On Youth and Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten

Dear Vanessa’s Advice Column,

I want to take my kids on a camping trip because you are often recommending doing different types of activities with your kids. I am a little worried they are going to freak out at being outdoors. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Dave, Austin, Texas

Camping is a great idea! I do have a few tips though, you do not want a surly teen in the wilderness! And it is summer fast approaching, maybe planning a weekend camping trip is a good idea.

1) Do Not Force Them

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This guest post is by Greg Burton who is a lifelong athlete and founder of Zoose an Internet sports portal that brings every athlete’s sports world within reach through the Internet.

I did NOT grow up in a sporting family. My folks not only did not exercise, but they were against me and my two sisters playing sports. In response, probably in rebellion, I, and one of my sisters, became sports junkies. Not fans, but players and competitors. We both have competed nationally and internationally in various sports, and still (we’re old!) play seriously.

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Annie Fox to get you some of her advice, tips and ideas she has learned while working closely with parents and teens. (I paraphrase because I am not as fast a typer as I would like).

What are some of the most common questions and concerns you get from parents?

The most common question I get is parents who tell me their kids are out of control, and so disrespectful. They always ask me how their sweet kid made such a drastic switch to moody teenager. They tell me they really feel frustrated, sad, guilty, and most of all, afraid that their kid will do something bad they will not be able to fix. They ask me what they can do to get their kid back.

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I wrote this for the fabulous Parent Hacks a few weeks ago and am re-posting it here for all of my readers who didn’t get to check it out!

Every morning my mom officially declares war on: the alarm clock, then my sister, then my dad and then the toaster. You never know what to expect during my family’s get-ready-for-school-routine and the only ‘routine’ thing about it is that it usually involves a lot of yelling and nagging.

We actually miraculously managed to stop this terrible cycle by adding a few simple ‘parent hacks’ and I wanted to share them so you too can save your relationships, your day and your voice (if you are anything like my mom):

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The Dirt E-Secrets of an Internet Kid Launch Ebook about sneaking around parental controls, top websites for teens and kids and how to set privacy controls, make your computer safe and understand our web culture. Thank you to all of you who have already bought!

5 Ways to Raise Career Savvy Kids [Guest Post]

Quick and Different Facts Teens Online In prep for my ebook I review a new study about why teens use the Internet and how they feel about it…some interesting findings.

5-21-2008 Parent News Summary Hillarious YouTube video, Gay Marriage, new driving laws, moms who cheat, family business, America’s Next Top Model…

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