Lyn Huggins-Cooper - Raising Teenagers: 52 Brilliant Ideas for High-performance Parenting

CAREFUL NOW
The information in this book should not be used instead of the advice and guidance given by professionals but it will help you to navigate the dangerous swamp we call the teenage years. Consult your family health practitioner if you are at all concerned about your childs health or wellbeing as he/she acts as a gatekeeper for many services and can refer you on. Enquiring minds are good, and there are plenty of great organizations out there ready to help you and your teen but dont be afraid to seek professional advice.

Although the contents of this book were checked at the time of going to press, the World Wide Web is constantly changing. This means the publisher and author cannot guarantee the contents of any of the websites mentioned in the text.

Copyright The Infinite Ideas Company Limited, 2006

The right of Lynn Huggins-Cooper to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published in 2006 by
The Infinite Ideas Company Limited
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ISBN 1-904902-38-3

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Brilliant ideas

Puberty creeps up on children and performs magic tricks on them overnight. Your baby is in the process of metamorphosing into the adult that he will become.

The word teenager describes any young person between the ages of thirteen and nineteen, but the media seems to see teens as some strange, alien, disaffected antisocial group.

Many teenagers come back from school to an empty house; and when their parents do get back they are often tired and preoccupied. So, how can you make sure you still make time to connect?

Parenting teens requires a whole new set of skills, over and above the parenting skills you have learned as your child has grown from baby to toddler, and toddler to child. The hardest of these is learning to let go.

Teenagers sometimes seem like a different species but theres a reason for that!

Who stole your kid in the night? Sometimes it feels that way the lovely little companion who happily went on outings with you disappears, to be replaced by someone too terminally cool to be involved in anything you enjoy! Take heart this will pass.

Much has been written about the inner child. If you are in touch with yours congratulations. But your inner child has a taller, surlier sibling: your inner teenager.

What turns a chatty child, who delights in telling you all about her day, into the unresponsive lump that shrugs her shoulders and grunts Nothing when asked about school, and accuses you of nagging at every turn?

Arguments are a fact of life when there are teenagers in the house and we all need coping strategies.

Do you despair about your teenagers inability to organise herself? Do you worry about the cavalier way she seems to drift from one thing to another, never seeming to worry about the future?

Whats that, lurking in a pile of blankets, grunting and refusing to move?

When you have teenagers, your hand is always in your pocket for something.

Computers have revolutionised the teen world. They are a vital source of chat, messages and gaming and even help them with their homework!

Are you resources rich but time poor? Are you spoiling your kid to make up for your absence?

Getting a drivers license is a rite of passage, and a cause for celebration.

The true test of whether you are in touch with your inner teenager comes when your teenage daughter appears wearing extreme fashions, with magenta hair or psychedelically coloured make up.

Lying awake in the early hours listening for the key in the door interferes with the sleep patterns of parents around the world.

If you think your child is using drugs, your natural reaction may be to panic.

For most teens, alcohol is the number one drug of choice. They use it without thinking twice, and see it all around them on sale in supermarkets, corner shops and restaurants.They see it used by their parents at home.

Young people who are able to talk with their parents about sex tend to delay having sex and are more likely to use contraception when they do.

It feels odd when your child first brings home a partner, but they may well fall deeply in love, developing a strong emotional and sexual bond with their partner.

Once your child becomes a teenager, you are no longer at the centre of her world. Now, her friends are her pivotal point of reference.

During adolescence many boys and girls have same-sex crushes and experiences, but are not lesbian or gay.

There is no magic fix it to make living with teenagers smooth and easy.

When a child is small and wilfully does something wrong, you punish him. You might ban treats, or send him to his room.

Its one thing when your teenage daughter swears in the company of her friends but another thing entirely when she swears at home especially when it is aimed at you!

The very word manners sounds almost archaic. Many of the petty rules about which fork to use, or where to place a glass on the table, are outdated.

If someone asked you if you respect your teenage daughter, the answer would probably be yes. But does she know that?

There is nothing more annoying than being continually nagged. Ask any teenager

We all need praise. We respond to positive feedback on our performance at work; we bask in compliments about our appearance. Teens need praise too!

Some adults, looking through rose-tinted glasses, see their school days as the best days of their lives.

Around the world, millions of teenagers are bullied at some time during their school career.

We are all busy most of us working out of the house every day. Household chores are squashed into tired after-work sessions, or eat into what should be a restful weekend.

Does your teenagers room drive you mad? Is it a grungy mess with very little floor space?

The words teenage parties fill many parents with dread.

Are you sick of the teasing and fighting that goes on in your house? Can the personalities clashing be heard on distant continents?

Children need consistency from birth and the need is just as strong for teenagers.

We should expect our teens to rebel; it is part of becoming an adult, and showing they have their own minds.

They may say Sticks and stones make break my bones; words will never hurt me but they are wrong.

Do you remember the old adage Dont do as I do, do as I tell you? It doesnt work where teens are concerned.

Everyone from Tom Cruise to Gwen Stefani has been wearing braces recently in the pursuit of a glitteringly smooth smile.