Annie Fox/Hey Terra! - Parent Forum (for parents of teens)

Welcome to Annie Fox's Parent Forum — online education and support for parenting issues regarding teens. Read this month's article and/or send me your parenting question and you'll get the straightforward kind of advice that you can immediately start putting into practice and getting results! Check out our Cyber Safety Resources.

What results are we looking for at Parent Forum? Healthier relationships between parents and their teenage sons and daughters. That means increased trust, respect, honesty, communication and conscious choice-making. Parenting, like any healthy relationship, is a two-way street, but you, as the mom or dad, have to take the leadership role. No parent of a teen can honestly say that it's “easy.” But as the mom of a 26 year old daughter and a 20 year old son, I can tell you, nothing in my life has ever been (and continues to be) as personally rewarding.

What you can do here:

June 2008 – Hello, Summer. Hello, You.

by Annie Fox, M.Ed.

summer [is]… a gateway to the land of ‘Who Knows Where Until You’re There.’

I joined the line of cars stopped at the only traffic light in my neighborhood. It’s a long one in this direction and as I absently gazed down a side street I spotted the girl on the swing. Smiling, I recalled the freedom of having sunny days all to myself, with no particular place to go.

Disk swing For me, summer has always been more than a season. It’s a gateway to the land of “Who Knows Where Until You’re There.”

When I was a kid, summer was magical. Thanks to the benign neglect of my parents, I had weeks on end to decide how to spend my own time. Unlike school, where time is measured and prescribed and dictated by bells, summer days were radiant with possibilities. Want to eat cornflakes out under the mimosa tree? Why not? How about hanging out with 4 years worth of Mad Magazines? Go for it! And when I needed a real adventure, I hopped on my bike. Sometimes I headed for a friend’s house or to the children’s library. Other days, I just rode. When something intriguing crossed my path, like a home under construction or a tree enshrouded with tent caterpillar cocoons, I investigated, staying as long as I pleased. I was on my own.

Summer always ended, but that newly minted self-reliance stayed with me. And year after year, I used those summer experiences to grow a strong inner self that’s become the essence of who I am today. June, July and August hold this potential for every kid, provided (s)he has the freedom and enough time without a whole lot of other stuff to do.

Curious about what childhood summers meant to others, I put out the word to friends and family and here are some of the memories they shared:

Continue reading the rest of the article...

Got a parent-teen problem you need help with?

Click here to Ask Annie