The Teen Life
Blog
Good Enough
Too often we want our children and the students we work with to be the best. To reach the stars. To be the top. But sometimes, in reaching for the stars, we miss the small victories.
Traveling New Roads Together
If the kids are misbehaving, does the fault completely lay on their shoulders? What if we learned alongside our teens instead of just dictating the rules?
5 Ways to Connect with a Teen
In my Teen Life Support Group last semester, I had a student who seemingly did not want to be there. She refused to talk. She crossed her arms. She kept her head down. After the first week, we talked to her and said that she didn’t have to talk but needed to participate as a member of the group. She reluctantly did the activities, but still never spoke a word. A few weeks later, another student asked about my family. I explained that my parents live in Alabama, and I don’t see them very often because of the distance. Immediately, my standoffish student spoke. “Wait, you’re from Alabama? Me too.” In that moment, we had created a connection. Connection. It sounds so easy, right? But how often do we strive to achieve it and come up short?
Confronting the Momo Problem
The “Momo Challenge”. Did you hear about it? Did it cause panic among your circles? Did you see emails, Facebook posts, and texts warning you about this terrifying internet presence? Momo is scary, terrifying, horrible, dark, and twisted. But it is also fake – a hoax. Even though this particular character was fake, it brings up a great question – how do we confront internet and social media issues with our children? Before I go further, let me give some context for those who haven’t heard of Momo. According to this CNN article, “The [Momo] challenge is the latest viral concern/social media fad/urban legend going around Facebook parenting groups and schools. It’s described as a “suicide game” which combines shock imagery and hidden messaging, and it supposedly encourages kids to attempt dangerous stunts, including suicide.”
A Common Sense Intervention That Saves Lives
Teenage years are tough, especially for those considering suicide. If more adults saw the opportunity to ask good questions, what an encouragement we could be!
5 Conversations to Have As School Starts
Before teenagers start school again, help them reach their goals this year with these 5 encouraging back-to-school conversations!
Do You Have Grit?
“Grit” is about vision and motivation. It’s important because teens who have grit can clarify their future goals and help them do what it takes to get there.
How to Help Teenagers Make Good Choices
Imagine a world where teenagers make good choices based on good information and support. Let’s help teens make decisions (and good ones at that)!
5 Ways to Help Teens Prepare for the Future
The teen years are a critical time to prepare for the future. So how can we help?I love this time of year, the time when crayons are on sale and my newsfeed is filled with pictures of forced-smiling students in backpacks. Every year when August rolls around, I like to...
Celebrating Change: Support Groups for Teens
Support groups for teens offer an oppotunity for celebration.It is no secret that the success of Teen Life comes from the incredible volunteers who give up their time and energy to make support groups for teens possible on school campuses. One of these facilitators,...
