"Discipline is not the Enemy of Enthusiasm!"

When it comes to Discipline in the schools, there are many well-publicized and well-marketed "systems". People sometimes get carried away with systems, or programs, structures, textbooks, etc., arguing passionately, for example, that block scheduling is better than traditional scheduling, or integrated math is better than traditional math, or whole language is better than phonics, or this discipline system is better than that discipline system. Similarly, real estate agents will include the name of

Home, home on the range,

Where never is heard

A discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day!

Oh, that would be wonderful but most parents and bosses tend to feel that criticism and pointing out what is wrong will make others want to do what is right.

Is the relationship you have with your teenage son changing? Is he quieter, non-communicative and withdrawn around you? Have you noticed changes in other ways, such as little interest in things that once were important to him? If so, you are not alone! Some experts say that the years between 13-19 can be very challenging for your son and that makes them challenging for you too.

CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS:

In my educational profession, I visit our children's schools daily. Within the walls of these elementary, middle and high schools, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many young girls. As a mother of three boys, I have additional opportunities to observe and get to know their female friends of varying ages as well. I have often been amazed by the intelligence, kindness, creativity and energetic spirit of these girls. At the same time, I am deeply troubled.

Never before in our history have our

"Never let your freshman date a senior!"

"Yelling will only make things escalate and will make teens want to rebel more."

"Don't try to be "cool" with them - no matter what you won't be and it will only hurt your relationship."

"Be strict with boundaries but rich in love."

These are real quotes from twenty-something young adults who are sharing advice

Your being the parent of a teenager can be like walking a fine line at all times. It is a constant balancing act between wanting to protect your teen from bad decisions and harm and wanting them to make their own good decisions and live with the consequences of these decisions.

Obviously when your children are younger you can control much more of what goes on in their lives. You can better control their environment and they are very open to your making a lot of their decisions for them. This is clearly not the case

Parent-teen relationships are difficult to manage at times. Parents often joke about dreading the teen years, but the joking is a sign of the real discomfort that lurks behind every thirteenth birthday and the teen relationships parents are unsure how to develop.

Do you ever feel like you mess up as a parent? I know I do. Even though I have read plenty of parenting books and, in fact, teach parenting classes, sometimes I still mess up as a parent. Even so, is it nice to know that I don't have to be a perfect parent to raise great kids; I just need to keep a couple of things in mind:

1. It is better to use parenting techniques poorly and show forth empathy and love, than to use parenting techniques perfectly, and use anger and frustration.

Parenting troubled teenagers often means dealing with the unexpected. Witnessing outrageous behavior. Encountering unacceptable situations. Participating in shocking conversations.

And do you know why troubled teenagers and the unexpected, the outrageous, the unacceptable and the shocking are often living in the same home?

In a word, power. Growing up is all about learning how to accept and manage your

Despite the stress on the importance of sex education among teens, a lot of parents still do not want to talk about it. Sex has always been considered taboo. However, you would not like for your kids to learn about it from their friends or peers or by other methods or even from other adults.

The following tips may make it easier for you to talk about sex education:

Begin the education early. The best time to start discussing it is as early as possible.