Parenting teens

Being a teenager is often a period of great frustration. You want to be taken seriously, but most of the time you’re not. This is a relatively new phenomenon, probably a mid twentieth century evolution, because before that time the term didn’t exist. When there was child labor everywhere, if you were tall enough to work, you did, and girls were often married early in their lives or sent out to service, or they helped out with the younger children and were saddled with parental responsibilities early on through their siblings.

This has largely changed in our western industrialized countries and along with the mandate of secondary education, a new stage of life was given a new moniker, Teens. A highly sought after market of consumers and trend setters, since after the 2nd World War, the influence of this age group has only grown larger and there is a mad dash in the marketing world to find the secrets to getting the attention of their buying habits. Everyone wants to reach this demographic, and along with their importance have come issues that have become more extreme as the years pass.

Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and obesity are prevalent and who ever heard of them in previous generations? Pharmaceutical drugs have brought miraculous cures of formerly pervasive illnesses and diseases, but they have also brought about easy access and the misuse of these same drugs by pre-teens and teens using them for purposes other than cures.

There has never been a time when “image” has been more important or more pressuring than in today’s multi-media world where everything is instant and celebrity is both glamorized and abused. Trends abound and it seems a whole generation has not only been pierced but now tattooed and the growing influence of the teen/adolescent market is indeed growing.

This issue is largely devoted to teen stuff and our writers have attempted to address some of these topics that all parents of this age group are struggling with and hope to manage. As in every issue, our regular teen columns are here and also some additional provocative focus on behavior we need to be aware of. As parents of teens, our responsibility is enormous and growing with each new fad, each new trend, and each new marketing campaign that seeks our youngster’s attention and dollars. It is both daunting and manageable, if we do our best to “keep up” and not “turn off” the important lines of communication with our kids.

We hope these articles bring some new information. We all must fully recognize the huge job that parenting kids in this 21st Century world brings, particularly as the ticking seconds produce newer technologies and distance our kids further from the way things used to be yesterday.

A big subject and one we can’t hope to cover in just one issue. Thanks for reading!

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Child's Play NY - Summer Camps

<div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Summer 2022</strong> (In-Person Only)</div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Child’s Play NY summer camps shine a spotlight on kids’ imagination and creativity. Budding thespians of all levels learn sophisticated theater techniques and are inspired to grow their bravery, imagination, and talents. This award-winning drama program is helmed by vibrant teaching artists using a games-based curriculum that supports collaboration and joy. Weekly themes tap into what kids love most with specific focuses like superheroes, mythology, Harry Potter, musicals, and more. Sessions culminate in a live or virtual showcase of scenes, songs, and original stories. In addition, the program prioritizes safety with plenty of outside activities, a 1:5 teacher to camper ratio, and small groups. <br /><br />Adventure Series | Ages 3-4 in Carroll Gardens | Half Day<br />Players Series | Ages 5-6 in Carroll Gardens and Fort Greene | Full Day<br />Showmakers Series | Ages 7-11 in Brooklyn Heights | Full Day<br />Plus programs at Berkeley Carroll School</div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learn more & enroll at <a style="color: #1155cc;" href="http://childsplayny.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">childsplayny.com</a>.</div> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{"><span id="docs-internal-guid-68bc3f62-7fff-50a4-cf36-4b76efd354e1"></span></span></p>

Fieldston Summer Camps

<p>Fieldston Summer Camps provide a fun, eventful summer for all ages. Fieldston Outdoors, Fieldston Sports Camp, Fieldston Premier Sports, Fieldston Future Leaders Camp, Fieldston Emerging Leaders Camp, and Fieldston Expeditions Camp are comprehensive programs covering a spectrum of subjects and interests designed to engage campers. Our programs and classes range from outdoor adventure to educational, sports, and STEAM programs. All camps are held at our campus in Riverdale, with the exception of Fieldston Expeditions Camp, which takes place at locations across the country.</p> <p> </p>

Friends Academy Summer Camps

<div>Our programs offer engaging and hands-on activities that give children the opportunity to learn, socialize and have lots of fun!</div> <p>The Explorers Program (Age 3 – Rising Grade 2) includes theme-based activities in addition to daily sports, swim sessions, and two weekly specialty classes. Our specialty classes include learning science, practicing gymnastics, fireless cooking, and more.</p> <p>The Trailblazer Program (Rising Grades 3-8) allows children the opportunity to develop new interests by selecting two different specialty programs of choice each week in addition to campus-wide activities and recreational swim sessions. Specialty classes include cooking, sports, app building, dance, chess, art and much more!</p>