Getting a college degree is one of the best goals a teen can have. It is, however, also one of the hardest goals to achieve. Here are the steps you can take, as a parent of a teen, that will help your teen achieve the goal of going to college:
Getting Into College
Step #1: Make the Decision with them.
Step #2: Help them choose the Right Courses to prepare.
Step #3: Encourage them to make the right grades.
Step #4: Choose Which Colleges to Apply to.
Step #5: Look for scholarships that may be available.
Step #6: Acing the SAT and SAT II by preparing properly.
Step #7: Help them fill out Successful Applications.
Step #8: Figure out a way to pay for their College.
Teen Confidence - How confident is your teen?
Question 1 of 10: My teen has fun when trying a new experience.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 2 of 10: My teen worries about being laughed at by peers a lot.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 3 of 10: My teen looks at a large school projects and things of that nature as a challenge.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 4 of 10: My teen has surrounded himself with supportive friends.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 5 of 10: I often point out the good things my teen has done that day or that week.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 6 of 10: My teen seeks out opportunities to learn and enjoy.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 7 of 10: Although it may take some time, my teen accepts their mistakes, figures out what went wrong and moves on.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 8 of 10: My teen expects to fail and then does.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Question 9 of 10: My teen smiles and looks at people when saying hello.
True.
False.
Sometimes
Question 10 of 10: Styles and fads aside, my teen likes to look good and has a healthy hygiene routine.
True.
False.
Sometimes.
Help Your Teen Handle Peer Pressure
While it is true that teens start spending more time with their friends and are influenced by these peers through peer pressure, parents need to remember one simple truth: your teen will never forget the values you have given him. He may not always remember to use this better judgment and peer pressure may be the reason he forgets, but these values will make it through the trials of adolescence and into his young adulthood.
Still, peer pressure is one of the tough issues parents and teenagers need to handle. Learn more about peer pressure and how to help your teen cope with it using the articles below
.
The Difference Between Negative and Postive Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is not bad thing. We all are influenced by our peers, both negatively and positively. It helps define who we are and how we feel about subjects in our lives. It is how we chose to react to peer pressure that defines who we are as an individual. Are we a leader or a follower? Both types of people are needed to make the world go around.
'A healthy part of every child's development is involvement with their peers. This is especially true during adolescence as teenagers develop a sense of independence from their parents.'
-- by Bruce A. Epstein, M.D, in The Importance of Peer Pressure!
As our children grow our influence on certain subjects diminishes - and the influence of peers gains ground. The trick here is to control who the peers are. If your child is 'hanging out' with a group of teens that is into sports, and then he meets someone who is into drugs, his opinion of the teen that is into drugs is going to be "He's stupid!" Why? Mostly, because that is the opinion of the teens who are the closest to him. The problem is that the reverse is also true.
The difference between negative and positive peer pressure is the outcome. The reverse of the situation above is negative peer pressure. The situation itself is positive peer pressure. Or is it? What if your teen really doesn't like sports, but pushes himself to do it to please his friends or to be accepted? Therefore, he probably doesn't do too well at it, and gets only jabs at his self esteem from the very friends he is trying so hard to impress. That is another form of negative peer pressure.
Peer pressure is a normal aspect in our teens lives, as well as our own. As a parent, we need to pick and choose our battles. For example, just because we don't like the current teen fashion does not mean that we have to fight it. When everyone at school is wearing jeans that are five times too big for them, and your teen wants to also, you can cut him some slack. But, if everyone is wearing these jeans down around their knees, you have a battle.
Question:
I don't like my teen's friends. What do I do?
Answer:
Plain and simple: you don't have to like your
teen's friends <http://parentingteens.about.com/od/peerpressure/ht/teenfriendships.htm>. This is a personal choice - your teen's personal choice - and your likes and dislikes as a parent really should not be a part of the equation. Granted, if your teen's friend is influencing him/her to behave in an inappropriate manner, then you'll need to do something. But if it is just that your personality does not mesh with the friend's personality that is just too bad. You'll need to be the adult in the situation and keep your objections in check. You should:
?
Keep any negative opinions to yourself.
?
Give the friendship some time, it may not work out or you may change your opinion about the friend.
?
Be fair to your teen when he/she wants to do something with that friend.
