Parent of A Teen? Help Is Available

Was it just a few years ago that your child was a lovable, huggable and kissable angel? After the thrill of having a new born in the family, having the biggest life altering experience you can ever expect, and thinking that it's the best thing that ever happened to you and your husband.

Suddenly your child is in his or her teens, and while you may think that nothing quite prepared you for your first new born, living with your teenage child is a whole new experience.

Are you new to the game of teenage parenting?

Parenting can be the most rewarding aspect of our lives.

There's truly nothing like hearing your child laugh, or witnessing their first soccer goal, watching them going off on their first date... You'll be amazed at how proud you are. It truly is an incomparable experience.

However, not every aspect of teenage parenting is simple and fun. In fact, some experiences can be rather difficult to say the least. Sometimes it feels that you are knocking yourself against a wall. The child that you cradled in your arms, the child that snuggled up to you during bedtime, now has become a 'mute', answering in grunts and no longer wishes to be around you.

Regardless, it's important to remember that you're not alone. After all, this is the information age. An abundance of solutions are right at your very fingertips. I'm talking about the world-Wide-Web.

While the Internet is of great help to globalization and businesses, they are great for the individuals as well, parents included.

Have you checked out any good parenting message boards lately? This could be a good source of help.

Who came up with parenting message boards? I do not know and am certainly not complaining. This is a very cool nuance to the teenage parenting game.

We could all use a helping hand now and then, or possibly some knowledgeable advice for a fellow parent.

As a parent, we often encounter inevitable disagreements with our teenagers. Don't worry; this is all part of the growing-up process. Children have been rebelling since the beginning of time and it is not going to change any time soon. Once they hit that know-it-all stage, you're really in for it. The teenage years are the toughest years. But like what they say, like gold refined through fire, if we get through the teenage years of our children positively, the impact on our relationships will be a lasting one.

Help is just around the corner. In fact, it's at the click of a mouse. That's the up-side of the help we can receive now days. With your home computer close at hand, you can always refer to parenting message boards for advice. These are handy websites where parents can chat and offer each other a helping hand.

Are you in some serious need of advice regarding your teen? You're certainly not the only one. When my children were in their teenage years, they always gave me a hard time on a regular basis. I've found that it's inescapable, but manageable if you learn how to react, or not react at all.

There are many ways to get started searching for parenting message boards to lend you some advice. Or perhaps, because of your experiences, you may have loads of useful information to offer. Regardless, you can jump online today and search for parenting message boards under Google.com or any of the other search engines.

Get those priceless answers on parenting now. With parenting message boards you can do more than just get good, solid and valid advice. You can also make new friends. Friends that can share, laugh, cry and encourage you together as you bring up your teen.

The Purpose of Yoga - Solutions for Releasing Anxiety

Yoga is a 5,000 year catalog of health solutions and an evolving science of life. Therefore, here are some "age old" Yogic solutions for releasing anxiety. To make them work, you must realize that you have to make a habit of releasing a little anxiety, within acceptable limits, all day long.

Physical practice of Yoga postures (Asanas) will release muscular tension. Make a habit of physically practicing as you sit, stand, or lie down. You do not have to put on a "Yoga show" to sit straight, stand straight, tilt, twist, or bend.

As humans, we are in motion most of the time, but you can move or stand still with purpose and mindfulness. Once you establish Yoga into your life "off the Yoga mat," you will be surprised how often you and people around you are regularly sitting, or standing, in poor posture, during the course of an average day.

Observation is very important. As you wake up, observe the muscle groups and joints, which have contracted, as you slept. These contractions can cause daily muscle tension, spasms, pains, and aches. Is the tension in your face, back, neck, shoulders, legs, arms, or hips?

Get to know how your body responds to mild warm-ups and develop routines to compensate for physical tension. The connection between mental and physical tension is symbiotic. If you resolve a physical form of tension, you will resolve mental tension, as well.

In Hatha Yoga, there are more than 1500 postures to choose from. Many of us have seen charts, or books, with 500 to 600 Asanas to choose from. If you become creative, you will soon discover many more while sitting in a chair.

You can practice Yoga while you are at your desk, in your bed, on your couch, on a bus, or when you walk. When you add the breathing component, (Pranayama), to your daily life, you have many more combinations of techniques.

Here's another approach to dealing with anxiety. However, you must use it in the right time and place. Do not be silent! Let it out vocally. Some people laugh, pray, sing, cry, or shout, but each method works at the right time. So, be tactful, if you decide to make noise.

If you hold it all in, you will burst - in the figurative and literal sense. Therefore, you have to release it in some way. Some people roll up the windows in their cars and scream at the top of their lungs. In truth, whatever works is a good thing.

We will not have the same reactions to anxiety. Some people will laugh, while others cry during identical circumstances. Look at how some people react to losing a job. Some people have a party, while another person may contemplate suicide.

In a typical Yoga class, you may learn Mantra and Japa. These are powerful methods and are very beneficial in combination with Pranayama.

Lastly, anxiety is energy, which is not always negative, but can be deflected or circulated, throughout your being. Yogic solutions work, but they must be practiced daily. You do not want to collect and store negative feelings, so carefully release them back into the universe.

Kids Yoga: A Solution to Global Obesity in Children

Two topics that most people are tired of hearing about are obesity and childhood obesity. The problem is we will not find solutions for these problems if we "bury our heads in the sand." Kids Yoga is a viable solution to obesity in children, but this requires schools and parents to take action now.

Obesity has crept up on all age groups quickly; children in some countries need to change their lifestyles immediately. If not, there will be serious health repercussions that will shake our health systems and fragile economies.

How did massive numbers of obesity get here? How can less physical activity in children be acceptable? How could Kids Yoga be a solution?

Parents today have less buying power than our parents had. Many children are shifted from school to day care, while both parents are working extra hours to support the family. Many of today's meals are composed of processed foods -whether they are store-bought, or bought for takeout, from a restaurant.

Physical education has suffered serious cutbacks since the "Cold War" ended. Back in the 1970's, and before, children ran and played outside more often.

The Yoga lifestyle helps parents and children manage diet in a very busy and stressful world. If you are conscious of it, there are wiser food choices, even from restaurants. When children practice Yoga, they become much more aware of their diet, posture, activities, and daily exercise routine.

Educators, doctors, Yoga teachers, and parents cannot afford to wait until the next study on childhood obesity is completed to take action. Children are bigger than ever, due to inactivity and a high fat / carbohydrate diet. Large numbers of big children will become even bigger adults, who are at risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, various forms of cancer, and much more.

Therefore, educators, doctors, Yoga teachers, and parents must be proactive. Do not expect grant money, government assistance, or any help from "big brother." Look at the reaction to global warming by the world's governments and you see how long it takes to get a reaction.

For parents with school-aged children, there has never been a better time for them to attend Yoga classes. Children consider Yoga an extension of other games and exercises they would normally do. Children will naturally jump, roll on the ground, run, and spin around, in the course of playing with their friends.

With proper supervision from a certified Yoga teacher, children learn what they can and cannot do. Kids Yoga classes teach safe Hatha Yoga techniques for flexibility, strength and muscle tone.

If a child is obese, parents should not expect instant miracles with weight loss, and parents would do well to learn the practice of Hatha Yoga. In this way, parents and children will both be aware of proper dieting and a much healthier lifestyle.

Yoga Health News

Yoga Health Foundation announces Yoga Month 092008, a global awareness campaign to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Los Angeles, November 05, 2007 – The Yoga Health Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in California, has announced “Yoga Month 092008”, a grassroots, community-based global campaign to educate people about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga Month is a year-round campaign and will peak September 2008 with millions of health & socially conscious individuals practicing yoga at thousands of yoga studios, parks and homes around the globe.

The 10 City Yoga Month Tour featuring lectures and concerts will visit yoga-passionate cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, Austin, Denver and San Diego.

“Yoga has been practiced for the last 5,000 years and transformed into one of the most popular and effective methods to balance body mind, stay flexible, fit and healthy and prevent disease - mainly because it works.”, says Johannes R. Fisslinger, president of the Yoga Health Foundation and initiator of the Yoga Month campaign.

Yoga is attracting North American participants in numbers as high as 20 million. A recent Harris poll revealed that more than 100 million North Americans would like to practice Yoga for its health benefits.

With many Hollywood celebrities like Gwenyth Paltrow, Madonna, Russell Simmons, Courtney Cox and Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Ricky Martin practicing yoga and 27 billion spent in yoga-related products even traditional advertisers are paying attention.

The extensive list of current Yoga Month partners include magazines like Fit Yoga, Yoga+ Joyful Living, LA Yoga, Yogi Times, Yoga Journal, Yogamates.com, Whole Life Times, studios like Yogaworks, Exhale, Jiva Mukti, Power Yoga, Dahn Yoga and Bikram Yoga and teachers like Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Bryan Kest, Nike’s Margo Kellison, Larry Payne, Shiva Rea.

Yoga Month will benefit local community leaders and inspire sustainable healthy lifestyle projects like Yoga for Kids, at-risk-youth, breast health or AIDS prevention.

Find out about the Cost of Poor Health and why Yoga Month 092008 will make a difference in the future of health care.

How To Step Up Your Aerobics

Aerobics exercise is the optimum way to raise your heart rate, burn fat, and tone your muscles. You can choose from a variety of options, from running and walking to aerobic machines and classes. You can dance, run, walk or hop your way to a fitter body. As your body becomes accustomed to the routine, you'll want to find ways to add more intensity to the program. A good way to step up your routine is to add step aerobics moves. The great thing about step aerobics is you can find ways to intensify your workout with limited cost and space involved.

Step aerobics routines follow the same principle as other aerobic activities using continuous activity through a series of steps and arm movements that are set to music. A step aerobic routine is different because the workout goes vertically, by situating the entire routine around a small platform that you continuously step onto and off of. Not only does step aerobics increase the number of calories burned, you will also intensify the effects in your leg and buttock muscles.

Using a step or platform provides a little more boost to your cardio workout with a more intensive form of workout. Another great advantage of step aerobics is it's a low impact activity and does not result in the joints stressing as do other activities, such as running or jogging. In fact, when it comes to stress on the joints of the leg, step aerobics are similar to walking.

The step platform comes in a variety of heights, starting with four inches. If you are a beginner, this is probably the height to start with. The size goes up from there in two-inch increments, and will be determined by your comfort level and experience. If you decide to try step aerobics in the privacy of your living room, you can buy the platforms for around fifty dollars. There is also a huge variety of video and DVDs to choose from. This type of workout is actually well suited to a home routine, since it does not take much space and it is easy to do in front of the television.

The workout moves aren't hard to master, and can be easily accomplished by the newest newcomer to aerobic exercise. A beginner can start by stepping up and down from the four-inch platform. You can add variety with different steps, music and the addition of arm movements. The level of intensity of the workout is completely variable, and can be set to the skill of the participant. For example, you can adjust the step platform in two-inch increments to be higher than the beginning four-inch mark. A higher step will mean a higher level of difficulty. You can adjust the music tempo to include more beats per minute which will result in an increase of aerobic moves in a session. You can also incorporate arm movements and even add free weights to give your upper body a more intense workout as well.

One important rule of thumb however, is to never increase the intensity of your workout until your current level becomes easy to complete. Trying to accomplish too much too soon will only result in sore muscles, and possibly the need to take some time off from to heal.

When performing your step moves be watchful of your posture. Keep your head up, shoulders back, and your back straight while stepping up and down from the platform. Place your entire foot solidly on the platform when stepping up. Place your foot directly behind the platform when stepping down. Always begin your routine with a warm-up and finish off with a cool down. These steps are extremely important in protecting your body from injury.

Benefits

The benefits received from step aerobic routine is an excellent cardiovascular workout and the strengthening of the lower body muscles. This raising and lowering of the body utilizes the large muscles of the lower legs.

A step aerobic exercise routine can be compared to jogging or running in cardio benefits, but without the associated stress placed upon the joints of the knees and ankles. In addition, step aerobics are often choreographed with upbeat music and can the accomplished either in the company of other enthusiasts, or in the privacy of your home.

Overcoming The Video Gaming Syndrome (VGS)

One of things I like to do is go to FreeCell when I open my computer for the day. It relaxes me. It is fun to play. It does not cost me anything since it comes free with Windows 98. However, it is a time grabber. I spend about 20 minutes each morning trying to get all the cards out of the deck. 68 percent of the time I win. 32 percent of the time I either bomb out or else I see where I have to give up the game.

I make it my rule to play only one game. If I win, that is great. If I lose, I do not come back at least until the next day. Does this make me a habitual video gaming addict? I think not, since I am in control over how much I play and under what terms I wish to play the game.

When I see the workload I have in front of me, I now have revised my computer routine. I do not play FreeCell any longer. If I am on the computer each day, that means I spend two hours each week trying to figure out how to master the cards in front of me. This means my writing must suffer. My marketing also must give up some precious time. So, the little time I spend playing FreeCell on my computer has gone to zero.

I would not have given this a second thought if it were not for two isolated events. One event just happened along by accident. The other event sprang from my recollection of my prior projects. I blundered quite by accident into a FreeCell website while searching for another topic. I found out FreeCell could be played all over the Web. I also discovered that some of the FreeCell player scores reached into astronomical levels. If I had a win percentage like some of the players I saw on one or more of the FreeCell websites, I would have been given a ticker tape parade on Main Street. If I had opted to play FreeCell as frequently as some of the players there, I would have found myself doing nothing else in my whole life except playing FreeCell. I would not have any more time to eat. I could not devote a minute's worth of time to write or to take care of my frail and ailing wife.

Not only did I see an impressive volume of games played. The high scores achieved were equally impressive. Because FreeCell has now become interactive over the Web, I would be in competition with these other players. If there were any wagering or prizes associated with winning, I would be stripped clean of money. I would not be playing FreeCell any more for the fun of it. I would be in deadly competition with people I did not know except by names such as CardWiz, Zingo, BingBang, The Vamp, and others with similar "handles".

VGS starts early. It appears never to leave. On the contrary, it only gets worse. Here is a posted article from a parent that is distraught over what has been happening to her son.

"My son is a sophomore at Albany High, and he appears to be addicted to video games. I think his ideal life would be sitting in front of a computer monitor with an IV in his arm to deliver enough nutrients and caffeine that he wouldn't have to eat or sleep. He also has started to lie to his mother and me -- and to his teachers -- about his schoolwork to maximize his access to the video games, particularly those on the web. He has some friends, but they tend to be limited to other "gamers."

"Does anyone have any advice and/or good resources for dealing with this problem? In one sense, I'm glad he isn't out on the streets getting into drugs or other forms of trouble. But I fear his life has become so one-dimensional that he will be damaged as a result of this obsession."

-Anonymous

Many parents have found similar problems with their children and video game addictions. They don't know what to do. Many people only relate addiction to drugs or alcohol or smoking but addictions can come in many forms.

So what is an addiction?

Addition is a state of being where the person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep him going.

If the person does not get more of the substance or behavior, he becomes irritable and miserable.
Addictions can vary in intensity. One can really like playing video games and will miss it if he or she does not play one or two days. This person will be unlikely to go into withdrawal. On the other hand, there are others who cannot live without playing at least several hours a day. Addiction to this extent is not in epidemic proportions, but small addictions are seen everyday in different people's lives.

Video games have been known to cause people to have violent behavior because of the guns and other weapons involved in video games. Video gamers are usually pre-teens from ages 10-13 but there can be other age groups that are addicted.

Here are some of the symptoms and observations about VGS in the pre-teen and teen groups:
1. Does your child or adolescent play almost every day?
2. Does he or she often play for long periods of time, often 3 to 4 hours or longer?
3. Does he or she play for excitement?
4. Is there an outbreak of hostility if he or she can't play?

If the answer is yes to any of these or other questions, you have a problem. Moreover, you have a responsibility to your child or adolescent to nip this problem in the bud before it gets worse.

VGS can be uncontrollably addictive as adolescents become adults. If you as parents do not step in and take control at this early stage in life, the lives of your kids can be permanently ruined. Parents need to be aware of this and protect their children from getting to the VGS stage.

You must also be prepared to teach your child the worthlessness and pitfalls of VGS. Approach it from a perspective of how much time gets wasted, or what got accomplished. Did your son win a letter for quarterbacking the high school football team? Did your son win a 70 rating for War On Worlds (WOW). A football letter will always remain, but an electronic screen entry can always get erased.

Here are some other solutions you as parents can employ:

Give children educational rather than violent games.

Encourage video game playing in groups rather than as a solitary activity.

Set time limits on children's playing time. Tell them they can play for a couple of hours after they have done their homework - not before.

Ensure children follow the video game manufacturer's recommendations. For example, they should sit at least two feet from the screen, play in a well-lit room, never have the screen at maximum brightness, and never play when feeling tired.

Finally, if all else fails, take away the game's console and give it back on a part-time basis when appropriate.

The ultimate solution is for you to maintain control of the high speed internet connection in your home and never allow this to pass into the hands of your children. You must be prepared for some strenuous backlash to this or else a lot of whining about why you or your spouse do not trust the kids.

My answer to this one "Would you trust a fox to watch the hen house?" We all know this much: a house without a high speed internet connection is completely disabled from VGS. The speeds are much too slow. The game action will crawl. The chat lines moan and groan. With several good ideas how to manage your computers and your telephone connections, you have put VGS out of business and are well on your way to taking back your lives.

As long as the family unit stays together, there is hope in combating VGS. The hope here is that both parents follow these simple rules almost religiously.

Rule Number 1: As soon as you or your spouse suspect VGS, get help! As easy as you might think you can eradicate the problem, think again. VGS is like a snake with multiple heads.

Rule Number Two: Stay together. Your offspring will look for every which way to get you and your spouse to take sides against each other. Once they have succeeded in getting you into opposing camps, they will mop up at your expense.

Rule Number Three: Apply tough love. While you must stay on top of what your offspring may be doing, do not assume the role of being a dictator. Your greatest chances for success will be in how effectively you can disarm the evil Captain Zappo from being their new hero. We wish you luck!

How To Encourage Self Confidence In Girls

Start with limiting your young girl’s television watching. Of course, this is easier said than done. Studies show television programs and advertising can have a negative effect on viewers. Television shows targeted toward children are mixed with many advertising messages. Some of these messages are very subtle, while other messages are quite clear.

Of course we cannot blame the media for everything. We can, however, realize that too much television may negatively affect our children’s self esteem and confidence. For example, children who learn at a young age that food equals happiness, may have problems with body image later in life. Television advertising and programs present ongoing messages to young children that “things” are the solutions to problems and the route to happiness. These messages only exaggerate feelings of low self worth if a child does not possess all these “things,” or the “right things.”

As children age, the "things" can change into a perfect body. Not have the right things can translate into body image problems and other self-destructive behaviors.

Another method of encourage self confidence in young girls is providing positive role models. As girls become more aware of how women around them act and respond to various situations it becomes more important for those women to present positive impressions. If the women in a young girl’s immediate environment hide their anger or express their anger inappropriately the young girl may think it is not okay to be angry, open and honest about angry feelings. The young girl may feel as though she cannot stand up for herself as this is just not an appropriate expression of feeling angry about something. Internal anger can express itself in feelings of low self-esteem and low confidence. Depression may become a problem as the result of repressed anger. Unexpressed anger can surface in very self-destructive ways which may include eating disorders and substance abuse. It is unfortunate that so many women never learn how to express their feelings in an appropriate manner. They did not have positive role models. This cycle needs to be broken if you are going to encourage self confidence in the young girls of your immediate environment. For major issues consider seeking professional help for yourself and for the sake of the young girls in your immediate environment.

It is important to encourage learning and education. There are studies that show girls with a strong educational background are less likely to run into trouble as teenagers. The more your young girls know, the better able they are to make decisions. Encourage learning in math and science. These seem to be two areas where “girls” have been pushed aside in the past. Girls are just as capable in math and science as is boys. This attitude is improving; however, girls are still viewed as less likely to succeed in these areas. Encouragement in math and science can promote increased self confidence and prepare girls for the changing work environment that relies more and more on technology. This is not to say other areas of learning are less important. Encouragement in these areas can help provide balance to an education that is still not quite equal between girls and boys.

Encourage young girls to try new things and discover their talents. Learning what we are good at, and being encouraged to follow these directions, can greatly improve self-esteem and self confidence. When talents or dreams are dismissed, this can easily be perceived as a personal rejection. When girls are encouraged to pursue their interests and develop their talents, they hear the message that they are important. Girls who feel valued by their parents and other important figures in their life are less likely to seek validation from other sources, many of which are not the positive influences desired.

Helping young girls develop a healthy self-esteem and self confidence is an ongoing process. As you work on solutions together, you can help young girls develop independence and the self confidence they need to transition into adulthood.