse.

Just today her parents also launched a new campaign called MADE (Mothers and Dads for Education, to Stop Teen Dating Abuse) requiring schools in every state to require this same "Love is Not Abuse"curriculum within their middle and high schools.

We need to teach all of our youth male and female alike of the dangers and warning signs of abuse. As parents we need be involved in their lives and educate our selves on the warning signs, what to do if we suspect any form of abuse, and where we can go for help.

I for one would love to see this curriculum be as mandatory and along side sex education. We as parents can certainly do our share to educate our children of the dangers, teach them how to treat others, and watch for any warning signs of abuse. However, we all know teens do not always listen to or are open with their parents in such sensitive issues so I think it is a great idea for our educators to get involved as well so they are hearing it from more than one source.