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
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..Finding answers to a child's underachievement is often a difficult... Read More
First there were Yuppies (Young Urban Professionals). Then came the... Read More
In elementary school it's pretty straightforward: bringing in cupcakes to... Read More
It happens every year. Just when you are settled in... Read More
Although many parents are concerned with our children's intelligence quotient... Read More
We need a grass roots campaign targeted towards parents to... Read More
Annie easily slipped into becoming the sole caregiver of her... Read More
Peaceful Parenting? ideas are very different from other kinds of... Read More
Mealtimes together deserve an important place in any family. Around... Read More
Part of the responsibility of being a father is to... Read More
No matter what you say or do, your kids will... Read More
Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard,... Read More
So your little Susie wants to join a competitive gymnastic... Read More
We are all familiar with the stories that most students... Read More
Encouragement comes when you focus on your child's assets and... Read More
To have reasonable expectations of our children is an important... Read More
An address given by Rev. David B. Smith... Read More
When your child shows signs of potty training readiness, it's... Read More
Although, not a well publicized statistic, childhood obesity has more... Read More
There are few thoughts as terrifying as the abduction of... Read More
Child tantrums are a way for children to express their... Read More
Creating and making special memories with your child is very... Read More
Seven-year old Michael was on a school trip to a... Read More
Below is a copy of our eating program for Attention... Read More
When you hear the phrase, 'guerrilla parenting techniques', what images... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..Q. We just got our daughter's progress report, and it... Read More
Here in Kansas, where we live, the leaves are turning... Read More
Article based on a friend's experienceI just wanted to share... Read More
I recall somewhere in the recesses of my aging brain... Read More
Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant... Read More
As our children grow, they will be going to schools... Read More
The disquieting behavior of teenagers in the 21st century, is... Read More
As the flurry of Back to School activities subside, parents... Read More
No matter what you say or do, your kids will... Read More
There are software programs that you can purchase to keep... Read More
Mother's Day is important for children.This Mother's Day take note... Read More
"It takes a village to raise a child" is more... Read More
Many working families choose a commercial or individual day care... Read More
Dining in a restaurant with kids can be very enervating... Read More
Children are notoriously bad at drinking enough liquids. They are... Read More
Yesterday my husband Wade took the day off (that's one... Read More
Everyone needs friends, and, as parents, you and I both... Read More
Baby names are as diverse as the people to whom... Read More
We know that ancient cultures and Indians and the like... Read More
Potty training fears, often called toilet terrors, are common among... Read More
To every thing there is a season, and a time... Read More
Learning obedience is an important part of child development. This... Read More
Jason Roberts listened to his son's explanation of the missing... Read More
Maintain CommunicationEven though teens need to separate from their parents... Read More
The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering... Read More
Parenting |