Boarding Schools for Girls

Many parents worry that their ability to influence their teens' lives dwindles as the children age, and is replaced by the impact of peer pressure. But a UCLA study has determined that parental influence remains a guiding factor in the lives of teenagers.

"The researchers looked at social behaviors, such as standing up for people who are being teased and saying bad things about others, as well as academic behaviors, such as listening to teachers or turning in homework late," Canada's CanWest News Service reported.

Children in grades 4, 6 and 8 were influenced by parents in both their academic and social behavior. Older students, however, told researchers that parents mostly influenced their academic behavior. The researchers said they believe this is due to the fact that, as students get older, parents often shift their focus from social to academic issues.

Labels: parents, influences

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Teens have stronger ties to their parents today than any time in the past 30 years, according to a study from Project Teen Canada. Researchers said the results would probably be the same for the United States.

Every eight years, researchers with Project Teen Canada ask 5,500 teens the same questions about their relationships with their parents.

• This year only 42 percent of the surveyed teens said they had arguments at least once a week with their parents; in 1992, 52 percent of surveyed teens reported weekly arguments with their parents.
• Eighty percent of teens said they enjoyed their parents' company, compared to 70 percent in 1992.
• Fewer than 40 percent said their parents did not understand them, compared to 58 percent who answered this way in 1992.

Reginald Biddy, a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge, said that todays parents are doing a better job of balancing careers and family lives.

"Relational enjoyment requires focus, and focusing requires time," Dr. Biddy said in a May 14 article on the website of the New York Times Magazine. Parents are putting more time into their children, enjoying them more and having more influence over them, thus lowering stress for everyone, Dr. Biddy said in the Times article.

Positive relationships between parents and teens have been cited as among the most important positive influences in the effort to reduce issues including teen substance abuse, teen eating disorders, and teen pregnancy.

Labels: relationships, teenagers, parents, communication

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Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24. Lorel Humberg, counselor at Orangeburg Area Mental Health Center, says there are warning signs parents and friends should watch for.

"If a teenager or child says things like 'I just don't want to be here' or 'You'd be better off without me,' take it seriously," Humberg said. "If they suddenly seem to be so much better, that's when the dangerous time is. All of the a sudden, it's okay. That may mean that they've decided to go ahead with plans to end it, especially if they start giving away their favorite clothes and possessions."

Humberg also urges young people who are contemplating suicide to talk to an adult they trust. She calls suicide a "permanent solution to a temporary problem." The feelings of depression or hopelessness will pass, she said, but sometimes young people need help realizing the transitory nature of their emotions. Source: The Times and Democrat (South Carolina)

Labels: teachers, parents, suicide

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