Because body image is such a critical factor in self-esteem, the way your teen eats is important. Having the proper nutrients makes a difference. Even if your teen struggles with weight issues, you should not encourage him or her to diet or starve but to make healthier choices about what they eat. Instead of buying potato chips for snack, buy baby carrots. Instead of grabbing fast food for dinner, make meals at home.

Most teenagers are still growing and therefore require a lot of nutrients to help with proper development of the brain and body. Since your teen’s bones are still growing, meals should have sufficient calcium and other minerals like iron and zinc. The diet should consist of plenty of carbohydrates to provide the body with enough energy, as well as fruits, vegetables, and protein. (Quick, easy meals like spaghetti and meatballs offer a great solution for meeting nutrition needs without needing too much time).

All kids need a physical outlet for their energy and emotions. If your child is not involved in sports, encourage him or her to ride a bike, walk to school, go swimming, or find some other active hobby. A healthy teen is one whose time in front of the computer and video games is limited and monitored. Your teen needs fresh air, free time, and time away from the TV set and off the couch.

Being Healthy isn’t Just About Food

A healthy teen is a teen that not only has access to healthy food choices and encouragement to exercise regularly but also a supportive atmosphere in which to try out his or her newfound independence. They should be allowed to socialize with their friends and have a level of independence that grows as they demonstrate increasingly capable responsibility. As a parent, you can foster independence by encouraging your teen to take responsibility for his or her choices, by increasing the amount of responsibility your teen has around the house and in making life decisions, and by letting your teen experience the consequences of his or her actions.

The most important thing you can do to have a healthy teen is to be open, honest, supportive, and there. Being available for your teen when he or she needs someone to talk to or needs someone to place boundaries and set guidelines and stay firm can give your child the sense of security and safety he or she needs. Raising a healthy teen takes time, effort, and a lot of patience, but the effort you put in now will pay off in many ways.

Check out  No-Nonsense Parenting For Today’s Teenager and learn how to feel like a good parent even when your teenager hates you. Also learn how get your disrespectful Teenager to LISTEN to what you say & RESPECT you as their parent while getting peace back in your home. Risk Free for 60 Days! No Obligation!”

You can foster your teen’s self-esteem by limiting your discipline to addressing behavior, not personality. When you are confronting your teen for a behavior, never say, “You are so stupid,” or, “Why did you do this? Don’t you learn?” When you criticize who your teen is, you diminish their entire person. Instead, address the behavior:

“I love you very much, but you made a very poor choice. The consequences of your choice are…”

“I know you are a good person. But by choosing to do this, you now are responsible for earning the money to pay for the damage.”

It doesn’t matter what your teen did or how “bad” it seems to you…it’s the action you are addressing, not the person, when you discipline.

Realize that you have less control over how your teen feels about himself or herself that you might realize. Much of your teen’s self-esteem is dependent on the respect and admiration he or she earns from peers at school. That’s why it is so important not to fight over the little things.

I always tell the parents I see at my seminars to “choose their battles.” If you are at war with your teenage son because he wants a purple Mohawk, even though he is otherwise a good kids with decent grades, you are drawing a line in the sand that will distance the two of you from each other and keep him from exploring his identity in a way that is meaningful to him.

Instead of fighting with your teen over his or her appearance or style, commend your teen for having a sense of individuality. Hair grows back. Colors fade. Support your teen as he or she explores new looks and styles; it is simply a way for him or her to discover true identity, make an impact and be noticed among his or her peers, and gain confidence.

By supporting these explorations, your teen will be more likely to respond when you really do have to say no…like when he or she has been invited to an unsupervised party in which there might be alcohol. If you’ve said yes to the purple Mohawk and yes to individuality, your teen will hear you when you say no, not this party, not this time.

Tips for building self-esteem in your teen:

• Treat your teen with respect
• Allow your teen to be an individual
• Celebrate your teen’s differences from you
• Empower your teen to make decisions about his or her own life
• Address behavior issues, not personality
• Talk to your teen, but more importantly, listen to your teen
• Give your teen coping tools to manage peer pressures
• Empower your teen to say no

Check out  No-Nonsense Parenting For Today’s Teenager and learn how to feel like a good parent even when your teenager hates you. Also learn how get your disrespectful Teenager to LISTEN to what you say & RESPECT you as their parent while getting peace back in your home. Risk Free for 60 Days! No Obligation!”

(ARA) – Vaccinations are not just for younger children. Even though kids may have received their recommended vaccinations when they were younger, they still may need additional vaccines as adolescents.

To help protect preteens and teens from serious diseases and keep them healthy for school, talk with their health care provider and make sure their teen vaccinations are up to date. In addition, their school nurse is a great resource for general health and immunization information.

In a recent conversation about immunizations, Sandi Delack from the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) provided answers to some important questions:

1. What vaccines are recommended for preteens and teens?

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends:

* Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Whooping cough): Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccines) is a single booster vaccine that helps to protect against all three diseases. Experts recommend that adolescents receive a single dose of this vaccine at 11 to 12 years if they have completed the childhood diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and whole cell pertussis (DTP)/ diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccination series and have not received a tetanus and diphtheria toxoid (Td). Persons aged 13 through 18 years who have not received Tdap should receive a dose.

* Human papillomavirus: HPV vaccine helps protect against certain types of the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Experts recommend that girls get this set of three vaccines at age 11 or 12 years. Catch-up vaccination is also recommended in girls 13 through 18 years. Boys between ages 9 through 18 years may choose to get this set of three vaccines to prevent genital warts.

* Meningococcal: MCV4 helps protect against meningococcal disease (meningitis). Experts recommend that adolescents get a single dose of this vaccine at age 11 or 12 years.

* Influenza (Flu) and H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu): The influenza vaccine for the 2010-2011 influenza season helps to protect against influenza (also known as the “flu”), including the H1N1 strain of influenza that caused the recent pandemic. The CDC recommends that preteens/teens get the flu vaccine yearly.

If not required for school attendance in your state, additional vaccines to be discussed with your health care provider or school nurse include those for chicken pox; measles, mumps, rubella; pneumococcal disease; polio; Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.

2. What happens if my preteen or teen misses his or her vaccines?
There are many reasons why preteens and teens may miss getting the recommended vaccinations on time, including moving to a new state, switching health care providers or the vaccine may have been unavailable when they were younger. Whatever the reason, it is not too late for your preteen or teen to catch up on missed vaccines. Talk to your health care provider or school nurse to ensure your preteen or teen is up-to-date on recommended vaccines for their age group and caught up on any missed vaccines.

3. Does my preteen or teen need to get vaccinated again if he or she was vaccinated as a child?
There are many times throughout your child’s life where it is recommended he or she receives additional vaccinations to help protect them from contagious diseases. Even though preteens and teens may have received the recommended immunizations when they were younger, protection from some vaccines may decline, leaving them at risk for infection from certain diseases. For example, the whooping cough vaccination wears off five to 10 years after the completion of childhood vaccination, so a booster vaccine is recommended.

4. Where can I find more information about preteen/teen immunization?
The CDC recommended vaccination schedule can be found at www.cdc.gov.

In addition to your health care provider, your child’s school nurse is a great resource to learn more about recommended immunizations. Your school nurse has access to the most up-to-date information on immunization recommendations and school immunization requirements. They can also discuss other questions or concerns regarding your preteen’s or teen’s health. After all, the goal of the school nurse is to help keep students healthy so they can succeed in school.

Grab more information on Teen Health here

If you are a parent coping with teen depression, there are things you can do to help your teen cope. Take a look at your teen’s schedule; does he or she have too many obligations? Are your teen’s nights and weekends filled with practices and games and performances and other things that keep them from having regular meals, homework time, and family time? Teen depression can often be caused by feeling overwhelmed and out of control.’

If your teen is too busy, teach him or her to take time to relax. Encourage balance through prioritizing. Help them choose one or two activities that are truly important to them and help them break away from doing more than they need to. Try to make family time where all of you can sit together and share a meal and talk. Talking and having a comfortable and safe home environment can reduce teen depression and help your teen recover.

When your son or daughter is suffering from teen depression, he or she may lash out in anger. Your teen may behave differently, have difficulty eating or sleeping, or become withdrawn. You may see more emotional outbursts or an inability to cope with the slightest change to routine or schedule. When teen depression escalates out of control, it can cause your teen to feel suicidal or become physically ill.

Signs of teen depression include:

• Ongoing sadness, anxiety, or feelings of emptiness
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Changes in appetite
• Listlessness or unwillingness to engage in previously enjoyed activities
• Irritability
• Digestion problems
• Fatigue, restlessness, hopelessness
• Difficulty making decisions
• Thoughts of suicide

Often, depression can be treated with medication. Be cautious, however, because many depression medications that work well in adults can trigger suicidal thoughts in teens. Counseling and therapy may help your teen and you can avoid medications. If your teen does have to take medication for depression, be sure you talk to them about the side effects and monitor their behavior closely.

Before teen depression takes a firm hold, seek help for your teen. If scaling back on obligations and being there for your teen aren’t enough to help, enlist the aid of a mental health professional. Don’t dismiss the possibility that your teen is coping with something more serious. Depression can be genetic, but it can also be caused by devastating experiences like date rape, bullying, or academic difficulties.

If you are facing an urgent situation, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) in the U.S. or 1-800-448-3000 in Canada.

Visit No-Nonsense Parenting For Today’s Teenager – It covers nearly everything you need to know about how to deal with Disrespectful, Out-Of-Control or Abusive Adolescent-Teenage Behavior…Plus More — and it’ll make your life as a parent a whole lot easier at the same time!

Financially

Raising a teen as a single mom can be especially stressful because teenagers require money extracurricular activities, special school assignments, vehicles to get around in and so on. Hopefully you have some financial support from the father, but this is not often the case. If you are raising a teen on your own, it’s best to teach your teen how to be frugal from the get go.

Most local resale shops have brand name clothing at reduced rates. Consignment shops often carry high quality, brand name clothing that your teen will love. Getting them in the shop for the first time might be challenging, but once they realize the value of consignment shops, they’ll be hooked. They will soon discover they can get so much more for their (your) money shopping at consignment stores. In addition, you can also teach them how to consign their clothes to earn some cash when they’re through with them.

Also, teach them how to be frugal when it comes to putting miles on the car. Help them map out the shortest routes and to plan ahead when going into town or shopping so they make as few trips as possible.

If they are old enough, it’s never too early for them to get a job. Teach them how to fill out an application, ask to talk to the manager and to make follow up phone calls. Then once they have a job, teach them how to budget and how to save money for larger items they desire. You can also allow them to help pay a bill or two, especially if they have a cell phone or a computer that requires internet service.

Emotionally

Raising a teenager as a single mom is probably the most difficult emotionally for you and your teen. If your singleness is due to divorce, your teen may be harboring some resentment towards you and your ex-husband. If you notice your teen acting out abnormally in anger or suspect alcohol or drug use, seek professional counseling immediately for both of you.

The teenage years are difficult emotionally anyway due to rising hormone levels and peer pressure. Try to keep the lines of communication open between you and your teen. Teach them to talk to you respectfully and to honor your rules. This may require tough love, but believe me, you’re teen needs and wants routine and boundaries, whether they know it or not.

For more tips and information on raising a teen as a single mom, see Real Life Guidance for Understanding your Teen by Aurelia Williams.

While it can be devastating to learn that your child has fallen into the wrong crowd or has begun to make decisions that will destroy their lives, it is not something to be embarrassed about or to try to hide from others. It is a time to take action! Here are some suggestions for families that need to tighten up their family rules and structure:

Set limits

Limits and rules are critical in the development of safety, growth, and fulfillment of individuals. Society cannot function properly without rules. If a classroom had no rules, there would be chaos and very little learning would occur (I should know I am a teacher). If a community operated without rules it would cease to be a safe place to live. Likewise, within the family there must be a proper set of family rules that are based on your family values.

Monitoring

Monitoring is essential in the administration of any rules. Imagine for instance, if our highways were not monitored by law enforcement? What if a business did not monitor production and quality? As parents, we must provide a safety net for our children by monitoring their behavior. How much we have to monitor depends on how much monitoring is needed. Some teens require very little monitoring; troubled teens require intensive monitoring.

Communication

Communication is also key when dealing with any troubled teen. All troubled teens are generally reacting to problems in their lives. Although it may hurt, you may find that something you are doing is causing your teen’s behavior. Parent-child talk is also important because of its power. Talking is one of the most effective ways you can share information with your children, strengthen your relationship with them, help them understand and deal with their emotions, and pass on to them values, beliefs, and hopes.

Respect

Respect goes both ways, parents should listen to and respect their children’s feelings respect your children and yourself. Positive discipline is based on mutual respect. Assume that children are basically reasonable human beings who want to do well, and treat them with the respect they deserve. Kids learn by imitation, and just demonstrating respectful behavior will take you a long. You show respect for your child when you:

· respect their feelings;
· respect their opinions;
· respect their privacy;
· respect their temperament; and
· respect their body and personal space

Trust your instincts

Trust your basic instincts. If you think that your teen may be using drugs, you almost certainly are right. If you think that they are doing things that they told you they wouldn’t do anymore, they just might be. While it is important to trust your children, don’t let problems go. Problems don’t simply go away if you ignore them; they usually get worse. If you stick to your guns, follow your instincts, and communicate with your troubled teen, then you just might solve the problems and improve your life.

Finally Love! Love is all you need! Love your children

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A major stress factor for a lot of teens is their grades. To help them handle the stress when it comes to their grades, talk to your teen about how they are doing in school on a regular basis, not just at report card time. Give them options; for example, if they get a bad grade, offer to help them or to hire a tutor to give them the extra help they need. Brush up on your history or calculus and try to get your teen interested in the subject as well. The key to a better grade may simply lie in learning to enjoy the subject or becoming more interested in it. One failing grade can be fairly easy to overcome and shouldn’t be a matter of too much stress. However, if your teen is failing more than one subject some serious learning issues may be the underlying cause and they could need some additional outside help.

Peer pressure is another major stress factor for teens. They may feel pressured into doing drugs, cutting school, or into having sex. Talk to your teen before the issues arise, if at all possible. Let them know how you feel about drugs, cutting school and sex, and why you feel the way you do.  Teach them how to make good decisions. Provide options where they can hang out so they won’t be tempted to make the wrong choices. Make your home inviting for their friends to come over and encourage your teen to have them over.
Every teen is going to feel stress about having sex at some point in their life; this is only natural. Your teen should be able to talk to you, their parent, or to an adult about sex and what to do about pressure. If a teen does not feel ready to have sex, they will shun away from the situation, change friends, or drop that girlfriend or boyfriend. Give your teen advice, and let them know your feelings on the subject will help them make the best decision.

Being a teenager in today’s society can be very stressful, but when you teach your teen the proper way to handle stress, they will become happier and less stressed as adults.

For more information on this topic, see: Student Mind Power-The High School Student’s Guide To Great Grades will show your teenager how to use the untapped potential of their mind to create outstanding academic results, develop massive self-confidence and set down a path towards a limitless life.

Sometimes, even with the best parenting strategies, teens need an outside influence to help them get over their problems. There are plenty of valuable resources right in your own backyard when things begin to get out of control with your teen’s depression or anger issues. If your teen’s problems seem to be more than either of you can deal with or if they are beginning to exhibit some of the previously mentioned warning signs, it is time to start looking for help.

School guidance counselors are a great place to start your search. They likely are knowledgeable about the current problems your child is facing, within the school and their peer groups and can provide valuable insight on help to best deal with your situation. They may be able to speak one-on-one with your teen or refer you to programs that may be helpful. They can also help you to get your child’s teachers on board, keeping a close eye for any dangerous situations that may develop during school hours.
Many community and youth centers offer special programs for troubled teens to help them learn the coping skills necessary to deal with their problems. They can provide mentors, who in many cases can get through to teens that are having difficulty communicating with their families. There are also support groups for teen depression and anger management classes through many community centers. If possible, get your child involved in one of these groups or programs before the situation gets out of control.

If your family is involved with a church, their youth program may be able to help your teen with anger and depression. Often, clergy and youth pastors are trained in counseling children and teens that are going through emotional problems. If a problem has escalated to the point where a teen needs to be removed from the home for a period to ensure their safety and that of other family members, many religious groups offer special programs to house teens and get them any counseling or treatment necessary.

Your family doctor is also a valuable resource when it is time to have someone else step in with your teen. They will be able to help you with any necessary medical intervention, such as prescriptions or referrals to a psychiatrist or counselor. Many times, these treatments and sessions are covered by insurance, but only when referred by your primary care physician. He or she may also know of other programs and groups that might be helpful to your teen, your family, or even you, in dealing with the problems of depression and anger.

Residential treatment centers are usually a last resort when dealing with angry and depressed teenagers. However, they do have their place and are very effective. The doctors, psychiatrists, and staff at these facilities are well trained to handle the problems of teen anger, depression, and suicide. A teen placed in these facilities will not only receive close supervision and any necessary medication, but will also receive therapy and training in different coping mechanisms to help keep their emotional problems from recurring.

My Out Of Control Teen:  A online parent-program for those who are struggling with their out-of-control teenagers. learn cut-to-the-chase parenting strategies that work immediately rather than months or years down the road.

• Stop what you’re doing and pay attention to them when they are speaking to you.  Yes, there are times it may be inconvenient to do so, but taking that time away from what you’re doing and concentrating solely on them can have such a positive impact on your teen’s self-esteem.  It lets them know that you truly feel they are important.

• Actively listen to what your teen is telling you.  Let them know that you are actually hearing them by repeating some of what they’ve said to you back to them.  You don’t have to do this with every sentence, but try it every so often rather than merely answering “uh huh” every once in a while.

• While you’re listening, don’t forget to ask questions.  What better way is there to prove that you hear what they’re saying than to ask questions pertaining to what they’ve said?  This will also give you an opportunity to learn something else about your teen that you may not have known.

• Praise your teen for the things they do right.  There will be plenty of opportunities to bump heads with your teen, so make an effort to find them doing something right, and sincerely praise them when you do.

• Acknowledge your teen’s feelings, especially for your teenage sons.  Teens may have problems expressing themselves adequately, so do what you can to encourage them to talk even if they have problems expressing their feelings.

• Never criticize your teen.  If you get upset and must dole out punishment, make an effort to punish your teen’s behavior rather than your teen.

• Try to share some of your teen’s interests with them.  This doesn’t mean that you have to be intimately involved in every detail of their lives, but you may want to begin working on a shared hobby together.

• Don’t belittle your teen if they seem insecure or fearful about the future.  There are so many unknowns that your teen will be facing, it’s no wonder they may be insecure.  You also don’t want to laugh at your teen or tease them about their insecurities.  Doing so will damage their self-esteem rather than improving it.

• Talk to them about their future.  Ask them what they would like to do.  Do they want to attend college?  Do everything you can to help that desire become a reality.

• Nurture your teen’s special talents.  If your teen is interested in a sport or playing an interest, encourage them to go for it.

Loving and encouraging your teen has such a positive affect.  It gives them the confidence they need to try new things and to look forward to the future.  You may find that your encouragement is exactly what’s needed to raise your teen’s self-esteem.

One thing to keep in mind is that teenagers who run away are not necessarily bad individuals but they are clearly making a poor choice that puts their lives at risk. There are many reasons that a teen may feel that running away is the only option. Some of those reasons are: troubles at school or at home, feeling as if they aren’t cared for or they are trying to escape a dangerous situation. Some teenagers run because they think the thrill of the run and having others worry and try to find them would be exciting! Theses are only a few reasons why teenagers at times run from home.

There are a few things that you can do to help prevent your teenager from feeling the need to run away. Please note that running away is a very serious issue but some teens my joke around with the topic of running away. If at any time your teenagers says things such as “If you don’t let me go to the party, I am just going to take off and not return”, be sure not to give into this. You can let them know that if they do just take off, your job is to call the police and report them missing. Letting your child know this then puts the ball back into their court. Let them know that running away is a very serous thing that can have harmful repercussions.

Here are some tips that can help you if you are concerned about the possibility of your teen running away. You know your teen best so be sure to apply the tips that you feel would be most helpful.

Educate your child – be sure to explain the dangers of running away to your teenager before it becomes a concern. Talk to them about how adults prey on children who seem to be “lost” and in need of support and can pull you into a world that is deadly.

Consistency is key – being a parent means that you have to be very consistent with the exceptions of your teens and then follow through with the consequences when they break the rules. It is crucial to sit down with your teenager and have a discussion about the house rules and what is expected of them. When teens are fully aware of their expectations, rules and consequences, the likelihood that they would be caught off guard when a limit or consequence is put in place is reduced. Many times teens feel the urge to run away out of extreme shock or anger over an event.

Explore any changes in your child’s behavior – Be sure not to downplay any changes that you notice in your teen. If you have a feeling that your child is involved in things that are not healthy such as drugs, alcohol or an abusive relationship, be sure to approach your teen and talk to them. If you notice that your teen is suddenly becoming withdrawn, be sure to talk to them and use your judgment if you need to seek the help of a professional.

In the even that your teenager does run away it is important to try to remain as calm as possible and contact the police or local authorities immediately. Be sure to give the authorities as much information as you can. Many parents don’t take this step because they find it embarrassing but it is crucial that you do this. Also be sure to reach out to family or friends that your teen may turn to and alert them of the situation. Dealing with a teen that runs away can be a very stressful and scary situation for a parent so as always, it is important that you have your own support during such difficult times.

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