Religion As Rebellion?

Religion can bring families together and be the start to a spiritual path that lasts a lifetime. However, it can also create the same kind of tension between parents and teens that was once reserved for sex and drugs. The Wall Street Journal reports that today’s teens and young adults who were raised in nonreligious or nominally-religious families are getting swept up in religious fervor.”

Arguments erupt over differing beliefs. Children worry their parents won’t get into Heaven for being non-believers. For older teens, making the decision to forego lucrative careers in favor of lower-paying ministry work may be perceived as a slap in the face by parents who have worked hard to help them succeed.

Parents can feel threatened and rejected as their children enter a strange and unfamiliar religious world. These strains can become especially great if their sons and daughters decide to change their names or choose not to come to family events as part of their devotion.

As teens experiment with different roles and identities, their spiritual awakening may be genuine. However, sometimes it’s just a part of teenage rebellion.

“Huffing” Now More Prevalent Among Girls Than Boys

Many people tend to assume that boys are more likely than girls to be involved with substance abuse. New studies may persuade them to change their minds.

“Huffing” – getting high by inhaling toxic substances – has increased among 12- to 17–year-old girls, surpassing the rate for boys the same age. While boys’ rates remained stagnant at one in 25 from 2002 to 2005, girls’ rates increased from one in 25 in to one in 20.

Popular teen websites like You Tube now include many huffing videos says Harvey Weiss of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition. These videos usually show the activity in a positive light and “as a fun way to get high.”

Many common household items – glue, shoe polish, toluene found in some nail polishes and nitrous oxide from aerosol sprays – can be used to get high. Parents should take note if they find more than a normal number of aerosol cans around the house or in the garbage, as well as unexplained rashes on children’s skin and sudden behavioral changes.

Climate Change is Changing Kids’ Perspectives

Media coverage and awareness of climate change is changing the way kids and teens view the world around them. For them, the issue is taking on the same significance that World War II, the atomic bomb, Vietnam, the civil rights movement and the Cold War have had on past generations. And nearly 60% of middle school students are more afraid of global warming than they are of terrorism, car crashes or cancer.

Increased awareness is causing teens to see global warming as a personal issue and motivating them to get involved to protect their own future. On some campuses, turnout to vote on environmentally related issues is 1100% greater than for student government elections. The number of U.S. and Canadian colleges participating in the Energy Action Coalition has grown more than 90% since 2003.

Coverage about the environment has an impact too. Some mental health professionals report changes in the focus of children’s fears from war and nuclear annihilation to global warming. Parents can help by limiting repeated television viewings of natural disaster footage, explaining the long-term timeframe of climate changes and empowering kids by teaching what they can do to help the environment.

Macho Teen Boys’ Sexual Health at Risk

They believe “real men” are always ready for sex and have to get respect from everyone around them. Macho boys who hold such “traditional” beliefs are also less likely to go for regular medical check ups than boys with less traditional beliefs. What is more troubling is that teen boys, in general, reduce their number of doctor visits as they become sexually active.

Part of the reason may be that boys are not socialized to discuss health issues (including birth control and sexually transmitted diseases) with their parents. Girls, on the other hand, are usually encouraged to go for regular exams once they begin menstruating.

The sexual health of boys may be at risk even if they do go to the doctor. Federal statistics show that fewer than 20% report getting counseling on birth control, sexually transmitted diseases or HIV during medical exams.

As usual, however, parents’ involvement can make a difference. Discussing sexual issues with sons will not only make them better informed, but will also make them more likely to follow up with physician visits.

Selling Children:
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