Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.

It's time to talk about this topic, although many parents and youth think that it can never happen to them.

Talking about it and raising awareness are the first steps to ending it.

3 in 4 parents have never talked to their children about domestic violence.
 

What are some of the warning signs of a potential abusive relationship?

 

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationship. While there are many warning signs of abuse, here are ten of the most common to look for:

1. Checking your cell phone or email without permission.
2. Constant put-downs.
3. Extreme jealousy or insecurity.
4. Explosive temper.
5. Isolating you from family or friends.
6. Making false accusations.
7. Mood swings.
8. Physically hurting you in any way.
9. Possessiveness.
10. Telling you what to do.

It's important to remember that no two relationships are the same and these behaviors occur across what LoveIsRespect call the "Relationship Spectrum."  If you or someone you know sees the warning signs in their relationship, help is available.

 

Dear Dr. Wes: Real Life Advice for Teens

Order today!

This is a unique book of advice and commentary for teenagers, co-written by teenagers. It combines Dr. Wes Crenshaw’s nineteen years of clinical experience as a board certified family psychologist with the natural wisdom and empathy of eight really sharp sixteen- to eighteen-year-olds, each of whom spent a year writing for the Double Take advice column.

Though humorous and entertaining in tone, the book offers serious, honest and practical advice on real world issues including: sex, contraception, pregnancy, sexual identity, mental health, cutting, falling in love, breaking up, friendship, divorce, the future, conflict with parents, teen technology, suicide, foster care, school success and failure, fear and hope, and all the other issues you wake up and face each day in the middle and high school years. Most of the advice was written in response to letters sent to ask www.dr-wes.com, many written by teenagers themselves.

The rest were written on topics selected by the authors based on teen trends and current events. In addition to specific suggestions on each problem, the authors share their thoughts on how the world influences your generation, and vice versa.  Order this book today on Amazon.

Be sure to have your parents check out: Dear Dr. Wes: Real Life Advice for Parents of Teens.

Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teachers, and the Culture of Sex

By Amy T. Schalet

For American parents, teenage sex is something to be feared and forbidden: most would never consider allowing their children to have sex at home, and sex is a frequent source of family conflict. In the Netherlands, where teenage pregnancies are far less frequent than in the United States, parents aim above all for family cohesiveness, often permitting young couples to sleep together and providing them with contraceptives.

Order today - for all 21st century parents!

Drawing on extensive interviews with parents and teens, "Not Under My Roof" offers an unprecedented, intimate account of the different ways that girls and boys in both countries negotiate love, lust, and growing up. Tracing the roots of the parents' divergent attitudes, Amy Schalet reveals how they grow out of their respective conceptions of the self, relationships, gender, autonomy, and authority. She provides a probing analysis of the way family culture shapes not just sex but also alcohol consumption and parent-teen relationships. Avoiding caricatures of permissive Europeans and puritanical Americans, Schalet shows that the Dutch require self-control from teens and parents, while Americans guide their children toward autonomous adulthood at the expense of the family bond.

Order today on Amazon.

Teen Sex: Sex Etc..... Answering those questions parents struggle with

Sex, Etc. is on a mission to improve teen sexual health across the country! Each year, five million young people visit Sexetc.org, and over 45,000 read our national magazine to get honest and accurate sexual health information. We've helped teens with answers to their questions about sex, relationships, pregnancy, STDs, birth control, sexual orientation and more!
Sexetc.org features 17 topic areas plus the following sections:

• Stories written by teen staff writers and national contributors.
• Your Voice, Your Rights, which gives teens the opportunity to create a profile, share stories about sexuality education in their schools and speak up for the sex ed they want, need and deserve.
• “Take Action,” which gives teens the tools to advocate for comprehensive sex ed in their schools and communities.
• The Sex, Etc. blog—Beyond the Birds and the Bees—which addresses timely sexual health issues that are relevant to teens.
• Forums where teens can participate in moderated discussions with other teens.
• "Sex in the States," which is a state-by-state guide to teens' rights to sex education, birth control and more.
• Videos about sexual health.
• A Sex Terms glossary of more than 400 terms
• A mobile site that can be accessed on any phone with Internet access. It contains all of our FAQs, Sex Terms and Sex in the States information.

Sex, Etc. is part of the Teen-to-Teen Sexuality Education Project developed by Answer, a national organization dedicated to providing and promoting comprehensive sexuality education to young people and the adults in their lives. For more information about Answer and to find out how you can support better sex education, please visit the Answer Web site.

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Sue Scheff: Teen Truth - Answering Those Difficult Questions Teens Have

The Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) in partnership with WAHI Media has created TeenTruth.org, an interactive, web-based initiative promoting positive lifestyle choices among Florida youth. The website is designed to educate teens, parents, and citizens about a wide range of issues that teens deal with on a daily basis. DOH’s Office of Positive Youth Development has been able to use WAHI’s highly effective technology to reach and hold the attention of teens, engaging them in conversation and presenting them with valuable facts.

Teen Truth tells real stories and how you as a parent can improve your communication skills with your teenagers. Times have changed with teens today!  Teen life is a mind field, they have access to all sorts of things that generations prior weren't aware of.
As school opens shortly, it is not only time to get school supplies and uniforms/clothing ready, it is critical you talk to your kids about peer pressure, sex, drugs, technology etc.  

Teen Truth tells you like it is, even if you don't want to hear it, you will and you will also see why it is imperative you learn this.

Before your teen hooks-up (gets together with a total stranger for sex), be proactive, talk to your teens, ask  them about it and let them know the dangers of hooking up.

Teens can guard their private lives very well, it is up to parents to learn all they can about them.  This is not invasion of privacy - it is when safety trumps privacy!

Do yourself a favor, watch the short videos on TeenTruth.org. Answer the questions honestly, don't be a parent in denial, you are not helping your teen that way.

Be an educated parent, you will have safer teens!

Read more.

Sue Scheff: Straight Talk - Teens and Sex.. The Real Truth

With today's ever expanding Internet and television shows such as 16 and Pregnant, the vast amount of materials that are available to teens today about sex education is tremendous.  There are no excuses for teen pregnancies.  The availability of contraceptives as well as the many resources that are open to teens should help prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Sadly, there are some teens that see having a baby as a tool to keeping a boyfriend or even a way to have someone love them unconditionally.  Without thinking of the consequences, teenagers are not always mature enough to see the full picture of parenthood.  It is not playing house, and it is not a baby doll; Having a baby is a full time job and a massive responsibility.  Some adults have a hard time dealing with being a parent, a teen is hardly ready for this major step in life.

Straight Talk, Teens and Sex of Jacksonville is an organization that is designed to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and the spread of AIDS and other sexuality transmitted infections (STI's).
The facts about youth and sexual activity:

• Most very young teens have not had intercourse: 8 in 10 girls and 7 in 10 boys are virgins at age 15.
• While 93% of teenage women report that their first intercourse was voluntary, one-quarter of these young women report that it was unwanted.
• The younger women are when they first have intercourse, the more likely they are to have had unwanted or nonvoluntary first sex—7 in 10 of those who had sex before age 13, for example.
• The majority (61%) of young women's first voluntary sexual partners are younger, the same age or no more than 2 years older; 27% are 3–4 years older and 12% are 5 or more years older.

Reference: Straight Talk

As summer is fast approaching, teens will be attending parties, sleep-overs, and just hanging out.  Be sure they are educated on sex, relationships and contraceptives.
Be an educated parent, you will have safer and healthier teens.


Related articles:

Teen Sex
Talking Teen Sex
Teen Moms
Teen Pregnancy
Sex in the City 2

Sue Scheff: The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Source: National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy

May 6, 2009 is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. How do you score? Take the National Day Quiz and find out.

Take the National Day Quiz

Grab the National Day widget

Teens

Parents

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national/pdf/2009/2009_ND_obama_message.pdf - Letter from President Obama.

Hundreds of thousands of teens nationwide are expected to participate in the eighth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on May 6, 2009. The purpose of the National Day is straightforward. Too many teens still think “It can’t happen to me.” The National Day helps teens understand that it can happen to them and that they need to think seriously about what they would do in the moment.

Read more here.

Sue Scheff - Teen Sex, Social Networking and Parenting

The news today? Teens floating photo's of themselves in their birthday suits, well, more or less. It seems more and more teens are not thinking about the consequences of sending questionable photos through email, texting, social networks etc. Parents need to explain to their child that placing such pictures may potentially cause them "not" to be accepted at a college or not get a job. More and more college admissions offices and potential employee's are Surfing the Net to find out more information on applicants. What you post today, may haunt you tomorrow!

With all the discussions around the nude pictures - it brings up another concern - does this mean your teen is being recognized as a sex object? Does it say he or she is "easy"?

Many people will ask, "where are the parents?", however it is almost impossible to monitor your teen 24/7, especially Online. As parents and adults everywhere, we need to tell our kids how this can harm them in the future. Their BFF today - may be their enemy next summer! Then where will those photos end up?

Keep informed - stay up to date with information for parents and teens. Visit The National Campaign to Help Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Teenage Pregnancy - Is it on the Rise?

Learn more about this growing concern again.

Click here.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

The National Campaign seeks to improve the well-being of children, youth, families, and the nation by preventing unplanned and teen pregnancy.

Girlology Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups, and Holding Out: Stuff You Need to Know About Your Body, Sex, & Dating (Girlology Series)

Girlology. It has exploded beyond just a word. Girlology is aculture that preteen and teen girls know and love and turn to for honest true-life advice on everything that matters most--friends, guys, body changes, dating, and sex. In Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups, and Holding Out, girls will follow the true stories of four girls and their choices-- good and bad.

And they'll get answers to the questions teen girls are asking every day on the popular website www.girlology.com and in private sessions with Drs. Holmes and Hutchison, the co-creators of Girlology--questions like: What's up with this acne? Will it ever end? Is it ok to shave my hair down there? If I keep looking at other girls in the locker room, does that mean I'm gay?

Am I the only girl who isn't having sex? Is oral sex really 'sex'? If I've only had oral sex, then I'm still a virgin, right? There's a guy at school who says he wants to hook up with me. What does he mean by 'hook up'? Life can get complicated for girls today. With Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups, and Holding Out, it just got a lot easier.