Category: Teenagers
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Opioid Overdoses Triple Among Kids & Teens – How to Protect Your Kids
By Lisa Pecos The Journal of the American Medical Associating (JAMA) Pediatrics recently published an alarming report stating that the number of young children and teens hospitalized in the U.S. for opioid overdose has almost tripled in recent years.
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Program to Prevent Teen Pregnancy with Virtual Babies Backfires
By Lisa Pecos It may seem like something out of an 80s sitcom, but giving teen girls lifelike baby dolls to care for as a way to dissuade them from getting pregnant is something that has been going on for years. A recent study out of Australia, however, has found that this may actually have […]
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How Much Sleep Do Your Kids and Teens Really Need?
By Lisa Pecos Chances are that you’ve long been told that you should be aiming for 8 hours of sleep every night, but does that go for your children too? And if you struggle to get in a full 8 hours on most nights, is it realistic to expect that your child or teen can? […]
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Puberty Woes or PCOS: Know the Signs
By Jamell Andrews As a parent of an adolescent daughter, it’s easy to brush off acne and irregular periods as normal parts of puberty. While missed or heavy periods and acne are certainly common at this stage of a girl’s life, they can also be signs of a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
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Drinking in Movies and Teenage Drinking
Teenagers Who Watch Actors Drinking Alcohol in Movies More Likely to Drink Themselves A study published earlier this year in the journal Pediatrics found that young European teens who watched more scenes of actors drinking in Hollywood movies were more likely to binge-drink and otherwise abuse alcohol. Researchers gave questionnaires to more than 5,000 15-year-olds […]
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Cigarette Vapor Damages Children’s Lungs
Children’s Lungs Could Be Especially Vulnerable to E-Cigarette Vapor Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have become popular in the last few years among many people trying to quit regular cigarettes; they were heralded when they were introduced as a much safer way for people to get the nicotine they want, without the thousands of chemicals that […]
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Hearing Damage from Loud Music
Warn Your Children About Hearing Loss from New Music Players Many young children and teenagers got MP3 players as holiday gifts last month; doctors want to urge parents to caution their children not to play their music too loud, to avoid noise-induced hearing loss.
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Most U.S. Teens Are Sleep-Deprived
Almost All U.S. Teenagers Are Not Getting Enough Sleep, Says Study A full night’s sleep is one of the best things a teenager can do for his or her physical and emotional health, mental alertness and performance at school or sports. Yet, a new study found that more than 90 percent of American teenagers aren’t […]
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Deadly Enterovirus D68 Now in 47 States
What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Children Nine American children died in recent weeks, who were infected in the 2014 enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) outbreak that has now spread to 47 states and the District of Columbia. So far, the viral strain has been detected in samples submitted for a total of nine children who […]
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Use of Synthetic Growth Hormone by American Teens More than Doubled in a Year
The Internet has made shopping for so many goods a lot easier and more practical. For parents, it is important to remember that teens may also avail themselves of the ease and convenience that shopping online affords. And unless parents educate and are vigilant over their teens, youths may be getting their hands on some […]
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Study Shows Many Teens Still Use Cell Phones While Driving
Plus: The Importance of Parents Setting a Good Example Despite the fact that all motorists are aware of the dangers of talking or texting on a cell phone while driving, many Americans continue to engage in the practice. And teenagers are no exception. A new study has found that the vast majority of American teenagers […]
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Energy Drinks and Sports Drinks Linked to Unhealthy Behaviors in Teenagers
A new study has found that teenagers who regularly consume energy drinks and sports drinks are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Teens who often drank energy drinks like Red Bull and ROCKSTAR were more apt to smoke, use illicit drugs and drink alcohol. And teens who drank either energy or sports drinks regularly […]
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Seven Ways to Encourage and Improve Your Child’s Academic Success
So, you think you may have the next Einstein or medicine Nobel prize recipient in your home … or perhaps you simply want to ensure that you give your child the best chance to succeed in life by helping them get a great education. Whatever your motivation, many parents are interested in finding ways to […]
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To Get Your Child and Teenagers to Listen About Health Dangers, Try Using Positive Messages
A new study found that when it comes to getting through to young people, you may be better off focusing on the positive, rather than using scare tactics. If you’re a parent, you may at times get frustrated by how hard it is to get your children to listen to you when you warn them […]
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Getting Your Child Off to a Good Start with a Good Breakfast!
Before we knew it, summertime was over, and it was time for our kids to go back to school. We may no longer be able to fix elaborate breakfasts before the kids rush to school; but there are certainly plenty of breakfast choices that are healthy, tasty, and easy to prepare. We all know by […]
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Things that a Parent Can Do to Boost a Child’s Self-Confidence
Thinking positive and believing in oneself are much more than just feel-good concepts thrown around by psychologists looking to sell us books. Most people who achieve success in life on their own merit, at whatever goals they set for themselves, will tell you that believing in oneself, and not quitting in the face of defeat […]
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Having “The Talk” with Your Child: Tips on Talking to Your Pre-Teen or Teenager About Sex
If you feel uncomfortable even bringing up the subject of sex with your pre-teen or teenage son or daughter, you are not alone. More than one parent has elected to avoid having that talk altogether because they didn’t feel comfortable. However, given the potentially very serious and life-changing consequences of sex, it is a subject […]
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Sunshine, Tanning Beds and Suntans — What Are the Healthy Options for Your Teen?
Peer pressure being as strong as it is in the teenage years, a lot of adolescent girls and boys may want to head outdoors as the weather heats up and get a suntan. But with all that we now know about excessive sun exposure and skin cancers, some fans of tanning may opt instead to […]
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Prescription Drug Abuse by American Teens Up One-Third in Five Years
Prescription drug abuse by teens appears to have increased by 33 percent in a scant five years, according to a survey launched in 2012 and published in 2013 by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, in conjunction with the MetLife Foundation. The survey interviewed 3,900 teenagers in grades 9-12, who attended public, private and parochial schools. Eight […]
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Things to Think About when Signing Up Your Child to Play Sports
The benefits of playing organized sports are well-established. They include giving children the opportunity to interact with peers and coaches to reach a common goal. This can help foster leadership skills as the child learns to get along with others and follow instructions, while working to improve their personal best. Team sports can also help […]
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Important Steps to Prevent Sports-Related Injuries
The following is a break-down of what parents need to know, to help their children remain free from sports-related injuries. Education Doctors treat around one million sports-related injuries in American school-age children every year. For parents, it is important to learn basic ways to avoid injury when their children practice sports, whether it’s at school […]
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5 Things Teens Do Not Tell Their Parents
As kids grow, it can be difficult for parents to let go of the parent-child dynamic that was established during the early years. Teens might still be far from fully formed adults, but they are unique individuals with strong senses of themselves, and much of their behavior is oriented toward growing and becoming adults. For […]
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Teenagers and Acne: What Parents Need to Know
Acne is a very common concern during adolescence, and virtually every teen deals with it to some degree. Even small acne breakouts can be cause for anxiety, and serious acne problems can lead to depression and social delays. So from the parental perspective, acne is not to be taken lightly just because it happens to […]
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Getting your teen to talk about his or her feelings
Many 21st-century parents are very conscious of the importance of keeping the lines of communication open with their teens. This often comes at the expense of old-fashioned discipline and parent-child hierarchy, but for many parents the trade-off is worth it. In exchange for that old-fashioned stuff, you get a strong emotional connection with your child […]
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My Teenager Has Acne, How Can I Help?
Acne can inflict the young and the old but is most common during our teenage years. The acne that teenagers suffer from is called acne vulgaris and is triggered by puberty’s reproductive hormones surging through their bodies. These raging hormones make the sebaceous glands enlarge and increase the production of sebum. The pores produce a […]
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How to Keep Your Teen Out of Trouble: 10 Tips
Teens are naturally rebellious, and when you combine this with all the potentially destructive influences that today’s teens are exposed to, it is not surprising that the percentage of young people who have been arrested at least once has grown in recent years. And these incidents can have lifelong repercussions. Even a minor offense such […]
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Help! My Child Is So LAZY!
As a parent of a seemingly lazy child you may feel very frustrated with attempts to motivate him. Some parents are baffled by their children being so different in their levels of activity. Children are different and some are inherently more active than others but few are naturally lazy. Often a child’s energy is being […]
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What Parents Need to Know About Cutting
Cutting—or, as it is known in medical circles, self-injury—has gotten a lot of attention over the last few years, and there is a growing awareness that it is a serious issue among teens, not just due to the physical harm it causes but also because it is often a symptom of deeper emotional problems. Still, […]
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Had Enough of the Backchat?
Do you feel exasperated dealing with backchat and disrespectful behaviour from your children? It can be difficult to handle your children’s bad manners, rudeness, swearing, sarcasm or cheekiness and most parents complain about it at some point. Think about why your child might be behaving this way as there are
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Alcohol and Your Teenager
Alcohol is considered socially acceptable as long as it is drunk moderately but it can cause mixed messages being communicated to our young people. We tell our children drinking is bad for them but they then see us consuming alcohol and sometimes too much at social occasions. What do you do if you discover your […]
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Children’s Growing Pains: What Can Parents Do?
That kids experience growing pains is no myth. At times of growth (and kids do grow at uneven rates), to feel actual pain in the bones, muscles, and joints is quite common. Its prevalence is difficult to measure, but it is believed that as many as half of all children experience growing pains regularly. As […]
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Are You Worried About Your Child’s Speech?
You may be concerned that your child is having difficulty with his speech. There are common problems that are often diagnosed and this is a guide to how you can detect them, how to help your child and also how you can seek professional help.
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How to Raise a Musical Child
When it comes to educating children, a lot of focus is placed on practical skills like reading and math, which are undoubtedly important. But we should raise our children to be well-rounded individuals, and this involves teaching them forms of creative self-expression. While different kids have different talents-some are good at drawing, some can dance […]
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Should Kids Get Their Own Cell Phones?
By Marc Courtiol Although it may sometimes be hard to imagine life without cellphones, most grownups can recall a time when we were not all in constant touch with one another, and when every household shared a single stationary phone. And because most of today’s parents grew up in that world, many have a somewhat […]
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Helping Your Teen Learn to Drive Safely
By Jamell Andrews Because driving is such a routine thing for so many adults, we tend to forget what a serious act it is to get behind the wheel. A car is a massive, potentially dangerous piece of machinery, and operating one comes with a world of adult responsibilities. So it is hard for many […]
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The Negative Effects of the Media on Teens
By Lisa Pecos Today’s kids plug into media at an earlier age than their predecessors, and the amount of media they consume is staggering compared to the habits of past generations. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average child between the age of eight and 18 consumes media for seven […]
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Spread Your Wings and Fly…
In the early evening I would sit outside under the tree near our house and watch the birds. One day I saw a Blue Jay come and chase the other birds away if they got to close. I noticed that every time she did that, 2 little Blue Jays would fly up and eat the […]
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How To Keep The Internet Safe For Your Kids And Home
By Liz Krause When it comes to the internet, gone are the days when parents know more than the kids – or so it seems. The fact of the matter is, although a child may know how to use the internet faster and quicker, it is the parents’ responsibility to protect them from the dark […]
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How To Cope With Sibling Jealousy
Sibling jealousy is incredibly common. To the older child it can be an overwhelming and confusing feeling when confronted with a young sibling and parents need to be patient and understanding.
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Understanding Asthma in Children
Asthma affects the small tubes (airways) that carry air in and out of the lungs, also known as the bronchi. The airways of the lungs are more sensitive in children with asthma. Something that irritates your child’s lungs is a called a trigger. Triggers cause the airways to narrow, inflame the lining of the airways […]
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The 6 Most Important Parent-Child Talks
No one said parenting was going to be easy. As children grow up, countless issues can arise, and as parents it is our job to try to guide our children through these times to the best of our abilities. An essential part of this job is to talk to our children about serious issues that […]
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Understanding Kids with Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition that is often associated with diabetes. It is characterized by low blood sugar (glucose) levels. Hypoglycemia itself is not a disease, but an indicator of some other health problem. It is a very dangerous condition for kids simply because our brains need a steady supply of glucose in order to function […]
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A Parent’s Guide to Cyberbullying
By Lisa Pecos There have always been bullies, but the internet has given mean kids a whole new platform to bully others, and this new platform comes with some serious concerns that parents need to be aware of. Many people tend to think that being on the receiving end of occasional bullying is a normal […]
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How to Beat the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
By Marc Courtiol According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 20 percent of American children between the ages of 6 and 11 are now obese, and 18 percent of young people between ages 12 and 19 meet the criteria for obesity. These numbers are startling enough on their own, and […]
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7 Ways to Improve Your Child’s School Performance
By Lisa Pecos School is where kids acquire the bulk of their learning, but it is hard to have success at school without a solid foundation of education in the home, starting at a very early age and continuing through the teen years. Most parents are aware of the things they can do to prepare […]
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Getting Kids to Eat Healthy Foods
By Lisa Pecos According to the USDA, kids between the ages of 9 and 13 require at least six servings of fruits and vegetables per day, with each serving being either a half cup of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables or a medium-sized fruit. Kids between 4 and 8 need about five servings per day, […]
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Signs of Depression in Children and Teens
By Marc Courtiol While childhood depression can be triggered by events such as changing schools, divorce, moving, or a death in the family, there is a genetic component to depressive mood disorders, and some children are more predisposed to these feelings than others. In past generations childhood depression was often dismissed as normal growing pains, […]
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Your Family and Understanding Meningitis
Meningitis is an infection that results from inflammation around the brain and spinal cord coverings (or membranes). It occurs most often in children (including teenagers) and young adults, though it can pose a risk to some older adults who have weakened immune systems.
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Children and Illness: The Main Reasons that Kids Miss School
By Cyndra Neal Many parents can probably relate to having a child who seems to be sick all the time. Often times, parents find themselves wondering why their kids get sick so often. They may even feel like their kids are sick more often than other people’s children. The reality, however, is that most kids […]
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Teaching Kids about Money
By Marc Courtiol While many parents often mention the fact that they wish they had learned more at an early age about how to handle money, many of them are surprisingly hesitant to discuss such matters with their own children. This seems a bit odd, since so many of us wish that our children had […]
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Understanding Puberty
By Marc Courtiol There are various stages of puberty that most of us are painfully familiar with. Even though the majority of us understand what happens to girls and boys as they hit puberty, many of us do not completely understand the science behind the changes that occur during that time.
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5 Parenting Tips for Communicating with Children & Teens
There is nothing that adequately prepares us for the most important job there is—parenting. Children and teens do not come with an owner’s manual, and most of our training is on the job. With our own parents as our most prominent role models, we tend to repeat what we have learned about parenting from them. […]
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Your Teenager Could Have Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that affects teenagers at the same time every year. For the majority of the United States population, the most common time of year for the onset of SAD is fall or early winter. Though some teenagers are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder in the spring […]
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Are You Aware of Eating Disorders in Adolescence
By Wendy Wood Do you suspect that your child has an eating disorder? By watching your child’s eating habits you will soon find out if he or she, in fact, has an eating disorder. Here are is a list of tips, tricks and methods for learning more about your child’s eating habits in hopes that […]
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Parents, Teenagers and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
By Jamell Andrews Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a very difficult disorder to diagnose in adults and teenagers. The primary symptom associated with chronic fatigue syndrome is extreme fatigue, which does not improve even with extended periods of rest. Though Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is one that is now widely accepted by researchers and doctors […]
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Jane Eyre – How to Raise a Kid with Good Self-Esteem
By David Bain Jesse Jackson once said, “Your children need your presence more than your presents”. When stated it seems obvious that a child’s early years can determine the rest of their life. What seems so obvious, however, is often ignored. Parents often forget that offering support and companionship is as important as a good […]
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Preparing for Your Child Becoming a Teenager
As adolescents, children are attempting to acquire the skills they will need in order to achieve independence as adults. This is the time that they become their own person and create their own group of friends, and this period of transition is typically quite difficult. While some children seem to breeze through their teenage years […]
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Teens and Bed-Wetting : Dealing With Diapers and Plastic Pants
By Colin Ellison Being a teenager can be a stressful time in life. There’s the pressure of fitting in,preparing to get into college,going to prom,learning to drive. Now imagine if you also had to tell someone of the opposite sex that you have to wear diapers and plastic pants because you still wet the bed?
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Surprising Secrets to a Successful Summer
by Toni Schutta You’re probably busy planning every detail so your kids can have a memorable summer packed with vacations, summer camps, sports activities and more.
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Teens and Bed-Wetting:Dealing With Diapers and Plastic Pants
By Colin Ellison Being a teenager can be a stressful time in life. There’s the pressure of fitting in,preparing to get into college,going to prom,learning to drive. Now imagine if you also had to tell someone of the opposite sex that you have to wear diapers and plastic pants because you still wet the bed?
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Raising Strong Children from Shaky Relationships
By Sylvia Wells I always wanted five children, just like my mother. Even knowing they would all be boys in accordance to the needle and thread test I did when I was about ten years old. The funny thing is that, although I planned to have all these children, I didn’t put a second of […]
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Vitamins, Nutrition and Your Teenager
Teens often lack calcium and nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and so on. You would be forgiven for thinking that cutting back on fat and sugar is enough to keep your teenager healthy, for we also need to make sure our diet provides teens with enough vitamins and nutrients.
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Letting Go Of Our Teenagers or Getting Ready For An Emptinest
So, I have come to an interesting conclusion about parenthood. When we give birth to our child…even if not right away, we at some point feel like this child will love us forever…unconditionally. Later we find out that although they will love us forever…inevitably we will fall from grace… or when ‘life happens’ they will […]
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Why Plan an After Prom Party
by Lori Heatherington From the time I enrolled my daughter in elementary school it seemed that the world was out to ruin her innocence. Her know-it-all six year old friends with older brothers and sis…