26 posts tagged “teenagers”

Yes, my friends it has been awhile!  Let's just say that I had some personal things and changes come up and had to take a break!  But I'm back, in charge, and ready to write once again!

Ahhhhhhh teens!  Yes, they're fun aren't they?  Well sure they can be, but sometimes they can also be trouble!

Think about what they are feeling though.  At this age they have discovered their self independence and want to be a little more independent now.  They start to push us parents away and don't talk to us as much or maybe they don't give us as many hugs and kisses as they used to.  That's OK, this is all normal.  They can't be your little baby forever.

It drives you crazy how they act.  It drives you crazy how secretive they are.  It drives you crazy how they dress.  Etc....

Hey, we have all been teenagers.  Think back to how you were.  I'm sure that you weren't perfect and I'm also sure that you can take the lessons that you learned from your own experiences as a teen, good and bad, and use those lessons to help raise your own.

I'm glad to be back and writing......

Until next time!

Skipping Breakfast is the leading bad food habit for teenagers. According to the American Dietetic Association, more than half of male teens and more than two-thirds of female teens do not eat breakfast on a regular basis. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast can upstart your teen’s metabolism, which helps with weight control, mood and school performance.

You can ensure that your teen eats a healthy breakfast by making the foods readily accessible to him. Make it a part of your routine to put breakfast on the table and sit with your teen while you both enjoy a healthy breakfast. Or, if time is a problem, go for the grab and eat on the way breakfasts that are now on the market.

The next unhealthy food habit teens have is increased foods from 'other' food group. Think of the food pyramid, the 'other' food group is the smallest smallest section at the top with what is supposed to be the least amount of servings. Teens tend to eat too much high fat and calorie snack foods that are categorized in the 'other' food group.

You can help teens break this habit by having fruits and healthy snacks available more often then having high fat and calorie snacks available. It is easier to grab a bag of chips at the grocery store then picking up a bag of oranges and remembering to wash, quarter and put them out on the table during snack time. But the benefits to your teen’s health are worth the effort.

Increased eating outside of the home is another bad food habit teens have. Teens hit the fast food restaurants much more often then they did when they were younger. This tends to be because of school, sports and work schedules overlapping regular meal times.

To circumvent this bad habit, talk to your teen about only eating fast food once a week. Then make dinner and healthy food available to him when he has the time. This is as easy as fixing a plate for him and allowing him to heat it up when he gets home from his sports practice. Or having sandwich fixings ready when he gets home from school and has to run off to work.

Last, but not least, in this list of bad food habits is soft drink consumption. A study looking at American youths aged 6-17 found an increase in the prevalence of soft drink consumption from 37% in 1978 to 56% in 1998. You can help your teen choose a healthier drink by having fruit juice and water available and not buying soda. Or try fruit flavored carbonated water instead of soda. My teens really like these.

One common denominator for getting teens to eat healthier and avoid these bad food habits is your active role in providing healthy foods. When you get in the habit of making these foods more readily available to your teen, you will see a change in their eating habits.

So let's start this year off with better eating habits and not just for us, for our kids!

Many teens experience a time when keeping up with school work is difficult.  These periods may last several weeks and may include social problems as well as a slide in academic performance.

 

Research suggests that problems are more likely to occur during a transitional year, such as moving from elementary to middle school, or middle school to high school.

 

 

Some adolescents are able to get through this time with minimal assistance from their parents or teachers.  It may be enough for a parent to be available simply to listen and suggest coping strategies, provide a supportive home environment, and encourage the child's participation in school activities. 

 

However, when the difficulties last longer than a single grading period, or are linked to a long-term pattern of poor school performance or behavior problems, parents and teachers need to intervene.

 

 

Identifying Adolescents Who Are At Risk for Failure

 

Some "at-risk" indicators, such as those listed here, may represent persistent problems from the early elementary school years for some children.  Other students may overcome early difficulties but begin to experience related problems during middle school or high school.  For others, some of these indicators may become noticeable only in early adolescence.

 

To intervene effectively, parents and teachers can be aware of some common indicators of an adolescent at risk for school failure, including:

 

• Attention problems as a young child -- the student has a school history of attention issues or disruptive behavior.

• Multiple retentions in grade -- the student has been retained one or more years.

• Poor grades -- the student consistently performs at barely average or below average levels.

• Absenteeism -- the student is absent five or more days per term.

• Lack of connection with the school -- the student is not involved in sports, music, or other school-related extracurricular activities.

• Behavior problems -- the student may be frequently disciplined or show a sudden change in school behavior, such as withdrawing from class discussions.

• Lack of confidence -- the student believes that success is linked to native intelligence rather than hard work, and believes that his or her own ability is insufficient, and nothing can be done to change the situation.

• Limited goals for the future -- the student seems unaware of available career options or how to attain those goals.

When more than one of these attributes characterizes an adolescent, the student will likely need assistance from both parents and teachers to complete his or her educational experience successfully.  Girls, and students from culturally or linguistically diverse groups, may be especially at risk for academic failure if they exhibit these behaviors.  Stepping back and letting these students "figure it out" or "take responsibility for their own learning" may lead to a deeper cycle of failure within the school environment.

 

 

Teens Want To Feel Connected to Their Family and Their School

 

In a recent survey, when students were asked to evaluate their transitional years, they indicated interest in connecting to their new school and requested more information about extracurricular activities, careers, class schedules, and study skills.  Schools that develop programs that ease transitions for students and increase communication between schools may be able to reduce student failure rates.

 

 

The Role of Parenting Style

 

Parenting style may have an impact on the child's school behavior.  Many experts distinguish among permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative parenting styles.  These parenting styles are associated with different combinations of warmth, support, and limit-setting and supervision for children.

 

The permissive style tends to emphasize warmth and neglect limit-setting and supervision; the authoritarian style tends to emphasize the latter and not the former; while the authoritative style is one in which parents offer warmth and support, and limit-setting and supervision.  When the authoritative parenting style is used, the adolescent may be more likely to experience academic success.

 

It is important to remember that adolescents need their parents not only to set appropriate expectations and boundaries, but also to advocate for them.

 

 

Parents -- and teachers -- can assist teens by:

 

• Making the time to listen to and try to understand the teen's fears or concerns

• Setting appropriate boundaries for behavior that are consistently enforced

• Encouraging the teen to participate in one or more school activities

• Attending school functions, sports, and plays

• Meeting as a team, including parents, teachers, and school counselor, asking how they can support the teen's learning environment, and sharing their expectations for the child's future

• Arranging tutoring or study group support for the teen from the school or the community through organizations such as the local YMCA or a local college or university

• Providing a supportive home and school environment that clearly values education

• Helping the teen think about career options by arranging for visits to local companies and colleges, picking up information on careers and courses, and encouraging an internship or career-oriented part-time job

• Encouraging the teen to volunteer in the community or to participate in community groups such as the YMCA, Scouting, 4-H, religious organizations, or other service-oriented groups to provide an out-of-school support system

• Emphasizing the importance of study skills, hard work, and follow-through

 

Don't Give Up on Your Child

 

Understanding the factors that may put an adolescent at-risk for academic failure will help parents determine if their teen is in need of extra support.  Above all, parents need to persevere.  The teen years do pass, and most adolescents survive them, in spite of bumps along the way.

 

Being aware of common problems can help parents know when it is important to reach out and ask for help before a difficult time develops into a more serious situation.

My youngest, my baby, well he's not a baby any more, but he is my baby!  He's 13 now and will turn 14 in February.  I can't believe it.  Seems like yesterday he was hooked on the movie 'Goldeneye' and thought that he was James Bond!  Now when you remind him about those days he blushes and tells me quietly to please be quiet he doesn't want anyone to know. 

So he's now in 8th grade, but still prefers to stay home and do things with his family vs going and hanging out with his friends.  I guess I'm lucky that way with him and I wouldn't change it. 

But what happens when your child is becoming a wild child and out of control?  It's like one day they woke up and you didn't recognize them any more.  They've become moody, rebellious, strange and alien like creatures.  Almost not human!  What is the problem here?  What did you do to cause this?  Most of all, what do you do to get them back to 'normal'. 

Welcome to teenage-hood!  Woo Hoo!  It's a party and it's not a good one.  You are going to have some things going on at this party that you won't like and probably won't approve of, but if you're lucky and patient, with time the party will get better and you will get your teenager back!  Promise!

Here's what you do in the meantime:

1. Be patient

2. Listen

3. Communicate

4. Don't yell at them.  Always stay in control.  Never let your teenager think they have control over you.

5. Always know who their friends are and what kind of families they come from.

6. If you punish them, stick with the punishment no matter how much they kick and scream.  Never give in!

7. If they do something illegal make them pay.  Call the police and turn them in.  Don't hesitate, it will be hard, but don't ever let them get away with anything that is against the law.

8. If they are doing drugs, get them into some sort of rehab, counseling, or even take them to a AA or NA meeting.  You can call the police if you find drugs present on your teen or in your house as well.

9. If they become physically violent call the police.  Don't ever let your child get to the point of physical violence with you or anyone else.

This all my seem harsh, but all in all you have to teach your child that life has consequences and they will have to pay if they do wrong.  You might feel like a horrible parent at times especially if you have to get the law involved, believe me I know first hand.  But in the long run it will be better the majority of the time.

I've talked to police, lawyers, and judges face to face about these problems with teenagers and they have all said that if there were more parents in the world who did the type of things I did when my oldest son was out of control then the juvenile system wouldn't be so full.  They've told me that parents are scared to discipline with such harsh actions and so the children don't learn, get worse, and keep getting away with things until it is too late.

So the next time your teenager gets out of line think about these things.  A child wants discipline, they want respect, and they want love.  Sometimes in order to show them how much you love them you have to make them think you 'hate' them. 

Ok, this, is crazy!!!

‘Sexting’ a Favorite Among Tweens

Sexting. It’s all the rage, especially among our middle school kids.

Sexting takes place with a cell phone. Kids take naked pictures of themselves and then send then to their friends, who then forward them on to everyone they know. It may sound far-fetched but, chances are, it’s happening at a middle school near you.

The problem is especially prevalent in middle America. Recently, reporters for a local television station in Arkansas found several 8th graders who said they regularly send and receive nude pictures on their cell phones.

It’s a show-off game, they say. The boys send pictures of their private parts in an effort to really show how “big” they are. Girls apparently do the same with their chests.

Kids think this type of behavior is all fun and games but in reality it is child pornography and it’s illegal. A 15-year-old girl in Ohio is facing felony charges and may have to register as a sex offender after allegedly sending naked pictures of herself from her cell phone. The same goes for a 17-year-old boy in Wisconsin and a 16-year-old boy in Utah.

The problem is that police can’t crackdown on this because they need a warrant to search a cell phone. Parents, here’s where you step in.

I’ve said this repeatedly, but I’ll say it again. Parents need to know what their kids are up to at all times. That includes knowing what they are doing on their cell phones. A quick look at their send/receive history will give you immediate answers- good or bad.

Some people may argue that sexting is harmless and, perhaps, a form of safe sex. I would agree if 18-year-olds were doing it. We’re talking about 12 and 13-year-olds. That’s too young to start toying around with sex. When I was 12, I wouldn’t have dreamed about sending a naked picture of myself to a boy. But times have changed I guess.

Parents, it’s time we change too.

OK, so I'm gonna put it on the line and just mention something that I've been noticing about our government lately.....

I don't like talking politics on this blog, but this is something that I'm wondering if anyone else out there is noticing:

Our government keeps bailing out everyone it seems and it doesn't seem to be making anything get better!  It really reminds me of a parent who keeps bailing out their child and not letting them suffer the consequences and learn from their own mistakes.  They will never learn and never grow unless they finally learn that what they did was wrong.  In fact it will make matters worse in the long run.

I've seen first hand what happens to a child who's parents always bail them out of a bad situation.  It's normally not pretty and it only hurts the child and makes them grow into adults who think that the world owes them.

So how many of you think that our government is acting like a parent of a bunch of teenagers?

Just curious.....

I remember when I was 14 and a freshman in high school, I had this girl who would make my life miserable almost every day by calling me and telling me that she was going to kick my ass, telling me that I was a slut and should die, etc....  Never to my face, but always on the phone. (Chicken)  I was scared to go to school, but went because my brother was a senior so I felt a little safe at least.  Back in the day it was either bullying to your face, letter, or by phone.  Now it's by the Internet.  I found this article very interesting and had really never thought about this before.

Oh, and what ever happened to that girl?  Well, years later I was in line at a restaurant and she was in front of me.  I grew taller and she didn't.  I waited until she turned around to say, "hello!"  She did, I said hello Melin, she looked up at me, and the look on her face was a huge "oh shit"!  It was the best revenge a girl could have....I'm not sure what she is up to now in days, but I do know that I eventually overcame her taunts, grew up, and always wondered why she was so hateful towards me when her dad  preached for a living....hmmmm

Enjoy:

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. Usually, it is repeated over time. Traditionally, bullying has involved actions such as: hitting or punching (physical bullying), teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying), or intimidation through gestures or social exclusion. In recent years, technology has given children and youth a new means of bullying each other.

Cyber bullying, which is sometimes referred to as online social cruelty or electronic bullying, can involve:

• Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening messages or images;
• Posting sensitive, private information about another person;
• Pretending to be someone else in order to make that person look bad;
• Intentionally excluding someone from an online group (Willard, 2005).

Children and youth can cyberbully each other through:

• E-mails,
• Instant messaging,
• Text or digital imaging messages sent on cell phones,
• Web pages,
• Web logs (blogs),
• Chat rooms or discussion groups, and
• Other information communication technologies.

How common is cyber bullying?

Although little research has been conducted on cyber bullying, recent studies have found that:

• 18% of students in grades 6-8 said they had been cyberbullied at least once in the last couple of months; and 6% said it had happened to them 2 or more times (Kowalski et al., 2005).
• 11% of students in grades 6-8 said they had cyberbullied another person at least once in the last couple of months, and 2% said they had done it two or more times (Kowalski et al., 2005).
• 19% of regular Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 reported being involved in online aggression; 15% had been aggressors, and 7% had been targets (3% were both aggressors and targets) (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004).
• 17% of 6-11 year-olds and 36% of 12-17-year-olds reported that someone said threatening or embarrassing things about them through e-mail, instant messages, web sites, chat rooms, or text messages (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006).
• Cyber bullying has increased in recent years. In nationally representative surveys of 10-17 year-olds, twice as many children and youth indicated that they had been victims and perpetrators of online harassment in 2005 compared with 1999/2000 (Wolak, Mitchell, & Finkelhor, 2006).

Who are the victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying?

In a recent study of students in grades 6-8 (Kowalski et al., 2005):

• Girls were about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying.
• Of those students who had been cyberbullied relatively frequently (at least twice in the last couple of months):
  • 62% said that they had been cyberbullied by another student at school, and 46% had been cyberbullied by a friend.
  • 55% didn't know who had cyberbullied them.
• Of those students who admitted cyber bullying others relatively frequently:
  • 60% had cyberbullied another student at school, and 56% had cyberbullied a friend.

What are the most common methods of cyber bullying?

In recent studies of middle and high school students, (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006; Kowalski et al., 2005; Wolak, Mitchell, & Finkelhor, 2006) the most common way that children and youth reported being cyberbullied was through instant messaging. Somewhat less common ways involved the use of chat rooms, e-mails, and messages posted on web sites. A study of younger children (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006) showed that they were most often bullied through e-mail, comments on a web site, or in a chat room.

Where are children and youth cyber bullied?

In a recent telephone survey of preteens (6-11 year-olds) and teens (12-17 year-olds) (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006):

• 45% of preteens and 30% of teens who had been cyber bullied received the messages while at school;
• 44% of preteens and 70% of teens who had been cyber bullied received the messages at home; and
• 34% of preteens and 25% of teens who had been cyber bullied received the messages while at a friend's house.

Do children tell others if they are cyber bullied?

According to one telephone survey of preteens and teens (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006):

• 51% of preteens but only 35% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told their parents about their experience;
• 27% of preteens and only 9% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told a teacher;
• 44% of preteens and 72% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told a friend;
• 31% of preteens and 35% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told a brother or sister; and
• 16% of preteens and teens who had been cyber bullied had told no one.

How does cyber bullying differ from other traditional forms of bullying?

Although there is little research yet on cyber bullying among children and youth, available research and experience suggest that cyber bullying may differ from more “traditional” forms of bullying in a number of ways (Willard, 2005), including:

• Cyber bullying can occur any time of the day or night;
• Cyber bullying messages and images can be distributed quickly to a very wide audience;
• Children and youth can be anonymous when cyber bullying, which makes it difficult (and sometimes impossible) to trace them;

What can adults do to prevent and address cyber bullying?

Adults seldom are present in the online environments frequented by children and youth. Therefore, it is extremely important that adults pay close attention to the cyber bullying and the activities of children and youth when using these new technologies.

Suggestions for parents*

Tips to help prevent cyber bullying:

• Keep your home computer(s) in easily viewable places , such as a family room or kitchen.
• Talk regularly with your child about on-line activities he or she is involved in.
  • Talk specifically about cyber bullying and encourage your child to tell you immediately if he or she is the victim of cyber bullying, cyberstalking, or other illegal or troublesome on-line behavior.  View the Campaign’s webisodes with your child and discuss in particular webisode #5 that addresses cyber bullying.
  • Encourage your child to tell you if he or she is aware of others who may be the victims of such behavior.
  • Explain that cyber bullying is harmful and unacceptable behavior.  Outline your expectations for responsible online behavior and make it clear that there will be consequences for inappropriate behavior.
• Although adults must respect the privacy of children and youth, concerns for your child’s safety may sometimes override these privacy concerns.  Tell your child that you may review his or her on-line communications if you think there is reason for concern.
• Consider installing parental control filtering software and/or tracking programs, but don’t rely solely on these tools.

Tips for dealing with cyber bullying that your child has experienced:

Because cyber bullying can range from rude comments to lies, impersonations, and threats, your responses may depend on the nature and severity of the cyber bullying.  Here are some actions that you may want to take after-the-fact.

• Strongly encourage your child not to respond to the cyber bullying.
• Do not erase the messages or pictures. Save these as evidence.
• Try to identify the individual doing the cyber bullying. Even if the cyberbully is anonymous (e.g., is using a fake name or someone else’s identity) there may be a way to track them through your Internet Service Provider. If the cyber bullying is criminal (or if you suspect that it may be), contact the police and ask them to do the tracking.
• Sending inappropriate language may violate the “Terms and Conditions” of e-mail services, Internet Service Providers, web sites, and cell phone companies. Consider contacting these providers and filing a complaint.
• If the cyber bullying is coming through e-mail or a cell phone, it may be possible to block future contact from the cyberbully. Of course, the cyberbully may assume a different identity and continue the bullying.
• Contact your school. If the cyber bullying is occurring through your school district’s Internet system, school administrators have an obligation to intervene. Even if the cyber bullying is occurring off campus, make your school administrators aware of the problem. They may be able to help you resolve the cyber bullying or be watchful for face-to-face bullying.
• Consider contacting the cyberbully’s parents. These parents may be very concerned to learn that their child has been cyber bullying others, and they may effectively put a stop to the bullying.  On the other hand, these parents may react very badly to your contacting them. So, proceed cautiously. If you decide to contact a cyberbully’s parents, communicate with them in writing — not face-to-face. Present proof of the cyber bullying (e.g., copies of an e-mail message) and ask them to make sure the cyber bullying stops.
• Consider contacting an attorney in cases of serious cyber bullying. In some circumstances, civil law permits victims to sue a bully or his or her parents in order to recover damages.
• Contact the police if cyber bullying involves acts such as:
  • Threats of violence
  • Extortion
  • Obscene or harassing phone calls or text messages
  • Harassment, stalking, or hate crimes
  • Child pornography

If you are uncertain if cyber bullying violates your jurisdiction’s criminal laws, contact your local police, who will advise you.

Suggestions for educators

• Educate your students, teachers, and other staff members about cyber bullying, its dangers, and what to do if someone is cyberbullied.
• Be sure that your school’s anti-bullying rules and policies address cyber bullying.
• Closely monitor students’ use of computers at school.
• Use filtering and tracking software on all computers, but don’t rely solely on this software to screen out cyber bullying and other problematic on-line behavior.
• Investigate reports of cyber bullying immediately. If cyber bullying occurs through the school district’s Internet system, you are obligated to take action. If the cyber bullying occurs off-campus, consider what actions you might take to help address the bullying:
  • Notify parents of victims and parents of cyberbullies of known or suspected cyber bullying.
  • Notify the police if the known or suspected cyber bullying involves a threat.
  • Closely monitor the behavior of the affected students at school for possible bullying.
  • Talk with all students about the harms caused by cyber bullying. Remember — cyber bullying that occurs off-campus can travel like wildfire among your students and can affect how they behave and relate to each other at school.
  • Investigate to see if the victim(s) of cyber bullying could use some support from a school counselor or school-based mental health professional.
• Contact the police immediately if known or suspected cyber bullying involves acts such as:
  • Threats of violence
  • Extortion
  • Obscene or harassing phone calls or text messages
  • Harassment, stalking, or hate crimes
  • Child pornography

 

---

Kowalski, R. et al (August, 2005). Electronic Bullying Among School-Aged Children and Youth. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC.

Back in 2005 Hillary Clinton started some controversy over violent video games.  She was the one who helped make the makers of video games have to put a rating system in place for the video games, just as the movie industry has a rating system. She also once stated:

 “The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it’s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder,” said Senator Clinton. “I am announcing these measures today because I believe that the ability of our children to access pornographic and outrageously violent material on video games rated for adults is spiraling out of control.”

Although I do agree that the pornographic and violent material on video games is getting worse, I do not agree that it is making our job of being a parent any more difficult than it already is.  If you don't want your child to play these video games, then just don't buy them.  If a game is rated "M" for mature, then do not by it for your young child.  Use your brain on this one my dear parents.

I've seen Grand Theft Auto.  The game play consists of a mixture of action, adventure, driving, and occasional role-playing, stealth and racing elements and has gained controversy for its adult nature and violent themes. The series focuses around many different protagonists who attempt to rise through the criminal underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in each game. The antagonist in each game is commonly a character who has betrayed them or their organization or someone who has the most impact impeding their progress.

The series began in 1997 and currently has nine stand-alone games with a tenth one on the way, and two expansion packs for the original. Film veterans such as Michael Madsen, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, James Woods, Joe Pantoliano, Frank Vincent, Robert Loggia, Peter Fonda and Ray Liotta have all voiced major characters in many installments in the series. The name of the series and its games are derived from grand theft auto, a term referring to motor vehicle theft. As of 26 March 2008, the franchise has sold over 70 million copies worldwide

I remember I rented this game one time for my oldest son not knowing what was in it.  I was new at the whole video game thing and I had been convinced by him that the "M" in the case of this game was because of the shoot outs.  I figured, hey, they see that on TV.  Hell, we've had TV & movie shootouts since our grandparents were young wiper snappers, so I said OK, let's go rent it.

Wow!  What a game!  I walked into the other room to do something and I came back into the game room about 30 minutes later and what I saw was disturbing!  My son was playing the role of a pimp and was cursing at his whore, punching her and calling her names that made me blush.  I said, "what the heck?  Is this the same game that I just rented for you?"  My oldest turns to me and says, "watch this" and he proceeded to take out a chainsaw and kill the whore in the game.  I was shocked and immediately had my son turn the game off, hand it over to me, and was on my way to return the game to the video store.

I learned my lesson to read up on any game that my kids rented after that.

My whole point is though; It's up to us parents to teach our children what is right and what is wrong and what is reality. Since then my kids, now much older, have played some violent video games and the other 3 (I believe they have 4 now altogether) Grand Theft Auto's.  My kids are not violent and are not out killing any body.  They do good in school and are doing good in life.  The do know that this is make believe and not reality.   I don't believe that video games, TV, movies alone, make our children murder, commit crime, or do any thing bad.  Sure if you watch violence or sex every day of your life whether it be in a video game, TV, or in your own family you can become a mess, but if you are limited to the amount of time you are exposed to anything horrible you are less likely to commit horrible crimes and heinous acts.  It's a variety of things that cause killers to kill and rapist to rape.  Not just TV or Video games.  The way a child is raised is first an foremost the most important aspect of how he will turn out as a teenager or as an adult.  

Oh yea, and video games have never made my job of being a parent even harder"!  Thanks Hillary....

Note: The 1st Grand Theft Auto was ripped from the shelves of stores all over because if you won the entire game you would get to enjoy a video of two of the characters from the game having sex.  The company then changed the game codes and reintroduced the game back into the stores after a few months.  Needless to say, after all of the controversy the sales increased once again.

Please give me your opinion on this subject!

For all of you people with kidlets, please take a tour of this site.  Maybe your school might be interested!

My 13 year old has it at his school and everyday I get an email that updates his grades, homework, etc.  Tells me if there are missing assignments, etc....and you can email the teachers with any questions as well!

I love it!

http://www.schoolloop.com

SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. —  A toilet paper prank has led to the shooting of a 14-year-old by a southwestern Michigan man who believed strangers were trying to break into his home.

The Grand Rapids Press and WZZM-TV report the victim and four other teens were pulling the prank about 1 a.m. Sunday at a home in Solon Township, about 20 miles northeast of Grand Rapids.

Kent County sheriff's Lt. Jerry Miedema said the teens were intent on draping the house in toilet paper, while the homeowner's "intent was to come out shooting."

Police say three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital.

The homeowner was not arrested, but a prosecutor is looking into possible charges.