Why You Shouldn’t Friend Your Teen on Facebook

If you have a teenager, you’re probably well-versed in how important the Internet is to the social life of a high schooler. Most teenagers have Facebook accounts and spend many hours per week on the computer. It’s a trend that isn’t going away. You might even have a Facebook page of your own. But does that mean you have to be “friends” with your teenager? Some parents very closely monitor the computer usage of their teenagers and others don’t bother. Where do you fall on the spectrum? A teenager’s Facebook page is a very personal place, and if you’re friends with them, you’ll have access to it. As a parent, you may think it’s a good idea. It’s not. Some things should remain sacred, and your child’s Facebook page is one of them. Under no circumstances should you friend your teenager on Facebook. If you do, you’ll probably end up regretting it very quickly. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t go there.

Do You Really Want to Know What They’re Doing?

Teenagers use Facebook to post and comment on all types of teenage things. They’ll post pictures of the weekend parties, talk about relationships, say things they think are “cool,” and much more. Do you really want to be able to see all that? Being able to view your teen’s Facebook page may grant you too high a level of access into their personal life. Many things may not warrant parental intervention, but seeing them may make you uncomfortable.

Do You Really Want to Know What Their Friends are Doing?

Teens use Facebook to communicate with each other all the time. Not only will you have unnecessary access to the comments of your own teenager, you’ll also be viewing the wall posts, status comments and photos of their friends, too. If you’re not ready to see your teenager’s closest buddies in a new light, you shouldn’t be friends with your teen on Facebook.

You’ll Make Them Censor Themselves

If you’re friends with your teen on Facebook, you better believe they’ll censor their page for you. They’ll think twice about everything they post. They’ll first evaluate if it’s something they’re okay with you seeing or not. While it’s a good thing for them to be discerning with what they post, you don’t want to be the sole reason they have to censor themselves. Let your teen be a teen. They’ll be able to enjoy their social networking experience more if you’re not watching so closely.

You’ll Have to Censor Yourself

You’ll also have to make sure your page is appropriate for your teen to see, too. You won’t be able to post anything you don’t want them to see, like things they could make fun of or be upset by. But you have a personal life, too, and you don’t want to censor yourself, either. If you don’t friend your teen, you won’t have to worry about it. You can be yourself and enjoy Facebook without worrying about constantly playing the part of parent and role model.

Terry Ford wants to remind you that Facebook can be fun if you play carefully and always use a Grammar Checker.

Tips On How To Deal With The Teenagers

Drastic changes happen during adolescent stage and can threaten good relationships. It could be hard for the parents to deal with the changes and sometimes misunderstanding brings separation between the children and the parents. Most of the parents encounter problems due to teenage behaviors and action should be taken soon.

These changes come from physical or hormonal changes. Friends can also be a factor because of the so called peer pressure. Family matter stressors or school problem from strict teachers or isolation from classmates have been the main reasons of unexplained behavior. Problems should be fixed earlier to stop it from getting worst.

Now if you are one of the problematic parents, here are some suggestions for you to easily deal with behaviors:

  1. Make yourself open for a free talk with your child. Making your child discuss concerning his problems will make him feel better and ease.
  2. Involve yourself to the problem. Your child will feel a helping hand and can come to you anytime another problem occurs.
  3. Pass positive behavior and avoid making suggestions. In this way, your child can learn from his own mistakes.
  4. Do not argue things, it can worsen the problem. Instead reward them for the good things they have done in order for them to get motivated. You can also apply selected ignoring for the things that are inevitably wrong.
  5. Sometimes, certain behaviors come from practices such as drug abuse, unsafe sex experimentation, and eating disorders. These situations should be solved earlier to avoid further mistakes someday.
  6. Tackle the problem with complete seriousness to dealt better with his problems.

Dealing with teenage behaviors is uneasy just like adjusting yourself with the fitness program. You need to modify and implement new rules to let things keep going. An advice from Tony Horton or someone who are used to be an expert on dealing with behaviors should be done to solve things early before it turned to bigger problems.

  • Helping Kids Enjoy Camping (fryingpansports.com)

Dating Tips for Teens

If you are a teenager then it might be time for you to go on your first date.  Dating is an exciting thing no matter how old you are, but for teens it can also be an incredible learning experience.  No one is born knowing how to date and people can go their entire lives trying to figure out the perfect method to go about it.  But as a teen, it’s more important to just have fun with the situation and ago with the flow.  You are young so you should enjoy that fact and here are some dating tips to help you out.

It’s always important to be as realistic about dating as possible even though you might be overcome with emotions.  But if you are just going on a first date then it’s important to keep things casual until you can decide if you really like the other person.  There’s no need to turn a date into a big romantic event if it is your first get together.  So just have fun and try to get to know one another without putting too much pressure on the other person.

One of the most uncomfortable things that can happen on a date is awkward silence.  In order to avoid this you should have a list of conversation topics in your head so that you can pull them out when necessary.  And if all else fails, just go ahead and ask the other person a question and hopefully that will turn into a conversation point.  Keep in mind that a good conversation is the most important aspect of your date so that’s the thing you should put the most energy on.  If you are able to keep the other person engaged it will be like casting a powerful love spell on them.

These days it’s very important to be polite and to remember your manners, and if you do so you are sure to stand out from a lot of the other teenagers out there.  So no matter how the date goes you should treat the other person with respect and show your appreciation that they were willing to spend some time with you. More tips can be read at http://2cities2soulmates.com/.

Setting Teen Chat Room Rules for your Child

Every parent wants to protect their child from harm and as a parent of a teenager, you are acutely aware of the dangers of the internet.  The news is rife with reports of children who have been targeted by internet predators.  It’s enough to want to make you ban your child the web completely.  You know that is not a feasible solution to the problem, but is there anything parents can do to help protect their children when they are visiting internet chat rooms?

How to Help Your Teen Stay Safe on the Internet

First, be realistic.  You know you can’t forbid your child from visiting chat rooms and make it stick.  Even if they don’t use a home computer, they’ll find a way.  Laptops, friends’ computers, even cell phones with internet access, are all too accessible to your teen.  Besides, the forbidden fruit is always more tempting and if you prohibit chat room use, your child will become more determined than ever to go there.

Instead, help your child find acceptable chat rooms. Look for rooms dedicated solely to teens.  These rooms should have continuous moderation and allow users to report offenders to admin if an unpleasant situation should arise.  Safe sites designed for teens should forbid users from giving out personal information such as phone numbers, email addresses, or locations.  Profane chat should not be permitted.

Talk to your teen about the importance of keeping personal information personal.  Not only should your child not give out information about themselves, they should not give out information about you, either.  Some predators want that info so they can hack into your financial accounts.

Make full use of parental controls and blocking software.  Check your child’s search history frequently and be observant when your child is on the computer.  If rules are broken, that is the time to restrict computer usage.

Get Involved

Don’t be ignorant to social media.  Get involved yourself and you’ll have a better understanding of your teen’s attraction to it.  Set up a Facebook page and get on your child’s friends list.  This gives you an inside look at whom your teen is chatting with and what they are chatting about.  Be cool, though.   You do not want to embarrass your child online.

Finally, talk to your child frequently about safe internet use.  Make it clear that they are never to meet a stranger from the internet anywhere, any time.  Make them understand that yes, it really could happen to them.

Keep your eyes open and the lines of communication unlocked, talk to your child about their internet experiences, and try to relax.  You are doing everything possible to protect your child.

  • Cyber Etiquette for Teens (psychologytoday.com)