Addressing Fellow Parents...We are all in this together

My daughter and I have the type of relationship that mom’s dream of. My little lady is a fourteen-year-old honor roll student getting ready to embark on her high school years. She’s excited and nervous all at the same time. Will I make new friends, will I make the cheer team, will I be able to continue my honors courses with all that high school pressure? Can you say STRESSFUL? Remember, I said that my daughter is fourteen. Parents, lets face it. Our kids deal with a ton of stress, and you may not even be aware of it. Everyday my husband and I sound like a broken record. How was school? Anything happen? Anything you want to talk about? We then sit back and wait for the latest MIDDLE SCHOOL (drama) to unfold on our way home or at the dinner table. The peer pressure that our kids deal with is enough to make them feel horrible in side. Some of this peer pressure leads to kids shying away even more from their parents because they feel like –they just will not understand. There is also a lot more teenage suicide. Some may say “How can a kid be stressed out when all they have to do is go school?” Well, lets see. Once your child hits puberty, their attitudes seem to change. Some may even rebel, or worse, become sexually active. Some say , not my kid. Well, how would you know if you don’t have a relationship with your daughter or son? We, as parents, sometimes get so caught up in our own world that we forget that our children may have something on their minds that they need to talk about.

Its time for us to communicate better with our children and their friends. Let them know that we are here whenever they may need an ear. We also have to keep an open mind. Don’t fly off the handle when your kid tells you what’s going on with them or a friend. Offer opinions or solutions. Remember, we are dealing with young adults now. They are communicating with you. It would be better for all parties involved to keep the lines of communication open. Once that bond is broken, its hard to get back.

Mother’s, talk to your girls about respecting themselves. Our girls have to understand that they can attract negative attention by the way they dress and speak. Let them know what they should look for in a young man when its time to choose a prom dates. Also let them know what not to put up with. They need to know how to weed out the gentlemen from those that have bad intentions.

Father’s, talk to your boys about appearance and respect. We should not see underwear, and they should not be calling these young ladies anything but their names. Tell and show them, how women are to be treated, what to do and what not to do. They must remember, respect is paramount and first impressions go a long way.

Parent’s two great books for reference are:

Take Back Your Family: How to Raise Respectful and Loving Kids in a Dysfunctional World by Rev. Run, Justine Simmons, and Chris Morrow

Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents by Rev. Run, Justine Simmons, and Chris Morrow

Addressing Fellow Parents...We are all in this together

My daughter and I have the type of relationship that mom’s dream of. My little lady is a fourteen-year-old honor roll student getting ready to embark on her high school years. She’s excited and nervous all at the same time. Will I make new friends, will I make the cheer team, will I be able to continue my honors courses with all that high school pressure? Can you say STRESSFUL? Remember, I said that my daughter is fourteen. Parents, lets face it. Our kids deal with a ton of stress, and you may not even be aware of it. Everyday my husband and I sound like a broken record. How was school? Anything happen? Anything you want to talk about? We then sit back and wait for the latest MIDDLE SCHOOL (drama) to unfold on our way home or at the dinner table. The peer pressure that our kids deal with is enough to make them feel horrible in side. Some of this peer pressure leads to kids shying away even more from their parents because they feel like –they just will not understand. There is also a lot more teenage suicide. Some may say “How can a kid be stressed out when all they have to do is go school?” Well, lets see. Once your child hits puberty, their attitudes seem to change. Some may even rebel, or worse, become sexually active. Some say , not my kid. Well, how would you know if you don’t have a relationship with your daughter or son? We, as parents, sometimes get so caught up in our own world that we forget that our children may have something on their minds that they need to talk about.

Its time for us to communicate better with our children and their friends. Let them know that we are here whenever they may need an ear. We also have to keep an open mind. Don’t fly off the handle when your kid tells you what’s going on with them or a friend. Offer opinions or solutions. Remember, we are dealing with young adults now. They are communicating with you. It would be better for all parties involved to keep the lines of communication open. Once that bond is broken, its hard to get back.

Mother’s, talk to your girls about respecting themselves. Our girls have to understand that they can attract negative attention by the way they dress and speak. Let them know what they should look for in a young man when its time to choose a prom dates. Also let them know what not to put up with. They need to know how to weed out the gentlemen from those that have bad intentions.

Father’s, talk to your boys about appearance and respect. We should not see underwear, and they should not be calling these young ladies anything but their names. Tell and show them, how women are to be treated, what to do and what not to do. They must remember, respect is paramount and first impressions go a long way.

Parent’s two great books for reference are:

Take Back Your Family: How to Raise Respectful and Loving Kids in a Dysfunctional World by Rev. Run, Justine Simmons, and Chris Morrow

Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents by Rev. Run, Justine Simmons, and Chris Morrow