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Helping Your Teen Deal with Weight Issues

Over past decades, teenage obesity has been on an alarming rise in almost every part of the world. According to a report published in 2004 by the US Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 15% of all teenagers were overweight in the United States. This means that nearly 15% of teens are at an increased risk of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiac problems and several other issues.

In addition to medical problems, teenage obesity might lead to emotional issues such as lack of confidence, reduced self-esteem and  depression. This is why your role as a parent becomes vital in helping them lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. This article discusses certain ways you can help your teenager lose weight.

Set Short-term Realistic Goals for your Teenager

You can help your child set realistic goals to be achieved in a specified timeframe. Setting smaller and easily achievable milestones will keep your child motivated to continue working hard to achieve a healthier weight.

Consult a Weight-Loss Expert

You can consider professional help for your teenager. An expert may give you information on Xenical or other weight-loss drugs. A good weight-loss consultant will also recommend a diet and workout plan for your child after analyzing their eating habits and lifestyle. Safe medication, a proper diet plan and regular exercise can be a useful combination for their weight loss goals. You can search on the Internet to find the right place to buy Xenical.

Change Your Family’s Eating Habits

If you have more than one overweight family member, you might need to change the eating habits of your entire family. This will help your teenager give up an unhealthy lifestyle and poor eating habits,and it will also be a good change for the entire family.

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The New Drugs

Picture taken by myself of my Adderall prescri... 

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If you’ve snooped through your child’s bedroom looking for a bag of marijuana because you have your suspicions, you may be searching for the wrong drug. In today’s teenage culture, the drug problem has gone from illegal narcotics to abuse of prescription drugs.

Many children are being prescribed psychotropic medication to treat psychological disorders, and ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders that has drastically risen in the course of the last couple decades. The stimulants used to treat ADHD, according to the FDA, have the same chemical make-up as cocaine and meth amphetamines as the stimulants are nothing more than an amphetamine cocktail. The kids have realized this. Adderall’s street name is commonly referred to as, “Poor Man’s Crack.” With so many of them being required to take said medications without much supervision, instead of taking their pills, quite a few are selling them, generally to other students.

In addition to stimulants, pain killers, usually stolen from a parent or family member, have become a popular prescription drug for illegal sales. Also, drugs that treat anxiety like Xanax are semi-popular as well.

The danger isn’t just that the children are taking these pills. Many crush them up and snort them, sometimes mixing them up for a better buzz. Safeguard your pill bottles, and keep a very watchful eye on the prescriptions your child has to take. In addition, talk to them about the dangers of these medications and mixing them. Keep a look out for pills, including what their friends are bringing.

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Young Drivers make Mistakes

Let’s face it: young drivers make mistakes. Brought on by distractions, recklessness, or just plain inexperience, the mistakes most common to teen drivers can put themselves and others on the road in danger. There are certain behaviors behind the wheel that cause the biggest problems for teenage drivers:

  • Distractions: texting, cell phones, iPods…with all the wonders of modern technology, young drivers often get caught up in things other than the road. Texting or chatting grabs a new driver’s attention away from what’s out there.
  • Too many teens: Teenage drivers have a tendency to pack their cars with passengers, often beyond what can fit in their car. This is another source of distraction. It also leads to aggressive driving that can place young drivers and their friends in dangerous situations.
  • Risky behavior: Teens are more likely to engage in dangerous practices like changing lanes without looking and ignoring signs and signals. They’re also less likely to buckle up.
  • Driving at night: Night driving poses risks for inexperienced drivers, and driving while tired is a mistake many young people make.
  • Lack of experience: New drivers just don’t yet have the experience of driving in tough weather conditions. Also, they often can’t spot potential hazards on the roads.
  • Speeding: This common trait of youthful driving gives the driver less time to react to anything in their path.
  • Drinking and driving: This one’s self explanatory, and accounts for some of the most dangerous aspects of teenage driving.

Driving is an important part of growing up, and parents can help their teenage children learn the implicit rules of the road by getting involved. Driving takes practice…and new drivers can pick up good practices from their parents.

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Three Signs Your Child is Not Doing Homework

Many young students return home from school each day complaining about the seven hour school day they just sat through. This is a gripe that transcends both time and place, because children since the beginning of dawn have been complaining about school. It makes sense that after complaining about such a long day the last thing they would want to do would be homework. Unfortunately, schools require that students do homework and most schools collect that homework and it constitutes a high percentage of their grade. Therefore, homework is important. Here are a few signs that the kids are doing their homework.

Three Signs the Kids Aren’t Doing Their Homework

1. Faking sick- The number one excuse for not having homework done is “I’m sick”. Most children pull this at least once, but some pull it quite often in order to compensate for not completing their homework. It usually starts the night before with complaining about not feeling good and ends up in the morning with fake coughing, a sad face, and a request to feel their forehead.

2. Early Morning Homework Sessions- If a parent constantly finds their child or children at the computer early in the morning or deep in a textbook at seven AM, it’s usually a sing that something else is taking precedence over the homework and now it’s getting done at the very last minute.

3. Call from Teacher- This is the most obvious sign, because it’s usually the teacher calling to say that the child is not completing, handing in, or try on their homework. This sign is self explanatory and usually stems from faking sick, or early morning homework sessions.

Whether it’s too much TV and video games, or the faking sick routine, students will find multitudes of excuses to not complete or hand in homework, however, because of the importance placed on homework it is the role of the parents to ensure that their children are keeping up to par.

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Three Signs of Teen Drug Use

Similar to alcohol and tobacco, drugs are just as prevalent among teens and young adults as they have ever been, if not more. Because of the easy access kids have to drugs these days it is not surprising that the rate of drug users and drug deaths goes up every year. Whether it’s using those drugs to cope with family problems at home, problems at school, or just for plain fun, kids are getting ahold of them quicker, with more potency.

In order to protect children from the dangerous side effects and down falls of drugs it is important to know whether that child is taking drugs. By examining their behavior, and physical appearance parents can do their best to stop the problem before it spirals out of control.

Signs of Teen Drug Use

1. The eyes- It’s impossible to hide the eyes with out wearing sunglasses. Drugs such as marijuana, prescription pills, and designer drugs like coke, Ecstasy, and meth will either cause the eyes to dry out and be blood shot and/or dilate. Looking at the pupils to see if they are the size of pin needles is the best way to pinpoint drug use. The pupils will also have a hard time adjusting to light.

2. Apathy- Drugs will create a high while on them, but after coming down from drugs users will usually become apathetic and lose motivation in things they were normally motivated to do. If a child begins quitting things they once liked or falling behind in school, drugs can sometimes be attributed.

3. Smell test- Smelling a child when they come home from being gone can be intrusive, but is a very effective way of determining drug use. Marijuana has a strong odor and other drugs can to. Being aware of different smells coming from your teen can help to quell drug use.

These are not fail safe ways to determine drug use, but the most important thing is to be aware, and show interest. Simply being aware can be the best way to stop drug use.

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