Teenagers

To monitor or not to monitor kids online -- that's a question millions of parents face. On the one hand, software for monitoring kids' online behavior is a relief for ever-busy Moms and Dads. On the other hand, parents should be very careful when relying on technology in such a delicate matter as parental control. Teens can freely access the Internet from computers at school, at their friends' homes and in public places such as libraries and even from cell phones and video game consoles. Internet is everywhere, that is why kids and teenagers (and their parents, too) should be well aware of it ...

It can be hard being a parent with a teen going through what I term the 'I'm Invincible’ phase. This is the phase when teens start doing scary and dangerous things (according to us parents) as a way of testing out their physical limits. This is not surprising given that, at adolescence, teenagers are effectively given a new body, one which has many improved features from that of their childhood body. It's no good as parents thinking we can tell them about the limits of this body; just as a toddler needs to work out for themselves how to balance to walk so a teen needs to work out for them ...

What is acne? Acne is a term attributed to plugged pores, commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads, pimples, and even cysts or nodules, occur on the face, neck, chest, back, shoulders and upper arms. Follicles, often called pores, often get blocked with sebum (oil), which normally drains to the surface, and a bacteria propionibacterium acnes, begins to grow. Both whiteheads and blackheads start out as a "microcomedone" which then become skin blemishes called comedones. Acne can be upsetting, disfiguring, sometimes leading to permanent scarring. There are different types of acne. A white ...

At age seven months in the womb, humans begin language coordination in response to what they hear through the mother’s belly wall. Some 52 muscles learn to respond to the various phonemes (a basic language sound like 'b' in boy and 'm' in man) of the language surrounding that belly. There are also studies showing that the emotional state of the parent imprints as do things like music and other environmental conditions. Nutrition, drug use and pollution spill right through directly to the fetus via the placenta and umbilical cord. Parenting begins way before the bassinet. At eighteen month ...

Those of you that have children know what an excursion to the local mall or supermarket can be like. If you're not careful, this simple trip can easily become a wallet draining experience. How often have you heard: "I want Luchables because EVERYONE eats them at lunch!" "Come on mom, these cool pants only cost $80." "Dad, everyone has a Playstation II, I need one too!" "I need 2 sodas and 2 bags of chips everyday!" Certainly, we as parents want to make our children happy and not deprive them of a delightful childhood, but who's to say that you must give in to every one of you ...

My girl is in Sec 3 and she's already 46 Kg. She's not very tall - about 4 ft 3inces. What every mother fears, has become my constant nightmare! I'm very worried that her weight problem could lead to an esteem problem, or worse, some disease like high blood pressure or diabetes. I've checked the BMI indexes in the Weblinks section of this website. Hers is 27.4 - definitely in the overweight category. I tried putting her on a very restricted diet but that lasted only 3 weeks. She gave up completely and started eating more food - making me even more upset. I've ready that children no ...

My boy had a self esteem problem. It started sometime in primary 5. In fact, he still does, even though he's sitting for his O levels this year. For some reason, he doubts his capabilities, and doesn't really bother to do his best when faced with a challenge or task. Whenever I speak to him about it, he's actually able to tell me that he doesn't think he will be able to do the job right. When I ask why, he says he just knows he won't be able to get it right. I've always wanted him to have a high self-esteem, to be confident of his abilities. He's not stupid nor untalented (he plays the ...

Some kids can't distinguish between right and wrong very well, and lie/steal in order to achieve certain results. As a parent, you must not permit your kid to continue doing so. Nor should you go ballistic on your kid. Instead, you must approach this from and educationist's perspective, and sieze the opportunity to teach him or her what is the right thing to do. Sometimes, teenager cheat and steal in order to get more attention from their parents. If you're one of those parents, you need to spend more time with your son or daugther, to ensure that he or she feels loved and assured. Once tha ...

Many moms have asked us to provide some help on this topic (surprisingly, as we thought most parents in Malaysia would be pretty well versed on the topic) Actually, puberty in girls is a rather complicated topic. We've tried to summarise the usual changes that occur in a female teenager's body. There are 5 stages (known as the Tanner stages) of of a female body. Stage 1 No physical changes are evident. Stage 2 Development of breast buds (ie: thelarche). This occurs between ages 7 to 13 years of age. Breast budding may begin on one side first a ...

Puberty in boys starts between 10 to 15 years of age. It is the process by which a child's body starts to take on adult characteristics. What are the symptoms? 1. his testes and penis start to enlarge/lengthen 2. thin, short hair starts to grow at the base of his scrotum 3. eventually, the hair thickens and darkens, and grows more excessively 4. at about two years after the onset of puberty, your boy will experience a growth spurt. He will grow at about 12 cm per year. 5. more adult characteristics begin to develop, such as a deepening of his voice, more mus ...