FRENCH: About Parenting Teens: Coupons Codes for Families with Teens

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Parenting Teens

Parenting Teens

Teens Today

High School

Troubled Teens

From Denise Witmer, your Guide to Parenting Teens

Coupons Codes for Families with Teens

I'm always collecting these for myself, so now when I do I'm going to post them here. That's okay with all of you, right? Here is what I have this week.

Is Your Teen Looking for an Identity? Glee's Quinn Is!

The character Quinn on Glee has been through quite a bit in her search for her identity, not unlike many teens. In the beginning of the series, she was head cheerleader, president of the celibacy club and had a teen pregnancy. She got kicked off the cheering squad - but not out of the celibacy club? - and joined the glee club. Had her baby and gave it up for adoption. Then, got back on the cheering squad, ran a tough campaign for prom queen (during which we find out she used to be obese) and started dating her old boyfriend Finn.

Now, since none of those personas worked for her, she has joined the Skanks, a gang of girls who smoke and date much older men, quit a bunch of stuff and dyed her hair pink. Except for the name of the group, this doesn't sound too off for me. And there is a lesson for parents: Teens who fail in one area don't always try, try again. Since they are in a stage of their lives where they are searching for an identity and there is a plethora of roles to try on within arm's reach, they pick and choose ways to be different instead. Their thinking is if they are different, life will be different and better. You can help your teen pick something more suitable for them than Quinn's choices by helping them build their confidence, being there to listen and teach them life skills that will help them look toward their future. Side note: I think Blaine is going to have a harder time not being a Warbler then being gay, since he seems to be okay with his homosexuality and has not a clue what it's like to share the spotlight. Agreed?

I'm looking forward to seeing Glee this season. How did you like the show last night? What conversations did it bring up with your teen? Has your teen ever made such a huge leap in identity? Please share your thoughts, experiences and advice in the comments section.

Related Resources

Teen Eating Disorders and Unhealthy Eating Habits

The newest research on eating disorders and teens from suggest teenagers who develop disordered eating habits are likely to continue the practices into young adulthood. This includes unhealthy and extreme weight control behaviors, as well as binge eating. But what I found most interesting in the study was the use of diet and weight loss pills and the idea of medicating oneself to lose weight.

The researchers evaluated data on 2287 young adults from the Project EAT-III: Eating Among Teens and Young Adults study, which was conducted in 31 public schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area between 1999 and 2010. Tracking data and analysis of that data showed that all the teens in the group who dieted were significantly more likely to be dieting in as adults than those who didn't diet when they were younger and "Diet pill use more than tripled in most of the age and sex groups," report the researchers. I feel this is troubling, to say the least. I have to wonder if all of the advertising on the internet and television for diet pills in the last 5 to 10 years isn't pushing that number higher.

Basically, the findings of the study state what you would expect, early prevention and ongoing education about healthy weight management are important in middle and high school. A treatment intervention to stop eating disorders when they are present is also necessary.

Unhealthy Eating and Eating Disorders Resources for Parents of Teens:

Is your teen depressed?

Depression can be difficult to understand in in teens as it doesn't always have the symptoms you believe it should. Because of this, we've taken a very strong approach to helping by adding resources for parents of teenagers who may be or are suffering from teen depression. Here are our most recent additions and updates: