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

Parenting adolescents today has become more of a challenge than a joy with many families.  Not all, thankfully, but there are more issues surrounding peer pressure, bullying, social media, music, movies and other influences that can cause a negative environment. Drug use: Huffing , inhalants, sniffing, smoking pot Alcohol use: Underage drinking , supervised drinking Defiance: Blatant disrespect, especially towards parents Disengaged: No longer wanting to participate in family activities Change of peer group:  Choosing friends that are not a good influence Obviously this list could go on and on as more and more teenagers are engaging in harmful or dangerous activities. Is your teen reaching a level that he/she are out-of-control? Going down a negative path with only a few years left of high school? Do you fear for their future if they continue down this road? Typical teenage behavior , which much of it can be, however what happens when this ty...

Parent denial is very common. Not one parent wants to admit that their own child may be drifting off in a negative direction. However if you ignore the obvious signs, you are no better than condoning this substance abuse. Tips to help prevent substance abuse:   1. Communication is the key to prevention. Whenever an opportunity arises about the risks of drinking and driving or the dangers of using drugs, take it to start a conversation. 2. Have a conversation not a confrontation. If you suspect your teen is using drugs, talk to them. Don’t judge them, talk to them about the facts of the dangers of substance abuse. If your teen isn’t opening up to you, be sure you find an adolescent therapist that can help. 3. Addict in the family? Do you have an addict in your family? Sadly many families have been effected by someone that has allowed drugs to take over their lives. With this, it is a reminder to your teen that you want them to have bright future filled with h...

Parenting teens is challenging. Communicating with teens can be even more difficult. During your children’s teenage years you’ll likely encounter a period of time when it seems like you have nothing in common with each other and carrying on conversations is akin to climbing Mt. Everest. This is heavily influenced by the fact that teenagers and the adults who care for them are very different creatures and are at very different points in their lives. Understanding those differences will help open the lines of communication between you and the teen in your life. Check out these ideas for ways to get teens talking: Create a topic jar. A topic jar is a jar that you fill with different pieces of paper containing conversation topics. Each night at dinner a different person gets to choose a slip of paper from the jar and read it aloud. The reader gets to start the conversation. For example, the slip of paper could say, “Tell about something that surprised you today”. Ask op...