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

Source: About.com When your preteen first starts middle school they may be facing real peer pressure for the first time. Experimenting with smoking, drugs and skipping school does start at this age. This is because these recently elementary school graduates want to fit in with the older crowd. Here are some things you can do to help your preteen be prepare for when they are asked to do something that they normally wouldn't do. Be the first to say something. If you haven't talked to your preteen about drugs, smoking or anything else they could be facing because they haven't had to face that problem yet, talk to them now! Don't avoid it until it becomes a problem or you start to see "signs". Be proactive with your preteen. Role play . Let your preteen be the one who offers you a cigarette. This will be an eye opening experience. Say no and keep saying no. When you preteen says, "I couldn't say that", ask them what they could say or do. Then role ...

As a parent that has an ADHD child, I know firsthand the pros and cons of RX meds for children. It was a major decision for us to choose medication, however it was the best choice for my son. Each child and family are different. I believe it is best to have a second opinion, like I said, making this decision is major. Since I speak with parents I know that many have concerns with their teens abusing this medication - selling it at school or even purchasing it to get a high. Be an educated parent - learn more about the medications used for ADD/ADHD. Source: Connect with Kids “In a way that athletes have used steroids and other medications in the past to enhance their athletic performance, Adderall is actually being used to kind of pseudo-enhance their academic performance.” – Heather Hayes, M.Ed., Counselor. Nineteen-year-old Marisa McCorkle has been using Adderall for two years. “I use it for various reasons,” she says, “like tests, it helps me on tests. [A...

I just read the most lovely and educational book called Grumble Bluff by Karen Bessey Pease . This tale tells of two young girls in that difficult and awkward stage of tweens - one is overweight and one has a horrific and painful situation she is living with. Both are bullied and teased relentlessly. Even reading how some kids are so mean made me feel so sad and angry on the inside. If you are a parent of a teen or tween - buy this book today - read it and have your child read it. You will feel warm inside at the end and then anxious for the second book. Kathy and Greta (characters) will become part of your family too - and what a great way to open lines of communication between you and your kids.

The January Safe Teen Driving Newsletter January 2009 is here! Here's Where You'll Find Answers: How to Keep Your Teen DriverSafe, Secure & Protected There's an epidemic in the US that's taking the lives of our youngsters. Driving fatalities are the number one cause of death among youngsters age 15 to 20. Driving crashes surpass suicide, homicide and all other causes. Over 300,000 teens are admitted to hospital ER's each year -- many with life-changing injuries. Among licensed drivers, young people have the highest fatal crash rate of any age group. What's more distressing, teens at age 16 are twice as likely to die in fatal car crashes as 18 to 19 year old teens. This is largely due to their youth and lack of experience behind the wheel. We know your life is busy. We're here to give you the support, help, information and services you need to keep your youngster safe...in a quick, easy-to-use format. Parents tell us they're concerned about issues lik...

Vanessa Van Petten continues to bring valuable information for parents with today’s teens. This week she has dedicated to helping prevent cyberbullying. Partners for CyberBully Awareness Campaign : Thank you to everyone who is already offered to join and spread the word about our anti-cyberbullying campaign here at On Teens Today : Angeline of MomStyleNews Vivien Bruss of Cool Moms Rule Brenda Preston of Safewave Sue Scheff of Help Your Teens Myrna of TangerineTimes.com Tara Paterson of the Mom’s Choice Awards and Just for Mom Karen Pease

D.A.R.E. - Drug Abuse Resistance Education has been known for many years and has helped been part of many schools in helping children learn the dangers of drug abuse . As a parent, take some time to review their newly updated information and website. It is important that parents and educators work together to help prevent drug use. Source: D.A.R.E. Official Website This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs , and violence . D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. D.A.R.E . is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free l...

Teens suffering from depression and related illnesses like anxiety and bipolar disorder find it very difficult to even make New Year’s resolutions, let alone keep them. Depression and its relatives very quickly tend to overwhelm teens. When faced with the idea of change depressed teens often see a mountain so huge that it seemingly can never be climbed or chiseled slowly into a molehill. They quickly feel overwhelmed and often respond with some thought or statement like, “It’s too big. I’ll never be able to do it… so why bother to even try.” The teen then falls deeper into their pit of despair. One of the first things that the depression “steals” from the depressed teen is their ability to take large, seemingly impossible tasks and break them into smaller, manageable pieces. Most of us take this ability for granted and practice this making of mountains into manageable molehills everyday. Depressed teens want to change. They want healing. They just don’t see a way over the mountain. Th...