More Than Just a Bad Mood
When your child is a teenager, it's normal for him or her to experience mood swings. But when a pattern emerges of more "down" moods than cheerful moments, he or she could be experiencing depression. How can you know whether your teenager is one of the 12 percent of teens suffering from depression, and how can you help? Read on for signs and symptoms and tips on dealing with depression.
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The Importance of Communicating With Your Teen
Has your once-compliant child suddenly begun to assert and rebel? Is your teenager overly secretive and at odds with everything you say? If so, experts say that communicating with empathy may help calm the storm. But to do this effectively, you'll need to take time every day to talk with your teen and share opinions, ideas and information. Here are tips to help you find the time and make the most of it.
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Inside the Teenage Brain
One minute they're affectionate, and the next, they're touch-me-nots. Today they're star students, but yesterday they wouldn't crack their books. They are your teens, and no matter how much you love them, at times their words and actions can be quite trying. Biology may be partly to blame for their erratic behavior. Research uncovered in the last decade suggests that the teenage brain is actually still a work in progress.
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Teens and Hygiene
It's no secret! When your daughter hints about wearing a bra or you smell more than sweat from your son after basketball practice, it's time to start talking about the importance of personal hygiene. Good hygiene involves more than daily showering and deodorant; parents also need to talk with their teens about skin care and shaving, among other things. Follow our guide to good hygiene to help your child develop healthy habits to last a lifetime.
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Is Your Teen Exercising Too Much?
Your teenage daughter has just joined her school's soccer team and can't get enough of dribbling the ball in the backyard, going to the gym for weight lifting, and running laps around the neighborhood. While part of you is relieved that she's finally found a physical activity she enjoys, you're worried that her two-hour workouts might be sapping her energy more than supplying it. Can she get too much of a good thing?
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Is Your Teen Suffering from Depression?
Your teenage daughter quits the soccer team, refuses to leave her room, and cries constantly. While you worry about her, you wonder if it might be a mere case of adolescent angst. But what if it is something more serious than just a touch of sadness? What if your teenager is suffering from depression? How can you recognize the signs and get help before it's too late?
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Helping Your Teen Avoid a Calcium Crisis
Most of the calcium that makes a person's bones strong for life is consumed by the time that person reaches 17. That's why it's important that teenagers get enough calcium each day, otherwise they might be heading toward osteoporosis and other bone problems later in life. Experts estimate more than 80 percent of teenage girls and nearly 50 percent of teenage boys don't consume the recommended daily amount of calcium. Is your teenager among them?
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Bridging the Communication Gap with Your Teen
We've all heard about "awkward adolescence" and those "terrible teenager years," but it doesn't make it any easier to face when your doting daughter turns into a teenage terror. You used to be so close. Now you never talk and when you do, it's always in anger. So what's a parent to do? Read on for tips on saving your sanity and helping your child make it through his or her teenage years.
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How to Push Back Peer Pressure
Simply being a teen can be difficult enough, but when the coolest, most popular crowd at school tries to pressure you into doing things you don't want to do, it can become difficult to say no. However, there are things you can do to overcome the added pressure.
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Keeping Teen Esteem High
Teenagers with low self-esteem are especially at risk for self-destructive behaviors such as using drugs or alcohol or having unprotected sex, making it more important than ever to encourage and praise your child. Here are some tips to keep your teen's self-esteem alive and well.
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