Giving Out TMI

By MAD21

I stumbled across a great article on the website BeingGirl written by Anastasia Goodstein, called "Identity Theft: Another Reason You Shouldn't Share TMI Online." For those reading this, TMI is TOO MUCH INFORMATION. But then, if you didn't know that, maybe you shouldn't be reading this because you don't text, Facebook, MySpace, etc. anyway  :o)

I know, I know. You've heard it all before. You hear it from your parents, your friend's parents, your teachers, and probably every other adult in your life."Don't give out too much information about yourself in the digital world, be it texting, or any of the social online networks..." But you know? You really need to listen. Because I don't think most of you do.

There are tons of people and places telling you all kinds of information about why you should not post too much information about you or your friends. Everyone is telling all the reasons not to share, even if you think only your friends are seeing it (and putting all your settings to 'private' doesn't always work). But having many teens in our family, I can say with certainty, I still don't think most of you are listening. Just go to YouTube. Go and see how many videos of teens dancing around and talking you can find in five minutes. It would shock you. If you were a predator, how long would it take you to find out enough information about one of them to figure out how to find them in person.

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Keeping Up Appearances

By MH, Age 14

Being a teenage girl you go through life trying to fit in. You want to be apart of the "popular crowd" or apart of the "bad girls." The clothes we wear to try to fit in. The way we act to get people to like us. Have you ever wanted to fit in so badly that you would do anything? Well if you have I just want you to know that it is not a good way to live. I used to think that people wouldn't like me if I didn't wear this, if I didn't act like that.

A year ago that all changed. I realized that it doesn't matter what people think. I now don't care if people don't like me because I don't wear this or don't act like that. All that matters to me is how God is showing through me. God will always love us no matter what we wear or how we act. The "popular crowd" or "bad girls" only like us for who we pretend to be. For whom we are not. They only like us because we wear this or wear that.

God loves us unconditionally. Life is like trying on clothes. "That shirt makes me look fat, those clothes are too big, those shoes are last year, those pants are too dorky." We shouldn't go through life trying on clothes. Loving a shirt we just bought then throwing it away the next because someone "dorky" was wearing it. We should go through life showing people that God is in us. That He is yours and no one or anything can take that away. Not a "popular crowd" or the "bad girls." If you ever come across these struggles remember that God loves you because you are you and you are not trying to go through life trying on clothes.

Parenting Teens

By Roger

Parenting teens start way before the age of 13. You have to start when they are of elementary school age. That's the time you should gey your children invovled in certain activities. For my wife and I it was dance class, brownies, and baton twirling for our daughter and scouts, bowling, and martial arts for our boys. Not only should you sign your children up for these activities, you should try to be a part of those activities even if you are just there to cheer them on. I became an assistant scout master, while my boys were in scouts and always cheered them on in the other activities. My wife became involved in the baton group my daughter was in and now my daughter is teaching baton twirling to girls who are the same age as when she started.

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Advice For Teens

By Roger

It's been 34 years since I was a teenager, but the memories and lessons I've learned as a teen are still fresh in my mind. You would be suprised to learn that the events you go through as a teen seem to come back to you as you get older and become a parent. Most of the time it's a situation that your parents helped you through only this time you are the parent giving the same sage advice to your own teen.

Here is a list of things that might make it easy for a teen to get through those "difficult years":

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Always Love Your Family

TB, Age 13

No matter where you’re family lives, or what mistakes they’ve made in their past, you can’t help but to love them for everything they truly are.

That is what I learned at my family reunion for my mom’s side of the family this past weekend. More than half the people there, I have never met in my life, but I was willing to accept anyone I would call family. One man had two teeth, and made so many mistakes in his past. To watch him be a better person, or at least trying to improve his life, with the help of his family and God, turned him into a better person. I admit, this wasn’t the top of my I want to do list, but It was nice to get to know people I may never see again. Though my cousins were complaining the whole time, I got to tell them that there is nothing that can ever replace your family. From 18 months old to 94 years old, love & respect everyone, because nothing can top the love, your family can give or receive.