I’ve noticed that a number of teens are starting to grow on the fashion trend, that they have to do something to themselves to make them look good. I mean, if it’s just a fashion trend, that’s fine, but some people just go the extra mile to look good. If they are extremely concerned with good looks, they might be missing the point.

A lot of parents are afraid that they aren’t doing the best they can. So, they compensate for it by buying their children things, thinking it will make up for it. Well, good parents often do one thing right - they learn about how to be a better parent through reflection, and occasionally learning from another good parent.

See, every child is different. You can see it in your home if you have more than one child. They are just different. The circumstances in which you conceived your child would have made a difference already, let alone the emotions and events that were happening at that time.

One of the most imporant parts of parenting communication is for you to understand the undertones of your message. There are two forms of communication, overt and covert. When you’re speaking with your child, you might ask “Where are you going”. The answer might be “Out”.

Now, in this short exchange, there is potential for a lot of conflict, because there are multiple assumptions in the message. First, “Where are you going” is, at the surface, a question requesting information. However, if the receiver believes it is an interrogative, it will serve as a threat. As parents, we need to be very careful that our message is not framed in a way we do not desire.

Definitions of learned helplessness on the Web:

A tendency to be a passive learner who depends on others for decisions and guidance.
www.siena.edu/studentaffairs/disabilities/disabilities_definitions.asp

A condition in which a person attempts to establish and maintain contact with another by adopting a helpless, powerless stance.
www.indianpsychiatry.com/Glossary.htm

with repeated exposure to inescapable aversive events, the person or animal learns that escape is impossible. In subsequent circumstances where escape or avoidance is possible, no attempt is made. The principle has been applied to understanding the origins of depression.
www.mindful-things.com/Glossary/glossary_l.html

A parallel concept to the social breakdown syndrome posit considerable responsibility on the individual
www.people.vcu.edu/~swharkin/swhpages/glossary.htm

Definitions of learned helplessness on the Web:

A tendency to be a passive learner who depends on others for decisions and guidance.
www.siena.edu/studentaffairs/disabilities/disabilities_definitions.asp

A condition in which a person attempts to establish and maintain contact with another by adopting a helpless, powerless stance.
www.indianpsychiatry.com/Glossary.htm

with repeated exposure to inescapable aversive events, the person or animal learns that escape is impossible. In subsequent circumstances where escape or avoidance is possible, no attempt is made. The principle has been applied to understanding the origins of depression.
www.mindful-things.com/Glossary/glossary_l.html

A parallel concept to the social breakdown syndrome posit considerable responsibility on the individual
www.people.vcu.edu/~swharkin/swhpages/glossary.htm

Definitions of autism on the Web:

brain disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood; affects three crucial areas of development: communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play.
www.luhs.org/health/topics/ent/glossary.htm

is disorder which usually appears within the first three years of life and may result in learning difficulties, speech problems and difficulty relating to people.
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/glosConds.htm

Autism is a disorder of brain function that appears early in life, generally before the age of three. Children with autism have problems with social interaction, communication, imagination and behavior. Autistic traits persist into adulthood, but vary in severity. Some adults with autism function well, earning college degrees and living independently. Others never develop the skills of daily living, and may be incorrectly diagnosed with a variety of psychiatric illnesses. The cause is unknown.
www.assistivetech.com/info-medicalterms.htm

Definitions of autism on the Web:

brain disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood; affects three crucial areas of development: communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play.
www.luhs.org/health/topics/ent/glossary.htm

is disorder which usually appears within the first three years of life and may result in learning difficulties, speech problems and difficulty relating to people.
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/glosConds.htm

Autism is a disorder of brain function that appears early in life, generally before the age of three. Children with autism have problems with social interaction, communication, imagination and behavior. Autistic traits persist into adulthood, but vary in severity. Some adults with autism function well, earning college degrees and living independently. Others never develop the skills of daily living, and may be incorrectly diagnosed with a variety of psychiatric illnesses. The cause is unknown.
www.assistivetech.com/info-medicalterms.htm

Definitions of dyscalculia on the Web:

People with this disorder have severe difficulty in understanding and using functions or symbols needed for success in mathematics.
http://public.findlaw.com/education/life_events/le3_9glossary.html

relates to a difficulty in understanding and coping with quantitative and spatial information, in particular a reduced ability to understand and/or apply core mathematical processes. It can result in a difficulty in handling sequences of information or processing numerical data.
www.skillsforaccess.org.uk/definitions.php

Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty which impacts on a learner’s ability to become proficient in maths.
www.dyslexia-dyspraxia.com/glossary.htm

a form of Specific Learning Disability that involves a delay or inability in learning arithmetic facts and operations, and their meaning.
www.ansr.com/ansrgled.html

Definitions of ADHD on the Web:

A common developmental and behavioral disorder. It is characterized by poor concentration, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness that are inappropriate for the child’s age. Children and adults with ADHD are easily distracted by sights and sounds in their environment, cannot concentrate for long periods of time, are restless and impulsive, or have a tendency to daydream and be slow to complete tasks.
http://webcenter.health.webmd.netscape.com/content/article/45/1663_51211

Attention Deficit Disorder in which hyperactivity is present.
www.adhdnews.com/glossary.html

Characterized by a very short attention span, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity.
www.cmpmhmr.cog.pa.us/glossary.htm

Definitions of dyslexia on the Web:

a reading disorder characterized by reading ability below the expected level given a child’s age, school grade, and intelligence.
www.uchicagokidshospital.org/online-library/content=P02566

Learning disability affecting reading ability. Persons with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering, recognizing, and or reversing written letters, numbers, and words, might read backwards, and have poor handwriting.
www.dphilpotlaw.com/html/glossary.html

has been estimated to occur in 4% of the UK population, and 10% show some of the symptoms of dyslexia. It has been defined by the British Dyslexia Association as “a combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process in one or more of reading, spelling, writing. Accompanying weaknesses may be identified in areas of speed of processing, short-term memory, sequencing and organisation, auditory and/or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills. …
www.skillsforaccess.org.uk/definitions.php