Tween and Teen

In an incident that has parents in two Missouri communities reeling, four members of Cassville High School's girls basketball team are being disciplined for spiking the drinking water of their opponents at Monett High — with urine.

With concerns running high about the possibility that the stunt may have transmitted disease, the Monett Times reports that school officials immediately notified parents by letter. But Brad Hanson, Monett's superintendent, is calling for cool heads: "We all need to remember that people make mistakes whether we're adults or 14- to 18-year-old kids. . . . I'm asking for our students, coaches, and community to take the high road on this and show we are the classy people we are."

Read more (Monett Times).

How do you handle it when your kids show poor judgement?

Have you ever revoked a privilege to teach a lesson? For the administrators of The Collegiate Institute for Math and Science in New York City, tough love proved to be just the ticket to better grades.

Faced with the prospect of having to hold back as many as 28 of the 140 seniors from graduation, school officials let the senior class know that prom would be canceled if all of them didn't improve their grades enough to graduate. Though some seniors initially thought the warning was a bluff, the class eventually rallied to raise their grades. As student Lala-Marie Perez told FOX 5 News, "We the seniors knew we could be doing better than we were doing." Now, Perez's entire class will have both the prom and graduation to look forward to.

Read the whole story (FOX 5 News).

Would a tactic like this work with your kids?

With some girls starting their period as young as 9, moms need to start having the period conversation early. But it can be an awkward subject to discuss, let alone just bring up out of the blue! Here's some advice from Circle of Moms members on how to start talking to and preparing your daughter for her period.

Keep reading.

Wondering when it's safe and appropriate to leave your child at home while you're at work or running errands? While some states and countries have legal guidelines on leaving minors unaccompanied, Circle of Moms members argue that parents should also consider other factors before deciding when to leave their children home alone. Keep reading for their six key tips.

A new public education campaign to decrease the number of teen pregnancies in New York City is causing an uproar from both teen moms and Planned Parenthood. The campaign, which focuses on the challenges faced by teen mothers and their children, includes a poster that reads, "I'm twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen." Another says, "Honestly Mom . . . chances are he won't stay with you. What happens to me?"

Haydee Morales, vice president for education and training at Planned Parenthood of New York City, told The New York Times, "Hurting and shaming communities is not what's going to bring teen pregnancy rates down." Others are criticizing the campaign for showing the negatives of teen pregnancy without providing alternatives and helpful resources.

Would you like your kids to be exposed to this campaign?

SKECHERS - Daddy's Money - Gimme Megabucks (Black) - Footwear

The blogosphere is fighting mad over Skechers' new line for girls, a collection of of high-heeled wedge sneakers the company is calling "Daddy'$ Money." which includes shoes named Gimme Kisses and Gimme Wicked. Are they legitimizing sexist, entitled attitudes? And would you let your tween or teen buy shoes marketed in this way? Watch the video below and let us know in the comments.

Read the whole story (The Huffington Post) >>

Do report card rewards work? Circle of Moms member Jen G. ponders this question after hearing from her son’s teacher that he’s been having behavior issues in school, such as turning in assignments late and talking out of turn. "We’ve tried grounding [him] from the computer, video games, TV, etc., but that doesn’t seem to work," she says, asking the Circle of Moms community whether incentives would provide better motivation for him to improve his behavior and get better grades.

Evelyn W., too, is on the fence about offering payment for good report card grades. "While I think it's OK some of the time to reward for good grades altogether, I think it’s not teaching the kids that hard work is reward itself," she says. If you're similarly weighing the merits of offering your teen or tween money for good grades, then consider the following suggestions from other moms.

Keep reading for five key points to consider.

There’s a lot of good advice out there about what to do when your child is being bullied, but what about for when you suspect your child might be doing some of the bullying himself? 

As hard as it is to recognize when your child is the guilty party, many moms do acknowledge the signs, if only to themselves. Circle of Moms member Gena, for instance, says that when she realized her son was habitually hitting, kicking, and saying mean things to his brother she was initially afraid to call it "bulllying." Only a short time earlier, her boys had been best friends.

Recognizing your child’s bullying behaviors is the first step. Here's where to go from there.

To find out more, keep reading What to Do if Your Child Acts Like a Bully

Having trouble getting your teen to bed at a decent hour and up in the morning? Moms like Circle of Moms member Artriani S. share your frustration. “I start trying to get them to bed at 10 p.m.," she explains. "But that’s just the time I tell them to go to bed, then they still have to do stuff and it’s already 11. Problem is they have to be ready to leave for school at 6:30 a.m.” To help solve this common dilemma, here are five tactics Circle of Moms members use to help their teens get adequate sleep. 

1. Start a Routine for Unwinding

Moms like Laura N. advise setting a time for your teen to be in bed, but also letting him read for a little while beyond the bed time. She relays: “I have a 12-year-old son, and shower time is 8:30, bed by 9 p.m. and lights out at 9:30. This gives him some reading time in bed to unwind. He's well rested and up and ready [to] roll at 7 a.m.” Creating this type of nighttime routine will help signal to the body that it’s time for bed.

2. Mandate a Number of Sleep Hours

Some moms find the best strategy is to suggest (or mandate) a minimum amount of hours that their teen must be in bed and sleeping. Charlene tells her teen that he needs to get at least nine hours. "Every child is different with how much sleep they need, my son needs at least nine, used to be 11 hours."

Lori L. does the opposite, limiting the number of hours her teens can sleep in the afternoon so that they will sleep well at night. "I have two teens and they seem to nap for an awfully long time in the afternoons," she says. "I know they are busy and get up very early, but I have to limit the naps otherwise they can't get up." 

3. Let Their Behavior Be Your Guide

Since the amount of sleep needed can vary from child to child, other moms suggest not shooting for a specific number of hours, but rather letting your teen's behavior determine his bed time. As Circle of Moms member Yvonne H. shares: “Your kids’ behavior will let you know if they are getting enough sleep." 

Karen P. agrees: "It really depends on how much sleep your child needs...I have my 10-year-old go to bed anywhere between 8:30 and 9 p.m. however she gets to read until she is ready to go to sleep. She is generally asleep by 9:30. Often she is still up at 10 p.m. If so I turn lights out. On the weekends, unless we have something planned for the next days I will let her step up until 10 p.m. for sure."

4. Avoid Stimulants Before Bed

In a Circle of Moms article on the best sleep times for teens, moms recommend steering your teen away from stimulants in the late afternoons and evenings. This means avoiding food and drinks that contain caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) and avoiding bright lights (including televisions and computer screens) right before bed time. 

5. Focus on Good Nutrition

The reality is that no matter how hard moms try, many teens like to be nocturnal and find all kinds of ways to avoid sleeping. When all else fails, focus on good nutririon, say moms like Tricia N., and make sure they take their vitamins!

How do you get your teens to sleep? 

Image Source: MartinaK15 via Flickr/Creative Commons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

A 'Words for Teenagers' piece printed in a New Zealand school newsletter in 1959 has been drawing the attention of both parents and teens recently. The advice originated with a judge who was trying to answer a question he regularly heard from restless, bored kids: "What can I do and where can I go?"

The judge's answer, which has gone viral on Facebook, has received enthusiastic approval from some, while others find it harsh and authoritarian. 

Click on the image to the left to decide for yourself.

Read more at the Huffington Post. 

Image Source: chiesADIbeinasco via Flickr/Creative Commons