The answer should be yes. Not "how can I get my loved one help?"

Tag Archives: teen

feeling pretty positive

Had our meeting to start ramping up therapies for David.

It went well.  Always a bit of trepidation at the first meeting with a new team member, but I think that this will be a positive addition to David’s team.

David was very well behaved this morning, frequently dodged topics that made him uncomfortable, but that is normal for any teen.

Coming Monday we have an appointment with a new psychologist, this afternoon I should get a referral to a therapist for me, and we are moving forward.

What matters is that we get David and the family the services that are needed.  I will go to the end of the earth if necessary to make that happen.

Trying to move past the denial of services, but find myself struggling with the idea that some unknown entity who only looks at pieces of paper can determine the fate of our son’s long term mental health care.

Give me one more chance…

honesty doesnt make us bad parentsThese are the words that we hear from David everyday when he gets caught doing something he knows he isn’t supposed to be doing.

Today it was cigarette smoking.  Yep, 13 years old, wants to be a smoker.  Stealing cigarettes and lighters from either his grandpa or his aunt.

What else does he do?  Surely this can’t be it…  things have been relatively quiet until recently.  sure we have had our ups and downs, heck he is a teenager.  But with his mom in the hospital recovering from major surgery, he is trying to steal a little more attention for himself and take attention away from mom.

How about his God complex?  His utter and total belief that the only thing that matters on this whole world is him, and that everyone around him is here to bend to his will.

How about the total lack of “life” in his eyes, unless he is hurting another person, either physically or emotionally?   The only time the smile truly reaches the eye, is when someone else is in some kind of pain.

Always, “give me one more chance”.

He doesn’t understand that trust is earned, and not a gift to be taken for granted.  I will be posting a major announcement concerning David in the coming weeks. No, we aren’t giving up custody or anything like that.

As always, thank you for reading.  If you know of a facility or therapist, consider adding them to the directory that we are building.  You can submit people and facilities here.

 

How to Avoid Teenage Pregnancies: 10 Tips for Parents | Lifescript.com

"Parenting"

“Parenting” (Photo credit: vanhookc)

 

How to Avoid Teenage Pregnancies: 10 Tips for Parents | Lifescript.com.

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I stumbled across this article by following a link from cnn.com.  At it’s most basic level, the best way to avoid teen pregnancy, is communication.  Not just to the girl’s.  These conversations need to take place with both sexes.

Parent’s, naturally, don’t want to see their kids as sexual beings.  I think that we forget that we were teen’s once ourselves, and had to overcome the same hormones as our kids.

I became a dad when I was 21.  The mom was 18.  We were way too young to be having kids.  I am not talking age.  Mentally, we were in no way ready to be parents.  Our relationship didn’t last.  Do I regret being a parent at 21?  No.  Do I have regrets?  Yes.  I regret that I wasn’t a better person for the mom.

My wife and I have had these conversations with our kids.  Is it an easy conversation to have?  No.  Not hardly, but it is a necessary conversation.  As parents we spend our kids’ lives getting them ready to be adults and good people.  Why should education about pregnancy be any different?  After all, they will be capable of reproducing far longer than they will be children.

You can download a copy of “10 Tips for Parents” from The National Campaign.  You can also purchase it hard copy.

There are tons of tips and education sites online that you can use to educate yourself and your kids about teen pregnancy.  Just because you are a parent, doesn’t make you an expert.  Being seen as a calm and rational person while having “the talk” with your kids is a positive thing.  It will strengthen the bond between you and your kids, once they get over the initial awkwardness of “the talk”.

Remember this.  In the digital age, our kids have access to information about sex that we can only imagine.  Wouldn’t it be better for them if we are informed about the topic before we discuss it with them?

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