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

With the recent  Monitoring the Future Study  release indicating that nearly one in three 12th graders reported using a vaping device in the past year, it’s imperative that parents are informed of the potential dangers that can result from vaping. What is Vaping? Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, produced by an  e-cigarette or similar device . It’s become more popular among teens than regular cigarettes, especially given that vaping devices can be used for anything from flavors like mango, mint or tutti frutti, to flavorings containing nicotine or THC, the chemical compound in marijuana that produces the high. What are the Risks? There are several risks to vaping for teens. Below are three major ones for parents to be concerned about: Vaping is often marketed to kids, downplaying the dangers. With lots of flavors available for vaping liquids, as well as the variety of colors and devices available that charge...

Do you have a good teen making bad choices? Defiance? Disrespectful? Underachieving? Wrong peer group? Addicted to their devices? Sneaking out of the house? Experimenting with drugs or alcohol? Withdrawn, secretive - not participating in family functions? Have you exhausted your local resources? Therapy didn't work? Contact Parent Universal Resources for a free consultation today.

There's no app for parenting teens online today - yet according to a recent PEW Research survey 95 percent of teenagers have access to a smartphone while almost half, 45 percent claim they are online constantly.  That's up significantly from the last survey in 2015 when it was 24 percent were on almost constantly. What else has changed? Where the kids are virtually hanging out. In 2015, 71 percent of teens were still using Facebook as their primary social scene. Today it's dropped to fourth place. In the lead is YouTube at 85 percent, Instagram 72 percent and Snapchat at 69 percent. Parenting in the age of technology. No matter where our kids and teens are gravitating to online, parenting doesn't change. Like growing up offline, it's never without challenges, however today it's compounded with their digital life being as important as their real one. As a matter of fact, most teen's believe that their online life is their life - period. A...

In 2017 we heard a lot about digital resilience , but do we understand what it is? Helping our teens be ready for online hate and digital discourse offline can better prepare them when they are faced with it. Reality is that incivility exists - sadly this is a human behavior that we don't have control over, but we can choose how we handle it. Today our kids consider their digital life as important as their lives offline, so it's important to give them as much knowledge and encouragement to know they are not alone when they are faced with cyber-hate. Cyberbullying is not only impacting our teen's emotionally - it causes them to miss school, become withdrawn, drop out of sports or other activities they once enjoyed, failing when they were once good students, changing peer groups or becoming isolated and more. Teens can experience a higher level of stress and anxiety when they are struggling with online bullying. The most troubling outcome of cyberbullying and online ha...

Have you been told your teen needs a wilderness program? As a Parent Advocate and Family Consultant in the Teen Help Industry since 2001, there’s no secret -it’s a  big business . On a weekly basis we receive calls from parents that have parted with thousands of dollars after a conversation with someone that advises them that their teenager needs a wilderness experience. But how do you really know this? Take time to consider the following. Wilderness programs,  why are some people always so quick to say, “ Your teen needs a good wilderness experience .” Do you really understand what a wilderness program is? Do you understand that the majority of participants are asked to continue on to a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) or Therapeutic Boarding School (TBS) – which means your teen will be starting all over again with a new therapist as well as  you   paying  all over again for start-up fees? Why not start and finish in one place? Well, ...

As a parent that was once in your shoes over a decade ago, I've seen a shift in the teen help industry. It's still a big business, however with the challenges of medical insurance limiting what they will cover, average parents are having to seek options that may not be exactly what they expected or in the best interest of their child. Marketing and SEO has really improved over the past several years. Now we are witnessing magnificent websites of programs that have had the worst reviews, some lack clinical credentials, accredited academics and other concerning issues climbing to the top of the searching engines. Sadly - there are even some unscrupulous sales (marketing) people that sell these types of programs. As I frequently share with parents, it's important to always speak with an owner or director of a program -- someone that is actually located at the facility. Someone that will have a vested interest in your child's recovery process -- since it reflects their...