14 - 17 year olds


They look like us. They talk like us. They have opinions, feelings, and hope like us. But they aren't ''us.'' They don't understand the world yet. They don't have the background knowledge that we rely so heavily upon to make our day to day decisions. Teenagers, High Schoolers, Young Adults. The words bring back memories of good times, great friends, and scary emotions.

Teens today may know how to protect themselves from AIDS, but they don't know who they are as individuals. They are still learning and growing. They still need us. They still love us. And believe it or not, they still crave the predictability our rules provide. The world is a cruel, scary place. In these last few years of childhood, our homes can be the safety net that they return to when life gets to be too much.

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American Psychological Association - The Teen Years          This article from the american Psychological Association offers parents advice for raising teenagers.

Columbus Parent-Youth Communication data          Local data on attitudes and behaiors of Columbus's Youth

What Makes Kids Care?          This article from the American Psychological Association website focuses on teaching empathy and concerns for others.

10 Tips for Building Resilience in Kids and Teens          A document titled: Resilence For Kids and Teens-A Guide For Parents and Teachers from the American Psychological Association website.

Communication Tips for Parents          This article from the American Psychological Association offers tips for parents on communicating with their child.

Getting Along with Your Teen-Mistakes to Avoid and Strategies to Use          Handout made by psychologist to assist parents in getting along with their teen.

Common Developmental Tasks of Adolescence           A psychologist offers a list of developmental tasks a adolescent may go through on the way to adulthood.

Additional Links:

National Parenting Center - Articles About Adolescence    www.tnpc.com/article/showcat.asp?n=7       This link on the National Parenting Center website provides over 150 brief articles on parenting adolescents.

Positiveparent.com    www.positiveparenting.com/resources/feature_article_019.html       Produced by the International Network for Children and Families on Teen Development

Helping Children Use the Internet Safely    www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/health_safety/web_safety_for_kids_teens.shtml       This article for parents from the Child Development Institute website offers parent advice for keeping their children safe on the internet.

Internet Safety Tips for Parents    www.wiredwithwisdom.org/internet-safety-tips-parents.pdf       20 things parents can do to protect themselves and their families while online.

Internet Safety Tips For 14-17 Year Olds    www.bewebaware.ca/english/safety_tips_14_17.aspx       This article from the Be Web Aware project offers parents tips to increase internet safety for their teenagers.

teenagerstoday.com    teenagerstoday.com       Parents of teenagers might find information that is useful to them.

Brain development of teenagers    www.drugfree.org/teenbrain/

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