As we are in the midst of Awards Season, the Partnership and Time To Talk®  are proud to bring you the “Parent’s Choice Awards for Best Teachable Moment.”

Talking with your kids about the risks of drug and alcohol use can be a big challenge for parents and caregivers.
 
One easy way is to use Teachable Moments such as popular culture, current news events or even personal experiences to start a conversation. It’s an easy way to bring up the topic of drug and alcohol use with your child – and encourage him or her to make healthy choices and avoid risky behaviors.
 
But what is the very BEST Teachable Moment? You tell us!
 
Vote now in Time to Talk’s “Parent’s Choice Awards for the Best Teachable Moment.”
 
Plus, why not share what you think was your BEST Teachable Moment with your child in the comments below…

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 6 Comment(s)
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I recently met a mom who felt her four kids didn’t appreciate how good they have it – so she is taking them to a soup kitchen this week. She’s hoping that doing community service will give them a greater perspective on the world, help them appreciate what they have, and get a chance to find out how good it feels when they help someone else.

These are good messages for teens. Why not consider asking your child to help out in your community? Help him or her find a focus — something that is meaningful to him personally, rather than an obligation to fulfill. This could spark an interest in a certain cause or organization, which will allow him to feel his impact on the world.

Here’s one 15-year-old’s experience on getting involved in community service – and her tips for other teens who want to make a difference.

If your son or daughter is already doing community service – be it for his resume, a school requirement or the kindness in his heart – ask your teen to reflect upon it. What does he like or dislike about it? What has he learned? How does it make him feel?

When your teen spends time and energy working on a cause she feels passionate about, she gets to see and feel her impact on the world. She also gets some great practice at planning and thinking ahead, both of which for teens (and their developing brain), is always a good idea.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 1 Comment(s)
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There’s a rapidly growing anxiety among teens.  It’s all about being constantly connected and how feeling out of the loop is — well, torturous.  And it’s no laughing matter.

Many teens I talk to feel compelled to check Facebook constantly and respond to email and text messages immediately — no matter where they are and what they’re doing.  So much so, that the thought of being out of touch with friends has become a full-blown fear.   A 15-year-old girl recently confessed that she sleeps with her cell phone so that she won’t miss a text.   A 16-year-old boy tells me that he can’t bear to turn off his computer for a few hours while he studies for a test because he might miss something “important” happening with his friends.  And a middle schooler confided that despite her parent’s restrictions, she races to her computer after they have gone to sleep.  It’s a connection frenzy alright, fueled by peer pressure and a fear of being alone.

Despite the documented benefits of social networking, there is a dangerous downside.  (More…)

• 	Posted by: Guest Blogger: Neil Bernstein | 3 Comment(s)
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Performance in a Feature Film, Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Performance in a Drama Multi-Episode Storyline, Benjamin Bratt, “The Cleaner”; Performance in a Comedy Series, Dana Delany, “Desperate Housewives”; Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries, Chandra Wilson, “Accidental Friendship”; Talk Show Episode, Dr. Phil, “The Bridge” Credits: Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. and PRISM Awards

Last night the Partnership was proud to co-sponsor the Entertainment Industries Council’s 2009 PRISM Awards showcase on Capitol Hill. The PRISM Awards are presented each year to members of the entertainment industry to honor the accurate depiction of substance abuse, treatment, recovery and mental health issues. Given the power of the media to shape our attitudes and beliefs, (More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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As a father of two teens, I know it’s impossible to shield our kids from messages that promote underage drinking. That said, it’s always nice to be given a heads-up so we know just who and what in pop culture may be negatively influencing our kids – and right now in particular, I think you’ll be surprised to find out some of the sources sending pro-drinking messages to our teenagers. Here’s a quick round-up of where our kids have been seeing and hearing “cool” alcohol-related messages lately:

Tweens and younger teens: The latest Harry Potter movie. If you think I’m kidding, check out this article from the New York Times, which cites a number of scenes in which our favorite young wizards, only about 16, drink “butterbeer” and appear to get drunk.

(More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 6 Comment(s)
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Something I see a lot of in my field is the classic (and fraudulent) tactical mistake parents too often make when disciplining their teens. This tactic takes on features that are Ponzi-like in the realm of parenting, which is why I call this strategy “Ponzi Parenting.”

As I’m sure most of you know, in the financial world, a Ponzi scheme is a scam that aims for short-term gain instead of long-term success, setting off a whole series of bad behaviors. Similarly, “Ponzi Parents” try to please their kids — and make life easier for themselves — in the short term, without worrying about larger, and possibly lifelong, negative consequences.

The main theme of the error is that when parents discipline for the moment and get in the habit of choosing the easy way out, they bank on the short-term gain of pleasing their child and on the hope of avoiding conflict. But keeping children happy doesn’t necessarily mean (More…)

• 	Posted by: Ken Winters, Ph.D. | 1 Comment(s)
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The research the Partnership does to help better understand the wants and needs of parents is invaluable to our work. It is also frequently covered in the media which helps enormously in our outreach. On rare occasions, very well-intentioned efforts by the press to showcase our research don’t work out as planned. I thought I’d share my letter today to the good folks at USA Today regarding a “snapshot” that fits that description:

——————-

July 14, 2009

To the Editor:

While we were delighted to see the Partnership / MetLife Foundation PATS study cited in your “Snapshot” of July 14, (“Do Parents Want Schools to Teach Kids about Drug Use?”) we think it’s critically important to clarify the significance of the data presented.

The numbers shown indicate that 66% of fathers and 78% of mothers disagree that “schools should have the main responsibility for educating teens about drug use.” These numbers reflect positively on parents’ willingness to take responsibility for educating their children about the risks of drug use and drinking. They do not indicate that parents regard schools as unimportant in the effort to keep their kids drug-free.

It is the combined effect of parents, communities, media initiatives and school-based programs such as Safe and Drug-Free Schools that has resulted in a sustained reduction in teen use of drugs and alcohol over the past ten years.

Sincerely,

Stephen J. Pasierb
President and CEO

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Thanks for letting me share.  And, thanks for continuing to support Decoder.

• 	Posted by: Steve Pasierb | 0 Comment(s)
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My brother and I secretly bought uncensored Dr. Dre albums in high school and played them whenever my parents were not home.  We also had an elaborate system to hide, but keep readily accessible, our Eminem CDs (we liked rap). While thinking about this minor form of rebellion,  I couldn’t help but wonder:

…if I rebelled by listening to Eminem, how will Eminem’s daughter rebel…by listening to Christian music?

This line of thought made me realize a few things about teen rebellion:

1) It’s Never Relative

You often hear:

“My friends do soooo much worse!”

“You should see most other kids my age!”

“Your sister never did this!”

Honestly, rebellion is never relative.  And often times, people are hypocritical about it.  Sometimes I hear parents who tell their kids, “You need to act like your sister,” but then also demand that “just because your friends do it, does not mean you should do it, too.”  Whether you are going through your own child’s rebellion, looking back or looking ahead, it is important to understand that comparing your child to “the average kid,” a sibling or a friend almost never helps, and will probably just cause everyone more frustration. (More…)

• 	Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 4 Comment(s)
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At long last a simple online tool to help decode text messages: http://www.lgdtxtr.com/

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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