Parents Model Responsibility, Accountability, Manners

Parents with children and teens can help them by teaching them independent skills
at home so they can use these transferable skills when they are on their own. Children and teenagers with ADD and ADHD can use these skills as well.

Confidence and knowledge can only be taught through repetition, practice, and positive support by parents and adults.

Teaching your child and teen time management skills is essential for academic success. If a child learns that everyday at 5pm he must complete his homework he or she will get into a habit of doing homework before they do anything else like: cell phones, my space, texting, tv, video games, or hanging and talking to friends. Even if he/ she sits down at this time and reads, reviews, notes, studies for future tests. If a parent does not do this the child or teen will have a difficult time transitioning to college or University life.

Teaching your child or teen organizational skills is also very important. Teaching your child and teen about adequate sleep, diet, and exercise is important. Teaching your child and teen about following rules and laws and consequences for behaviors is vital. Money management skills is a valuable resource for your adolescent or child. Saving money for long term goals is a great skill for teenagers and children.

Helping your child or teen with ADD or ADHD is a process and it takes time. having patience and compassion and persistence is helpful. Staying positive and supportive will be the best mentality a parent can have through your child and teens development.

Children at Home

A 2003 study states over 3 million children under the age of 13 are left at home with out supervision.

Most states are silent on the issue of how old a child must be to stay at home alone. Maryland states a child must not be under age 8 to be home alone. Some experts believe a child should be at least 12 years old to be left at home alone.

Some children that are 12 have the cognitive ability to recognize risk but do not have the cognitive maturity to cope or react to risks. It varies from child to child or from teen to teen. Some teens are very mature and some are extremely immature.

Leaving a child or teen that is cognitively immature is a danger as far as asking them to watch another young child or simply leaving the child by him her/self..

Many parents leave their children at home out of fear they will lose their jobs. This is dangerous!!!

Parents monitor Teens and Children

Parents are joining facebook and my space social networking web sites so they can monitor their children and teens.

Lifeworks az specializes in counseling, therapy, with:teenagers, children in Phoenix as well as with counseling adults and families.

Parents may make their child or teen add them as a friend on these web sites so they can see what their child or adolescent is promoting, advertising, etc.

Adolescents and teens communicate via text messaging and through social networking web sites. These are the top two ways teenagers communicate with peers.