Building Confidence in Teens: 3 Tips for Parents

If you're a parent to a middle or high schooler, you know that there a million different things that your teens are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Students not only have to worry about school, part-time jobs, extracurriculars, and sports, but they also have to navigate dating, relationships, friendships, body image issues, puberty, and more. As puberty ensues, teens often feel uncomfortable in their own changing bodies. With more and more content on the internet and on social media to comb through along with real-life issues, teens can feel overwhelmed, awkward, embarrassed, and unrelatable when it comes to their own bodies and insecurities. Here are three tips to help you navigate building confidence and ensuring healthy living in your teenage children. Understanding the … [Read more...]

4 Defensive Driving Tips for the New Teen Driver

As a parent of a new driver, you tense up every time your child gets behind the wheel. There are an estimated 37.2 million injury-related emergency room visits each year according to the CDC, and you pray your child isn't one of them. You trust them and their newfound freedom, but you know how dangerous the roads can be. Rather than sheltering your child, or stressing every time they take the car, you can teach them the skills they need to be defensive drivers. Defensive driving can be the deciding difference between a life or death situation on the road, and it's imperative that your children have these skills. Here are a few defensive driving tips for your children to ensure that they stay safe and you can relax. Stay Focused Even though it may not always feel like it, driving is a … [Read more...]

Connecting With Teens: Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Cool Mom?

It might surprise you to learn that up to 67% of American teens actually want to spend more time with their parents. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that teenagers are sulky, overly emotional beings who are just so misunderstood and want to be left alone by all parental units. In reality, teens want to be understood as much as they want someone who will listen to them. If you want to find great modern methods of connecting with your teen, check out these excellent tips. Learn What They Like If you have ever become completely overcome with a fascination for a specific activity, you know how much you can learn about it in a very short time. Well, your teen is bound to become passionately obsessed with something eventually. Conventional wisdom say to steer into … [Read more...]

Teaching Your Teen To Drive In The Snow: Tips And Tricks

Handing the keys over to your teenager is always nerve-wracking. Your mind races as you imagine your child on the road and hope that you have taught them enough to drive safely. But this worry can be even worse during the winter, when teaching your teen to drive is especially risky. "Temperatures are dropping, and the chillier weather often brings freezing rain, ice and snow," writes Jessica Van Amburg in Family Circle. "While you may be a pro at handling icy roads, younger drivers can be caught off guard by the season's challenges." Fortunately, by teaching your child the right skills and emergency preparedness procedures, you can help ensure their safety on the road. Teaching The Basics Once you begin working with your teen on winter safety, it's important to start with the … [Read more...]