The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Parenting teenager's is not easy. When you’re raising a teenager, your house can feel like a war-zone that’s scattered with potential land mines masquerading as casual questions. Every interaction can feel like it has the potential to blow up in your respective faces, leaving parents wondering what the safest course of action is in terms of avoiding an argument. During the tumultuous teenage years, these are 10 of the most reliable ways to avoid fighting with your child. Establish Rational Boundaries – During adolescence, your teen is revisiting the same mindset of early toddlerhood that leaves her looking for ways to test boundaries as a means of asserting her independence from you. Making sure that she knows some boundaries cannot be challenged lays a foundation for calm, rational interaction. Just be sure before you make those rules that you understand your teen’s need for a reasonable amount of independence, and avoid overly harsh authoritarian rules that le...

What plans do you have for your teen this summer? Will they have a job? Will they be hanging out in the neighborhood?  Maybe catching up on some community service hours and volunteering. Whatever you decide it is a fact to keep your teens busy so that they don't find themselves busy in a way that may not be what you want.  Like a trip to the local sheriff's office! Do you know your teen's friends? Do you know where your teen surfs online? Do you know where your teen hangs out? Do you know what your teen does in their spare time? If you answered no to any of these questions, now it the time to find out.  Summer has a lot of down time.  There is nothing wrong with vegging a little and taking some time to relax from their studies, but be sure they are playing it safe and keeping within boundaries you approve of. Do you suspect your teen is using drugs? Drinking? Are you skeptical of the kids they are hanging out with? Is your teen being secretive about ...

What is a helicopter parent, you ask? These are the parents that won’t let their kid out in the front yard to play without constant supervision. They won’t take a nap and risk their twelve year old being home ‘alone’. They are constantly hovering over their children and micromanaging their every move. How can you tell if you’re a helicopter parent? Well, you know you’re a helicopter parent when… You know the risks are incredibly high – Part of the problem is that with wall-to-wall Internet and cable news, every missing child case gets so much airtime that it’s not surprising even normal parental paranoia can be amplified. Know the real risks. You are afraid your child will literally die if left unsupervised – Mortality rates from all causes, including disease and accidents, for American children are lower now than they were 25 years ago. According to Child Trends, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, between 1980 and 2003 death rates dropped by 44 percent for ch...