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The Money Talk

ParentingTeensOnline provides a guide for talking to your teens about money: from saving and spending to altruism and charity. It’s essential that we give our kids the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and successes in finance.

When Jana M.’s 14- and 16-year-old sons were younger, she gave them a monthly allowance and told them to put some in savings, some in their wallet, and a small amount to something charitable. It didn’t work. When her son, Grady, 16, started working, his allowance stopped, but the money he earned went right into his wallet. Looking back, Jana realizes she hadn’t taught her kids to make their own responsible money decisions. “It may have been more effective sitting them down and getting their input so they felt like part of the process and, in turn, more accountable,” she says.
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Creating a Health Safety Net for Your College Freshman

Starting the first year of college is tough for every student, but for teens with a medical, emotional or psychological condition, it’s important for families to prepare in advance.

Of course each kid is special to us as parents, but for a variety of reasons some children may have had a more complicated path through childhood and high school than others. Some of our kids seem to live front and center in the “worry” part of our brains. When they prepare to leave for college, it may make us even more anxious. Some advance planning can make all the difference — for the student as well as the parents.
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Keeping Up With The Teen Lingo

What did she just say!? If you really want the scoop on the words and phrases in your teen’s vocabulary, read about them here. Cool stuff!

Do you remember the days of “hunks” and “foxy chicks”, when things were “far–out” or “copacetic”? Sound like a foreign language or maybe a strange dialect? Well, it is! It’s the language of the teens of the 70s and 80s. So, before you complain about your teen’s slang, remember some of those doozies from the past. Then, once you stop laughing, take a moment to learn some of the terms from your teen’s language.
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EXPERT VIEW:

The New Highs: The Drugs Teens Are Taking Now and What You Can Do About It

Teens are stealing from their parents’ medicine cabinets and using household products and legal substances to get high. The dangers, however, are as significant as those associated with marijuana and alcohol. Find out what you have to do to detect the problem and handle it fast.

Corey, a 16-year-old high-school junior, stands before the open medicine cabinet in his parents’ bathroom and pulls out his cell phone, texting his friend Melanie. “Got xbrs, vic, sktls kpc.” Melanie will be hosting a “pharm party” later that night. Each invited guest has to bring some pills, which will be combined in a bowl with the other kids’ offerings to make what they call “trail mix.”
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PARENT TO PARENT:

Readers' Teen Stories

Our readers share their humorous experiences with their teens.
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