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Hi Everyone,
If you are in the Los Angeles area, I wanted to let you know that I will be teaching a class called: “How to Communicate with Today’s Teens” at the Culver City adult school.
Class description: Vanessa Van Petten, teen author of You’re Grounded!, will teach parents how to know what is going on in their kids’ lives, and how to strengthen their relationship. Students will learn to stop nagging and still get their kids to listen. This class will assist students in changing their relationship through role-playing, demonstrations and active discussions with the author/instructor.
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 and Wednesday November 5, 2008
Shannon is one of our teen writers: she is a 16 year old from Maryland. She enjoys writing, is pro recycling, and
loves the Jonas Brothers.
That’s right. I still trick-or-treat. And this year, I am going as oh-so memorable, Joel Goodsen from Risky Business—shades and all. In my preparation for this lovely October holiday, I remembered how difficult it can be to come up with a Halloween costume that doesn’t run you a hefty bill. So I decided I’d make a list of costumes that are both easy to make and inexpensive.
1. Athletes Being a sports player is always a simple costume to pull off. If you don’t play a sport yourself, then find a jersey, some extra long socks and you’re set to go. I’ve found that ‘basketball player’ is usually the easiest. You can wear the below-the-knees shorts if it’s warm but there is always the option of breakaway pants if the temperature drops below sixty.
2. Malibu Beach Bums This costume is for people who live in warmer parts of the country. All that’s needed for this look is sunglasses, bathing suit, and cover-up. Dress like you’re going to soak up some sun but instead rake in the treats. 3.“…All you need is two pieces of posterboard…” Costumes that involve two pieces of posterboard and a little creative thing: Ipod Stop sign Cereal Box Calculator
4. Not so out of Character Characters are always good—from books, from movies, from television. Any flashy character with a distinctive outfit or ‘look’ can be easily copied.
Some of my favorites are: The Harry Potter Trio—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, or Hermione Granger Nancy Drew or Carmen Sandiego Magic Tree House’s Jack or Annie Magic School Bus—there’s an entire bus load of kids and a wacky teacher to choose from Disney princesses, cartoon and not Betty Suarez
5. PJ Party When all else fails, wear your PAJAMAS! Find your cutest flannel prints, pull out your elephant slippers, and go to town.
I wanted to write a post about the new split that is going on within the ranks of teens. Many parents assume that teens want salaciousness, vulgarity and pushing the edge—this is not true, there are more and more teens I am meeting who want exactly the opposite. Lets look at both sides:
The Pure Side of Teens
Purity Rings:
Lets just quote good old Wikipedia on this one:
“Purity rings, or chastity rings/promise rings originated in the United States in the 1990s among Christian affiliated sexual abstinence groups. The rings are sold to adolescents, or to parents so that the rings may be given to their adolescent children as gifts.
It is intended that wearing a purity ring is accompanied by a religious vow to practice celibacy until marriage. The ring is usually worn on the left ring finger with the implication that the wearer will remain abstinent until it is replaced with a wedding ring. Although the ring is worn on the hand, where others can see, its main purpose is to serve as a constant reminder to the wearer of their commitment between themselves and God to remain pure until marriage.”
Purity rings are becoming quite popular and the idea of being ‘pure’ is becoming more and more ‘in.’
Anti-Cursing Club
You heard about this right? A bunch of kids who got together and created a big anti-cursing club. Many girls I have been speaking with are trying hard not to curse because they think ‘it is unlady-like.’
Virginity Pacts
Many dads and daughters are making virginity pacts and attending virginity dances.
“I want to be like Grace”
I am referring here, of course, to Grace Bowman on my least favorite show on television—The Secret Life of the American Teenager (I really do not like this show). Her character is sweet, a proud virgin, religious, pure and very blonde. Many girls are gravitating towards her character over some of the Blair’s of Gossip Girl.
The Wild Side of Teens
STFree Card
Forget your drivers license, teens want to get STFree Cards which are STD Free Card that claims the carrier is free of sexually transmitted diseases….seriously! This speaks to the larger trend of hooking up so frequently that you need to flash a card you are STD free and sexuality has become very numb.
Pregnancy Pacts
We do not know whether or not this was a news-made story, but it speaks to some of the larger trends of groups of girls who love their sexuality, their maturity and think they are way older than they are.
NCMO and PMB
Non-Committal Make-out. Yup, this is a very popular trend of making-out and hooking up with lots of different people and moving from one person to the next like they are disposable dinners. PMB means “Purely Makin’ Bacon” as in I don’t really want to talk to you, I don’t really want to know you, I just want to have sex with you.
Classic Mean Teens
Blair and Serena of Gossip Girl, Alicia Rivera of the Clique Series and Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter (you can tell I really love teen fiction) are the classic mean characters of stories. The problem is, teens are now actually trying to be more like them. TV has often glamorized the ‘mean’ characters and made them, sometimes, cooler than the heroine. Are we celebrating the teen bitch?
I wrote a whole post on sex parties and theme parties in High School. This sect of teens is very into communal hook-ups, blatant sexuality and being sensual very, very young.
Yes, teens are becoming more and more sexualized, but there is a small, but vocal movement that is moving in the opposite direction—thank goodness!
This post is by Hollywood Toys and Costume blog–great articles for holidays and holiday tips. They have been kind enough to offer my reader 15% off their costumes with their Costume site!
We’re in the dog days of summer, but with plenty of evening activities happening outdoors around town, this is also a perfect opportunity to teach children about safety in preparation for Halloween night. A favorite holiday for adults and kids alike, Halloween is that special time where revelers can dress up as their favorite character and collect goodies from around the neighborhood. However, it must be remembered that Halloween can be a very dangerous night for child pedestrians. Children are often so excited to be out on the streets with friends collecting sweets and gifts that they forget the important rules of trick-or-treating. As a parent, you should know how to keep your kids safe while having fun on and around Halloween. Teaching them a pointer or two each day while you have their undivided attention will benefit everyone as Halloween night approaches.
Here are nine lessons to teach your kids before Halloween night:
1. Talk to your kids about the basic rules of traffic, especially when they are crossing the street. Remind them to always stop at every corner. They should only cross streets at intersections and crosswalks. Tell them to always look left and right before crossing the street and continue looking both ways while crossing. They shouldn’t dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
2. Tell your kids to walk and not to run while trick or treating. This will prevent the children from tripping on their or a friend’s costume. They should walk on sidewalks and not on the road.
3. If your kids are 12 years and older, when they usually prefer not to be accompanied by adults, remind them to go with a group that you are familiar with. Phone calls between parents of the group will help keep everyone informed of the kids’ location while they are out having fun.
4. Instruct your kids to go only to familiar areas and take a route that you have helped map out with them. Be sure to set a time for them to return home so no one is left worrying about when they will get back.
5. Avoid houses that are difficult to access, especially ones where they don’t know the people living there. Barking dogs are also an indication that the property might not be safe. If they come across any houses such as these, they should just move on to the next one.
6. Teach them to be always polite and say “trick or treat” and “thank you” after they have received the goodies. Tell them to patiently wait in a line if other kids are there before them. They should never push just to get in front.
7. Have them carry and use a flashlight while out on the streets. Tell them to go trick-or-treating only at homes with an illuminated porch or outside lights. Instruct them to just stand outside the door and never go inside. If the people inside a house insist on them going inside, they should leave and report back to you what happened.
8. Older kids can bring cell phones, so tell them to immediately call you if they see any suspicious people or vehicles. They should also find crossing guards or other parents with children to assist them if there is a problem.
9. Teach your kids to never accept candy, rides, or anything from people they don’t know. They should not eat the goodies they have collected. They should wait until they have gone back home, and after you have inspected all the candy for them.
Halloween night is fun and exciting for everyone but children’s safety is the primary concern. Keep the lessons listed above in mind and have your children learn them. They’ll help to keep your kids safe and you’ll feel confident that they will go return home without a scratch—only with big smiles and bundles of goodies.
I get a lot of concerned parents who are worried that their ‘techie’ kid will not have anything ‘impressive’ on their college applications. Or that they spend so much time on the computer or online, that they never get any human interaction. Here are some ideas for a kid who loves technology and you want to get them some real-life, real-world experience or something that is good for applications.
-Library Tech Aides
This one is great if they are shy, because they are out of their bedroom but still in their realm of comfort.
-Starting an Online Book Club
Love Eragon? Harry Potter? Twilight anyone? Have them start a discussion forum with other kids.
-Online Group Manager Grouply is great for this. Have them start a group or club on their interest where people can post questions, favorite websites or resources.
-Start Their Own Social Network
Young athletes? Knitting? They can start their own network on Wetpaint.com and keep it private just to their friends or open it up.
-Photo or Movie Club
Photoshop is hard and cool. Have them start a club at school.
-Video Yearbook
In addition to the regular yearbook, if they have journalistic instincts have them keep a virtual yearbook of their class or school.
-Start a Podcast On A Favorite Topic
-Record an Oral History of the Family
-Videotape local landmarks or do a virtual city tour
-Create an Audiobook
-Create a Webpage for a Local Nonprofit
**A word on safety: Make sure that if your teen is going to be posting things publicly they are staying anonymous and managing their online reputation.
