Chiladult? Whatever you call them, teenagers are a changin' and parents need to know what to do.
Wow... What Happened?
That's what most parents find themselves asking about the time their kids hit twelve or thirteen. But the changes really start unfolding between nine to eleven years old.
Your sweet little babies who's whole world has revolved around you start revolving around everything but you. This can be really hard on the old ego, but it requires a steady hand, and an even temper. While your kids may not agree, they need you now more then ever.
This is a time when they start to explore new worlds, take steps of independence, and try to spread their wings and see what it is like to "Fly Alone". Scary stuff for a kid, a lot more scary for the parent.
The best thing you can do as a parent is stay involved in their daily lives. Spend time together. Listen to what they are trying to tell you. Don't be too judgmental. And help provide the tools that will still educate them, and steer them in the direction you want them to go.
Most kids who get into trouble admit two primary things: Their parents don't care about them (you have to stay involved for them to believe you care), and they are bored (they don't have anything challenging their minds, or stimulating their creative energy).
Most kids this age actually love to build things, or create projects. They love to see the results of something that they did. They love to pursue talents they feel they have, and we should as parents encourage this, even if they give it up in a few months, this is how they experiment and "Find Themselves".
They like sports, computers, hobbies, music, building stuff, and scientific discoveries. There is really an endless world of "Educational Toys" for kids this age, it really is too bad that so many kids are left to MTV and evil computer games that waste away their ability to think.
Recent studies have shown that kids left to play computer games more than 30 minutes at a time, and more than once a day actually change the chemistry of their brain and lose some of their ability to think creatively. They become to some extent Zombies.
As parents, we have a responsibility to make sure our children aren't playing computer games, watching movies, and listening to music that is demonically inspired. There is a "Culture of Death" that invades the lives of our children today, and you can prove it to yourself by walking down any computer game isle and looking at the game covers and titles. Or tune in any music video channel. It is all Death or Sex. I often think that if we were to transplant someone from one hundred years ago into our popular culture and sit them in front of most of the movies we consider entertainment, they would likely have to be put in a straightjacket and hospitalized for mental trauma. If we abandon our kids to such filth, how can we be surprised when they walk into school and shoot down their classmates and teachers? How can we be shocked when they get pregnant, have abortions, and lose their innocence?
That is why we started our website, educational-toys-4u.com, to try and provide healthy alternatives, and to give you as parents a little encouragement to keep up the battle for your children's future. Don't just turn them over to the popular culture, they deserve much better, and they will thank you for your standing in the gap for them for the rest of their lives.
Just think? someday there will be grandchildren sitting on your knee, and thinking that you are the greatest thing since peanut butter.
Ain't life Grand? ;-)
Tom Cooper
Tom & Shelley Cooper are the founders of http://educational-toys-4u.com offering healthy alternatives for the educational toys your children need to learn and grow.
Tom is the administrator of a large humanitarian aid project and Shelley left a successful career as a financial analyst to work in education. With a 12 year old son and a 9 year old daughter, they are keenly interested in the educational process and welfare of their children, and children everywhere.
How we train our children today will determine their futures tomorrow.
Visit now and subscribe to our Smart Play Newsletter: http://educational-toys-4u.com
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..Reading to your child at a young age is one... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
By not planning for the future we guarantee that we... Read More
Are you a frustrated parent who sometimes finds it is... Read More
One of the most difficult struggles in life for a... Read More
When you hear the phrase, 'guerrilla parenting techniques', what images... Read More
ADHD comes in differenty forms, or types. What... Read More
How would you like to have more time? Of course... Read More
In "The Ring Bear," a picture book by Tigard resident... Read More
Home, home on the range, Where never is heard A... Read More
1. Tell me something you like about yourself? Help your... Read More
There is a new stage of development for parents to... Read More
Ah, potty training! Go to a local bookseller and you... Read More
Mommy (Daddy), Why do those people want to hurt everyone?Last... Read More
Summertime means insect bites and stings. Ouch! Take a leaf... Read More
Parents, do you have children who do poorly in school,... Read More
On a bright Sunday morning, a couple of weeks ago,... Read More
"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many... Read More
As parents, we want our children and teens to grow... Read More
Grandparents, what better way to stay close to your grown... Read More
As with everything, names go through cycles of change with... Read More
It may seem obvious to many people why literacy is... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
It's no surprise that the self-image and self-esteem of overweight... Read More
I hear from many parents that their child is stressed... Read More
cleaning help near Bannockburn ..For parents, keeping our kids safe is a constant top... Read More
'Whose room is it anyway?'If you have a teenager, you're... Read More
1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply)2. Wipes3.... Read More
Several similar terms describe the central attribute of a character... Read More
I had my first two children on either side of... Read More
Teenagers are a work-in-progress, and parenting teenagers can be tricky... Read More
Q. My daughter is a junior in high school and... Read More
In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of... Read More
How do we deal with our seriously distressed children and... Read More
Time devoted the better part of an issue to it.... Read More
When my firstborn arrived into this serene and peaceful household,... Read More
There are a lot of sophisticated parenting theories and techniques... Read More
It happens every year. Just when you are settled in... Read More
How would you like to have more time? Of course... Read More
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that the way... Read More
Most day cares are non-profit organizations that must operate within... Read More
Having a baby is one of the most exciting times... Read More
Goal setting is essential for building a successful life. However,... Read More
Not many things are more upsetting than discovering that your... Read More
A study done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found... Read More
Although it's hard to say when the first stuffed dogs... Read More
Ah, there is nothing like being an expectant mom. Along... Read More
OK, moms and dads out there, we hear you when... Read More
Does your child pout, blame and brood? Does he gripe,... Read More
When is a person brilliant? When does a person show... Read More
Parenting |