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Category Archives: Teenagers
Facebook – friend or foe?
Stranger Danger. Twenty years ago, this phrase was meant to stop kids from talking to adults they didn’t know who approached them on the street, at home, or at school. Now the strangers are coming into our houses, into our children’s room’s even, by the screen of a computer. As the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites grow, so does the danger around them. It is becoming more difficult to keep our children away from them, so it is up to parents and grandparents to teach children how to be safe while using them.
The internet opens children to a world of information. Unfortunately, the people who give and take information are not always trustworthy. Since children can’t see these people face to face, it’s easier to trust them, and easier for criminals to lie. There are three things that parents should look out for specifically. The first is their children giving out personal information. Read More
Posted in Parents, Teenagers
Tagged communication, Internet, Parents, Time Management
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Just be like everyone else !
Whether or not children should wear school uniforms is a hotly debated issue with arguments for and against. Some of the main ones in the ‘for’ camp are:
- Children perceive them as professional and are therefore more likely to work and not ‘play’ as they have been dressed to work.
- They promote good discipline.
- They reduce violence and bullying by removing the fashionable element to clothing which can often divide young people and create opportunities to be treated differently.
- They provide a lower cost alternative to keeping up to date with the latest fashions and designer labels.
- They promote a sense of identity and school spirit.
Of course there are equal numbers of counter-arguments including the need for individuals to express that individuality.
Many schools that have a uniform can raise funds by allowing a casual dress day from time to time [charging a small sum for the Read More
Do Teenagers These Days Need a Life Coach?
Someone recently asked the question: do teenagers these days need a life coach? Interesting question that is actually 3 questions rolled into one. Let’s explore them together.
Teenagers ‘these days‘ As many of you will know, if you use a phrase like ‘when I was your age…‘ it doesn’t matter what you say after that because your teen has already zoned out. They are firmly convinced that most adults have never ever been their age. I explain to them that even their parents were teenagers once – BUT – they weren’t teenagers in 2010. Young people are facing life issues that weren’t heard of when I was their age. Many more of them, for example, are growing up in blended families with one distant parent. Drugs are more available today than back in my time. Pressure to perform at school appears greater too as you almost need a college degree to get any job. There Read More
Posted in Coaching, Teenagers
Tagged direction, future, goal setting, Parents, purpose
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Where are you heading?
Recently I met with a 16 year old girl who is trying to decide whether to prematurely end her time in high school [she has 1.5 years to go], to finish this year and defer her final year or to continue on and finish year 12 along with her peer group. That’s an easy decision you may say but it is only easy if you know where you want your life to go.
Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People states that we should begin with the end in mind. The Cheshire Cat informed Alice that she could turn any way she liked at the crossroads because, as she didn’t know where she was going, it didn’t matter. Without a definite destination there is no preferred route. It reminds me of a pre-school activity we used to play entitled ‘taking a pencil for a walk’. To the untrained eye it looked like a scribble but to the bright eyed youngster it was an imaginary journey whose route was permanently recorded by the pencil.
The Read More
Posted in Teenagers
Tagged direction, future, goal setting, Motivation, purpose, school
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