Help My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!!!Written by Kimberly Chastain
Help My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!!! By Kimberly Chastain , MS, LMFT www.kimberlychastain.com/parentingDo you feel like someone has abducted your sweet, innocent child and replaced them with a monster? Are you confused that somehow you have gone from knowing everything as a parent, to knowing absolutely nothing? Welcome to being a parent of a preteen/teenager. It is a brave new world. Being a preteen/teenager is difficult and being a parent of one is difficult as well. In this article, I will address just a few of many “normal” aspects of adolescence and how to survive as a parent. I have been a therapist for over 18 years now and have seen hundreds of adolescents. If I had a dollar for every time a parent said to me, “If I talked way my kids talk to me when I was a child I wouldn’t be able to get off floor.” I would be rich. Yes, talking back is normal. I also quickly add not acceptable. Our society through TV programs and in general does not show respect. Most sitcoms delight in making parents look like idiots, gone are days of strong parents like Cosby family. So, our society does not show respect and our children model that with us. Another normal aspect of preteen/teenagers is to think their parents know very little due to us growing up with dinosaurs or at least without VCRS much less DVD players, anyway. Most adolescents get all their information from their peers, who unfortunately don’t always give good advice. Acting like a “baby” one minute and an “adult” next is extremely common. It is an extremely confusing time for them. Part of them craves security and easiness of childhood and another part “needs” freedom and independence of being adult (they often forget responsibility part). So, as a parent you are never really sure who you are talking to at any given moment. Do I have “baby” who wants my support or am I talking to “adult” who wants to make his or her own decisions? We often pick wrong one.
| | It’s Not Your Father’s Climbing Frame!Written by Ian Wide
When I was growing up, metal jungle gym in our backyard made ours most popular play spot in neighbourhood. Built of tubular steel in bright orange and yellow, it was a honeycombed hexagon that provided days of climbing, swinging and acrobatic fun. These days, jungle gym is called a climbing frame, and it may be made of wood, metal or plastic, but fun factor remains same. If you have young children, a climbing frame in back yard or garden can offer hours upon hours of fun recreation and activity. Climbing frames come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations, and most are customizable with add-ons and accessories. You can start with a simple ladder type climbing frame and add accessories like platforms, ladders, rope climbers, tents, rope bridges and more. One easy way to classify climbing frames is by materials used. Wooden climbing frames are generally more expensive than either plastic or metal framed climbers. Made of pressure-treated lumber, they use galvanized screws for fastening and often include enclosures, platforms and rope climbing ladders. Wooden climbing frames can last a lifetime if properly cared for, and be used by generation after generation of children. Popular additions to wooden climbing frames are canopies, swings, rope climbers and platforms. Perhaps you recall swing sets of your childhood - tubular metal in bright colors with swings and a slide, and perhaps a glider. Todays metal climbing frames are next generation. The product of increased safety awareness and health studies, they're designed with fun AND safety in mind. They often include horizontal ladders for climbing and swinging, slides, and bars for more intricate feats of balance and swinging. They're closest to old monkey bars and jungle gyms that we all grew up with.
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