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Want to strengthen your relationship with your teen, help him get better
grades and improve your family’s health at the same time? Plan family
meals together. Kids and parents are busier than ever. Between practices,
rehearsals, music lessons and jobs, it’s almost impossible to get everyone
together at the same time. But studies show that in families who eat
together regularly, teens get better grades.
In fact, teens that eat regular family dinners are 40% more likely to earn
A’s and B’s in school. They’re also less likely to have problems with
drugs and alcohol. Family dinners also help build language skills and
foster a sense of responsibility.
So how can you build family mealtimes into your schedule? Here are some
tips:
Involve everyone in the family to get a meal on the table quickly. That
prep time is also a great time to catch up on the day’s news.
Make the time enjoyable. If you have a problem, talk about it another
time. Make mealtime pleasant.
Be flexible. If
practice ends at 8 p.m., eat dinner later. Even if you’re only together at
the table for 20 minutes, it still counts—and it still helps.
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Respect for Others
Starts with Self-Respect
You may have heard the
expression, “charity begins at home.” It means that before you can help
others, you need to take care of your own family. A similar concept
applies to respect. Make clear to your teen that respecting others begins
with respecting herself. What are the qualities of a teen with
self-respect?
She accepts herself.
She realizes that she should try her best, yet no one is perfect. Everyone
makes mistakes and has good qualities as well as faults.
She values herself.
She takes care of her body, giving it enough food, exercise and sleep. She
doesn’t harm it with alcohol or drugs.
She sees a future for
herself.
Keeping her goals in mind helps her say no when faced with a difficult
situation.
How does self-respect help your teen respect others?
She understands.
Since she accepts herself, she realizes that others also deserve to be
accepted. She expresses happiness for others when things go right for
them, and sympathy when things go wrong.
She demonstrates that
she believes others are important.
Since she values herself, she realizes that the lives of others have value
as well. She encourages others to care for themselves.
She looks for
learning opportunities.
Because she has goals, she appreciates the hard work that others, such as
parents and teachers, have done. She looks to them as positive role models
and treats them with honor.
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Parent
Quiz:
Do You Help Your Teen Make Good Decisions?
Missing curfew … hanging around with the wrong
crowd … taking risks. Teens don’t always make the best choices. Can
parents help? Experts say yes.
Take this quiz to see
if you’re doing all you can to help your teen make better choices. Answer
yes or no to each question.
_____1. My teen and I
have talked about his goals. We talk about how the choices he makes can
help or hinder him from reaching those goals.
_____2. When my teen has to make a choice, we first figure out the cause
of the problem.
_____3. I help my teen come up with many different ways to solve his
problems.
_____4. I have talked with my teen about a problem I had and what I did to
solve it.
_____5. I help my teen think about the consequences of each choice he
makes.
How well are you doing?
Each yes answer
means you are helping your teen make better decisions. For each no answer,
try that idea from the quiz.
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Greetings from PCN
What a wonderful autumn
we’ve had so far! I hope you’re enjoying the football, the brisk weather
and the changing leaves. As the temperatures cool down, youngsters’
Internet use tends to heat up. While many tech-savvy parents have long
enforced basic computer safety rules, there are some areas that may be
overlooked.
Social networking sites, like MySpace, YouTube and Facebook, are exploding
in popularity – especially with teens and pre-teens. Take some time this
month to talk with your child about these sites. Find out if your teen
has a profile on one, and if so, visit it together.
Happy Harvest Time!
Darcy Jensen and the PCN Board
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