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
maide service in Lincolnshire ..Looking back through my files I've come across several great... Read More
It can be hard being a parent with a teen... Read More
Saturday mornings. Cold cereal and Scooby Doo. How many parents... Read More
To protect children's self-esteem or deflect complaints by parents, many... Read More
Anyone can become a parent; there are no tests or... Read More
Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose... Read More
If your child or teen has been diagnosed with Attention... Read More
Did you know that over 75% of teens aged 16-17... Read More
As thinking, acting human beings we have the ability to... Read More
Optimists do better academically, socially and enjoy better health than... Read More
"Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing... Read More
Voices!So many voices crying out for adherence and so many... Read More
1. Boundaries are necessary for control and safety.All children need... Read More
Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to... Read More
I was reading "A Modern Infant Armada", a humor column... Read More
In the first premise, some films and video tapes which... Read More
When you talk about multiply your child's intelligence, you can't... Read More
The biggest complaint you hear from parents about their children... Read More
Chiladult? Whatever you call them, teenagers are a changin' and... Read More
Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose... Read More
Not nearly as often as it should. Most child abuse... Read More
Imagine having no television for an entire season. Such was... Read More
Grandparents, what better way to stay close to your grown... Read More
Learning responsibility is an ever widening and lifelong process.As thinking,... Read More
"In general my children refuse to eat anything that hasn't... Read More
cleaning lady near Deerfield ..When I was pregnant, we knew that we had some... Read More
Here is a top secret to make your child genius... Read More
The popularity of EEG Biofeedback Training continues to grow both... Read More
By not planning for the future we guarantee that we... Read More
In a single dose of children's television, I was bombarded... Read More
One of parents' most important duties is to protect their... Read More
How would you like to have more time? Of course... Read More
Sometimes dreams really can come true! May 8th - 11th,... Read More
Working with adults (as well as children and teens) for... Read More
Salon visits can be scary experiences for small children: They... Read More
More and more parents are expressing their concerns about how... Read More
Question 1 "How do I get more time to play?"... Read More
It's among the top criticism wives have of their husbands:... Read More
Homework. It doesn't have to be a daily battle of... Read More
As a parent, are you at your wits end? Does... Read More
Something eerily familiar happened in KwaZulu-Natal's Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park in Africa... Read More
What a dreamer I am when thinking about parenthood. Most... Read More
The internet is a dangerous place for your children. Don't... Read More
A sure way to double the joys of parenthood is... Read More
If you're looking for toys that are both fun to... Read More
Bedtime and children's sleep habits can cause nightmares - for... Read More
Although nothing anybody says can ever completely prepare a woman... Read More
I had my first two children on either side of... Read More
Home-schooling removes children from public school. That alone makes home-schooling... Read More
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD.... Read More
Parenting |