By: Collett Smart
Part of my day job sees me lucky enough to spend time with teens. I have run media literacy seminars for students, in schools around the world, for a number of years now. Whenever I ask a group of tween or teen boys what they think the main area of body focus is, for boys, they yell out, ‘A six-pack!’ (I’ve even heard 9-year-old boys talking about and trying to compare their six-packs.) This line is the same, whether I am in Zimbabwe, New Zealand, the USA or Australia.
By: Collett Smart
One thing that continually strikes me about the young people I work with is that they really do want to become good men and women who have rich, meaningful relationships. They are just sometimes unsure how to go about it. They need our support and guidance.
By: Collett Smart
When I worked as a school psychologist, for more than 10 years, some of the most common lunch time chats I had in my office were with one girl or a group of girls. Inevitably, because something had ‘gone wrong’ in their relationships. This resulted in some tears, sometimes heartache, often internal wrestling or questioning.
Dear Dr Justin,
I have a teenage daughter who has been sending inappropriate photos to boys, and one has been shared around amongst her peer group. We’ve raised her to know that’s wrong, but she still doesn’t seem to get it. What should we do?
Dear Dr Justin,
My daughter started high school and already there are parties and outings organised where no parents are allowed. She’s only 12 and I think too young to go unsupervised. Am I being unfair?
Dear Dr Justin,
My husband and I have some family friends. Their daughter is friends with our daughter. I recently heard their daughter telling my daughter about her ‘private’ Instagram account. My daughter has told me that her friend is sharing sexual images, and images with alcohol and cigarettes on that account. Her parents (my friends) would be mortified. Do I tell them?
By: Robert Garrett
“Just pick up the phone and call them!” I say to my teenagers. They’ve texted one or more of their friends to make plans, and all other activity is suspended as they wait impatiently for a response. It seems they would rather endure the frustration of waiting than having a verbal conversation with a friend.
Dear Dr Justin,
My 15-year-old son was hanging out in his bedroom with one of his friends. When I walked by, I saw my son’s friend frantically trying to stash a packet of cigarettes into his bag! I was horrified, but since he isn’t my child, I wasn’t sure how or if I should intervene (I did talk to my son later). What should I have done?
By: Sabrina Peters
If you’ve been around Church for more than 2 minutes you’ve probably heard someone, “Guard your heart”. Well it’s good advice! Actually, it’s great advice! The bible tells us in Proverbs that from our heart everything else flows. So it makes sense to protect it.
By: Rachel Doherty
Curfews can be a useful way for parents to influence the behaviour of their teens. Especially when they’re making poor choices or hitting the party scene.