Tips And Tools Of Communication For Parents With Teens

By Nigel Lane

In some respects, you do not know what parenting is until your children hit their teens. It's a whole new ball game. All of a sudden you realize that there is this huge gap between you and your kid and the more you try to fix it, the more it seems to broaden. Communication between you and your child seems to be dead. These are probably the toughest years!!

So what do you do to make it better?

Here are a few tips:

• Try and get into their heads. Do not assume that because you do not like something, your teen does not like it too.

• Remember to always be truthful to your teen. No matter how old your child grows, he/she looks at you as an example. If you want your teen to be truthful, you need to first be truthful.
Honesty is the best policy you can instil in to them

• Do not jump into advising; first listen to what your teen has to say. Be empathetic.

• Your job during their teens is to spur and encourage them. If you are one who keeps criticizing, they are never going to want to communicate with you.

• You need to be available for them whenever they need you. They may want to talk in the middle of the night, it is important that you talk to them when they are willing to talk.

• If you are wrong, apologize. It takes a big person to apologize. Your teen will respect you much more for it.

• Don't wait for your teen to ask you for help, sense it and then do your best to help them

• Respect your teen. Treat him/her like an adult. Give then their space.

• Remember to use words like "please", "thank you" and "I love you" frequently with your teens.

For a free special report with over 50 Parenting Tips just go to www.awesomeparents.com Nigel has met hundreds of parents and helped them to become more awesome than they were.

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Let The Teens Manage Their Money

By Florencio Jr Sevilla

One of the reasons why teens love to work is that they want to have their own income. Teens want to have discretionary funds they can use without their parents poking at them and auditing all their cents. If the parents would let their teenagers manage their own money, they should be ready to give them advises on money management such as budgeting and fund management. In this way, they can be sure that their teens will not just squander their money on less important things.

The following may help the teens manage their money:

Teach the teens to save
Encourage the teens to open a savings account to deposit their earnings. Even just a few dollars a week will be good enough. If their parents are giving them allowances, they can talk to them and ask them to set aside some dollars in the bank. When the time comes that they need to withdraw, they will be amazed to see how much money they have saved.

Teens must spend wisely
The biggest nightmare among the teens is to wake up with nothing to spend, yet the next allowance is still a few days away. They will be forced to borrow and this will only add more problems. Spending wisely is a must especially to those with tight budget. If the school is just a walking distance, they should be happy to take a walk and enjoy that needed exercise. Need to go dating? Why not ask their crushes to have a chat with them in the park, this way they don't need to spend much. A can of soda could do the trick.

Introduce the teens to fund management
There are many plans of fund management that are available to teens. With a few dollars, the teens can have the opportunity to increase their money under the watchful eyes of money experts. This will also add pride to the teens for having invested money like what the grownups did. In addition, requiring them to pay taxes out of their investment will make the teens contributors to the national coffers.

Get a checking account
Getting a checking account will teach the teens some financial responsibility. Just imagine the teens issuing some checks for their purchases and or services they acquired. Knowing that a bouncing check would have legal repercussions, the teens will be extra careful in handling their finances.

Let them get credit cards
The feel in getting credit cards nowadays is greatly different as compared many years ago. Before, a person is jubilant when his application is approved because it proves that he is credit worthy. Today, credit card offers are numerous that it will make the eyes bulge. The teens must be extra cautious on the type of cards they will apply. The benefits are vaguely explained in the ads or in the emails when credit card companies promote these cards. Most often, actual charges and interest rates are hidden, only to make the teens sorry for just freely making purchases.

Credit cards are there to allow the teens to purchase, but they have to purchase only those things that are needed. They must avoid being compulsive buyers.

Parents have a lot to explain to their teens about money management. No matter what the teens want, the parents are in the best position to tell what is best for their teenagers. Just remember that the parents could contribute much to the success or failure of their teens. Let the teens manage their money and make them real money managers.

FLORENCIO JR. L. SEVILLA is a freelance writer. He presently resides at Calaran, Calamba, Misamis Occidental.

He publishes the following websites:

About Teens at http://elsaguirigay.googlepages.com
About Marriage at http://makemarriagelast.googlepages.com

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10 Steps for Teens To Start Thier Own Business

By Lisa Di Clemente

Here are 10 really good tips for teens trying to make a few bucks and start their own business.

1. Get to know your neighbors. Make some flyers and walk around talking to people in your neighborhood. Most adults are looking for teens to do odd jobs for them. My dad lets the neighbor kid mow the lawn, my son walks dogs, my nephew babysits and my neighbor washes cars. A few years ago I was desperate for a babysitter, although I knew some teenagers, none of them were willing to work!

2. Be dedicated. Don't tell the lady down the street you will babysit and then decide you would rather go to the movies with your friends. Take your business seriously.

3. Take out your lip and tongue piercings, wipe off the black eye-liner, and pull up your pants so your underwear isn't showing. If you want an adult to take you seriously, look PROFESSIONAL!
4. Take your first $100 and open a bank account. Learn how to write checks and keep your account balanced.

5. Make a plan for the future! For every $5 you earn, put $1 in a jar for savings. Don't touch it! When it accumulates, open a savings account and let it accrue interest. When it gets large enough, open a mutual fund account! Be a millionaire before you are 30!

6. Read Robert Kiyosaki's book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” as summer or vacation reading.
7. Make a list of your goals. Don't let drugs, drinking, or serious dating get in your way. Stay focused, there is plenty of time to be an adult when you are an adult!

8. Make eye contact, shake hands, smile...and don't SULK! Think like a business person, not a teenager.

9. Get a cell phone. If your parents can't afford it for you, make that your first investment. You can pick up a phone without a contract now...use it for business purposes. If you have ringtone options, set it up so business calls have a different ringtone than your friends or family. That way, when a business call comes in you can turn down the music and put on your business voice.

10. Buy invoices at the office supply store. If a customer doesn't pay you right away you can write an invoice and let them know you will pick up the payment on your next visit. It lets your client know you are serious and not a pushover, and you have record of the service rendered. Be sure to mark the invoice paid in your records when they do pay you.

Lisa is a motivational single parent. She works at home and homeschools her children. She considers herself to be a pioneer in modern times.

Teens And Drugs

By Tara Leigh

Teens and drugs is nothing new, as a matter of fact many parents will admit that they themselves used drugs in their teenage years. Teens, who are depressed, have a low self-esteem, or feel ignored by their parents are more likely to turn to alcohol and drugs. The federal government spend millions annually to promote abstinence via education campaigns in the media as well as in our schools.

Discussing Drugs
Children are being exposed to a constant stream of misinformation about drugs. Studies have revealed that 1 in 10 Internet messages were sent by teens seeking advice from their peers on how to take illicit drugs.

When discussing drugs with your teens it is necessary to be open and honest, young people need to be made aware of the dangers and exactly which drugs pose the most risks, they need to fully understand that certain substances can be lethal.

If you don't have a lot of knowledge on the subject, it would be wise to educate yourself before discussing it so that you are armed with the answers to any questions they may have and also avoid finding yourself in an awkward situation where your teen seems to know more about drugs than you do. The more you know the better equipped you will be to be able to offer advice and help.

Many parents are afraid that if they broach the subject with their teens, it could possibly lead to experimentation and so choose to avoid the topic.

The effects of drugs
Drugs destroy part of the brain that is still developing.

Nowadays, drugs including marijuana are much more potent that they were 15 years ago.
A rise in the number of school dropouts, teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, criminal behaviour, suicide and death by drug overdoses has been linked to drug use.
Alcohol

Youth is often thought of as a time for experimenting with new things, however experimenting with alcohol can be considerably more dangerous than you may anticipate. Alcohol abuse is becoming more and more prevalent and it's not isolated to any one country in particular, it is global. Alcohol is the drug of choice amongst the youth today and sadly the consequences can be devastating. Alcohol is one of the leading contributors to injury and death and is the leading cause of death in people under the age of 21.

Parents who are struggling with troubled teens and drugs can find help, support and advice at: Parenting Troubled Teens.

http://parentingtroubledteens.0nlyne.com