raising teenagers Archives • Parent Influence

Top 5 Disney Movies for Teen Girls

Who doesn’t love a Disney? Oh yeah, some people aren’t utter Disney children and still re-watch the movies over and over throughout their teen years. My bad. So, what movies do you convince your teen daughter to watch on her own or with the family? Fear not, here’s five Disney movies for them.

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Mulan

Many teens, especially girls, struggle with self identity and learning to accept themselves. Mulan is the story of one determined and strong-willed girl that finds a way to achieve what she wants, even through the criticism of others. This movie is best for showing girls to keep fighting and not let what others say get in your way. Buy it Here.

Alice in Wonderland

Clumsy little Alice, falling through the rabbit hole. Which version is a matter of personal preference, since both of the versions are pretty different from each other. This movie has a lot of humor and fun, and portrays a brave and determined young girl finding her way through the chaos of Wonderland. Overall, Alice tells girls no matter how crazy things may seem you can never give up, plus this movie is pretty humorous. Buy it Here.

Brave

Although this isn’t the time for most when girls are forced into marriage by their parents, Merida can be inspiring. She makes her own mistakes and causes her own problems at times. However, she learns to appreciate what she has and fight for her own thoughts and opinions to be heard. This girl is pretty strong and inspiring. Buy it Here.

Pocahontas

Pocahontas went through a whole lot of chaos in this movie, hm? This woman is a strong willed and thoughtful character who deals with a lot of stressful factors, all with a love story woven in between. Throughout the movie she proves to teens that fighting for what you believe in can succeed, not to give up, and most importantly: you don’t need a knight in shining armor to come save you. Buy it Here.

Beauty and the Beast

Who doesn’t love a love story as a teen? I mean come on, falling for a beast is amusing and mysterious, isn’t it? Beauty and the Beast shows an image of a courageous and selfless girl. Although falling in love with a beast is kind of sketchy, it does show the concept of not judging a book by its cover or that love is about what’s on the inside. This movie has comedy, romance, fear, and more. This one doesn’t necessarily teach girls much, it’s just a romance must-see for any teen. Buy it Here.

Mulan, Alice in Wonderland, Brave, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast. Quite a diverse pick isn’t it? However, all of these have good lessons and messages behind them for teen girls. Try getting your teen to watch these sometime!

This article was written by Ki Shack, my teenage daughter who is currently available to write content for your site. Contact us today to inquire about her rates and options.

How Do You Know What Your Child Is Thinking?

Kids are so changeable these days it feels almost impossible to keep up. They might have liked something yesterday, but today they’ll deny ever being interested. Anything from the food that they like to the toys and games that they want to play with changes from one day to the next. It’s not important to know everything about your child’s life, it’s important to keep up to date for a lot of reasons. Their safety is always a concern because they could unwittingly be putting themselves in dangerous situations without knowing. It’s also impossible to buy them gifts that they like if you don’t know what the next big thing is. Having a better understanding of your child’s likes and dislikes improves the time you spend with them as well. If you’re completely clueless about your kid’s life, try these methods to gain a bit of insight.

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Online Resources

The internet is full of all sorts of great parenting resources and you can use them to find out what kids are into at the minute. When you’re trying to buy gifts for young children, they’ll want exactly what all of their friends are playing with. There are plenty of sites that can tell you what the most popular toys for toddlers are at the moment. But make sure you check these sites regularly because it’s always changing. When your kids start to get a little older it’s even harder to understand them. Sometimes, they’re using so much slang it’s like they’re speaking another language. Luckily, there’s a great new site called careful parents that can help you with that. It has loads of great information on slang terms and what they mean, as well as the latest trends in toys, games, fashion, and all sorts of other things. Have a quick browse and your eyes will be opened.

Talk To Other Parents

As a parent, you’ll pick up on small snippets of your children’s lives but you’ll never get the whole picture. But if you meet other parents and you all fit those bits and pieces together like a jigsaw, you can start to build a better idea of what they’re all up to. If you hear or see anything that you’re concerned about, ask the other parents if they’ve heard anything similar. By combining your efforts, you can keep a better eye on your kids and find out the things that they aren’t telling you.

Ask Them

It seems like an obvious thing to say but many parents are afraid to do it. The key to getting them to open up to you is to be casual about it and not push them. Don’t sit them down and demand to know everything that they do when you’re not around. It’ll just make them feel persecuted and they won’t want to speak to you at all. Just take a general interest in the things that they like doing and let them know you are open to their likes and dislikes. This will build more trust between you and they should hopefully tell you more about their lives.

Don’t expect to find out everything about your child’s life, just try to keep on top of anything that might be a worry.

Your Child’s College Experience Will Change Your Whole Life

Sending a kid off to college is a huge change for the family. Not only will it be a formative time for the kids, but it can be a formative time for parents, as well. You’re making the transition from the parent of a kid to the parent of an adult. The change itself can have big ripple effects through the family and it’s best to know what they might be. Here’s how you, your kid, and the whole family can get through the college experience and come out stronger on the other side.

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Acclimating and helping them acclimate

The parting itself can be a big event in both the lives of the parents and the kids. Prepare to cry is one piece of advice. Don’t listen to “Cat’s in the Cradle’ after you send them off, either. But really, you should spend the time leading up to their move not only helping them set-up a timetable for moving and getting set-up before classes begin. You should talk to them about the different challenges they’re going to face when they go. Financial responsibility, peer pressure, and how to be self-reliable are all challenges they’re going to face. Spend the time in the lead-up having real conversations about both the practical and the emotional.

Footing the bill

Be prepared for the real financial challenges you’re going to face, too. Hopefully, you have some savings that you can use to help pay for college. But it’s well known that 60% of parents get into debt helping to fund college. It might be paying for essential costs or helping them out of whatever bind they’ve got themselves into. You’re going to help your children when they need it but you have to make sure it doesn’t ripple back on you too hard. Have a debt management strategy at the ready by budgeting cuts in your expenses and using sites like consolidate.loan to make repayments much easier on you. At some point, of course, you are going to take off the training wheels. Not only can you not afford to clean up every mistake, but it won’t help your kids if you do.

Sitting in the backseat

So, how do you be a good college parent, one that’s not too hands-on, but also not gone? As washingtonpost.com suggests, it’s about finding balance. You should always be there to listen and be willing to understand any problem they have. But you should offer advice first and foremost, rather than swooping in to provide the solution. At the same time, you should be a safe haven for them. When they come back home, for instance, make sure their room is more-or-less in the way they left it. They might be going into adulthood, but some of that childhood comfort can be just the place for de-stressing when they need it.

There are going to be tears, there are going to be financial issues, and there are going to be times you want to swoop in and protect your kids from the realities of the world. But hopefully the tips above help you find a modicum of peace and the strength to see it through and be a healthier family for it.

10 Ways to Avoid Peer Pressure

Ever heard anyone say, “just say no”? Well, it’s not as easy as it seems. Peer pressure is everywhere and affects most kids at least once in their lifetime. However, it’s difficult for many to overcome or avoid. Here’s 10 methods of avoiding peer pressure to help you on your way.

Say no

The simplest way to avoid pressure, is to just say no. Whenever you say no to someone be sure you are firm and decisive, or they won’t believe you.

Avoid bad situations

Whether it means avoiding a gathering because you know bad substances will be involved, or just avoiding a certain small part of town that bad groups collect at, be sure to know to avoid situations that could lead to pressure.

Be repetitive

Don’t give up. Stick to what you’ve said before even if that means being repetitive. Sometimes, changing what you say as a response can come off as indecisive to your peers. If you firmly repeat what you’ve said before, it’s more likely they’ll back off.

Consider the options and results

If their suggestions get to you, think about what you know. Maybe even do some research. Weigh out your options and what could happen if you say yes.

Get backup

Have friends that agree with your values or decisions, they can help boost your mental safety and health. You’ll feel more safe when confronting the pressure.

Keep control

Don’t let your emotions or moods get out of hand, because that can lead to a fight or argument more than a simple no. These people may not even realize that they are pressuring you, so approach it calmly.

Be firm, but polite

Similar to last, don’t start fights. Know what you’re saying and say it decisively, but don’t add insults or rude comments that could start conflict. You want to avoid the pressure, not get into trouble.

Find good friends

Find friends that won’t pressure you into situations and are more agreeable to your viewpoint of the situation. This can help your confidence, make you feel more secure, and more.

Confide in others

Talk to others, chances are they’ve been through something similar. You could get advice or back up from them, or at least get the situation and stress off your back.

Monitor yourself

Make sure you aren’t pressuring others, because it’s not a good feeling. Keep in check of your words and actions. Not only can your actions cause conflicts with people pressuring you, but if you’re not careful you can also pressure others around you too.

That was a lot to take in. Although there are more ways to get around or face peer pressure, these are some. They help safely avoid conflicts and pressure from others, or even help stop currently occurring pressure. Try some of these out if you or a friend is going through a tough time.

This article was written by Ki Shack, my teenage daughter who is currently available to write content for your site. Contact us today to inquire about her rates and options.