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
disinfecting cleaning services Arlington Heights ..Most research into children's friendships shows that those children who... Read More
One of the most prevalent problems of the computer age... Read More
How often do you think of family life as an... Read More
Everyone needs friends, and, as parents, you and I both... Read More
This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't... Read More
To protect children's self-esteem or deflect complaints by parents, many... Read More
Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard,... Read More
Here are ten simple pleasures you can enjoy with your... Read More
It's funny how people seem to think that they have... Read More
It was a day that I will forever be etched... Read More
It's that time again! Parent-teacher conferences are coming. Are you... Read More
Strattera came out around January of 2003, and is becoming... Read More
The key to lifelong learning is reading and writing. When... Read More
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived... Read More
I remember when my daughter was born, later my son.... Read More
My husband and I have a 12-year-old daughter who wanted... Read More
All children will likely have many different health problems during... Read More
We were all teens at one time for some many... Read More
Even if your teenagers do not use drugs, you still... Read More
Like anything else in life, there's a method to the... Read More
The 'phone conversation had nothing at all to do with... Read More
"What age should my child start school?"This is a common... Read More
As mothers, we play so many different roles and most... Read More
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is making... Read More
You no longer have to use Ritalin or other stimulants... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Mundelein ..The formula is pretty straightforward: energy in/energy out. This is... Read More
Congratulations on your new baby! You have just brought your... Read More
If you are currently homeschooling or considering homeschooling your child,... Read More
There are many parenting styles. Yours may be very different... Read More
'Picky Eater' is a label coined to describe the phenomenon... Read More
Sometime the most effective training tool in rapidly accelerating the... Read More
Here are some things that you can do to help... Read More
Here's some of the bad news about sedentary lifestyles:? Forty... Read More
The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering... Read More
If You're Having Twins..is it double the headache, or double... Read More
In our last article about the neurology of ADHD we... Read More
The subject of competition is one that provokes some pretty... Read More
Why Is Spending Time with Your Child So Important?For children... Read More
When our oldest son was 2, my wife went out... Read More
Perhaps I could make a lot of money by founding... Read More
This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't... Read More
A fun way to build your child's imaginationWriting is still... Read More
Wooden toys are one of the best alternatives for the... Read More
What is hard for parentsLetting them learn from their mistakes.Trying... Read More
In the last 20 years we've all been introduced to... Read More
Uh oh.Your kids arrive home with their school reports and... Read More
Tripping over the shoes and toys that seem to clutter... Read More
Are you a frustrated parent who sometimes finds it is... Read More
My son, Dakota is now 7 yrs old. He is... Read More
Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to... Read More
Parenting |