Hobbies can help a teen do physical exercise, develop social skills, reduce stress, and learn some valuable lessons, and of course they can be a source（来源）of fun! However, many teens are unwilling to start a hobby. We may ignore some great hobbies for teens already. If you are a parent, you just need to recognize and provide that interest for your teen. You can guide your teen to explore their interests and take up their perfect hobbies.
One way to help a teenager take up a hobby is to ask them what makes them feel good. Many teens may only focus on their weaknesses or things they have failed in. Instead, they should devote themselves to anything that they enjoy doing or that makes them happy. For example, a teen may be interested in music, sports, computers, crafting, role playing games, or science. As long as he feels good while doing it, it can turn into a hobby.
Maybe a teen has been wanting to try something for a long time. Don't ask "What do you want to do?" because it is a too broad question. You should ask "What would you like to do today?” or "What do you want to do this weekend?" You might also try saying, "Let's do something you are interested in today. What would you like to do?" If your teen wants to cook or likes to be outside, you may be close to figuring out a good hobby for them.
Teenagers spend much of their life away from the eyes of parents and don't always offer information about it. As a result, sometimes adults are not totally aware that adolescents（青少年）are developing hobbies. A child may be developing his own hobbies away from home, so you may not have to encourage them to adopt new ones. Instead, you can support their current hobbies.
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Family problems are a universal phenomenon, and they can always cause people pain, especially around family-centered times, like holidays. However, there are ways to solve the problems. Life is too short to waste. How a person approaches the family members and what he says can make a big difference.
If the family members are arguing, waiting until everyone calms down can help deal with the argument. A person shouldn’t discuss the family problem when he is still feeling upset or emotional. If he waits even a single night, the intensity (强度) of the emotion is likely to calm down somewhat, even if he is still unhappy. So it is advised that he should wait rather than react emotionally. If he takes a step back and gives himself some time to think before dealing with the problem, he will deal with it wisely.
There are lots of people who want to send off a text or an email and wish they could take things back. Actually, the tone (语气) can be easily misunderstood by electronic communication. The man who sends off a text message or email might not think he sounds angry to the person receiving it. Instead of sending off a text, pick up the telephone, or better yet, arrange in-person communication. Electronic communication means people lose the true meaning of body language, which can convey feelings and reduce the sting (刺痛) of a painful conversation.
As the saying goes, “Blood is thicker than water.” People can choose their friends, but not their family. You might be able to cut family members out, but it could cause you more pain down the road. Understanding that family members have faults, but they can still love their families, is the first step towards dealing with problems. Accept your own faults, too.
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If there was one thing you could make parents understand about kids, what would it be? That is one of the questions TFK and KidsHealth. org recently asked in an anonymous(匿名的) survey conducted online. More than 8,000 kids answered. “We just want to spend time with you,” said a 12-year-old child. “At 13, you can’t treat me like I’m 6,” another kid said. An 11-year-old child wrote, “Being a kid is a lot harder than it looks.” The kids who took our survey made it clear that they want to feel close to the important people in their life—their mum, dad and other caring adults. But their answers also show that it is not always easy to deal with these close relationships.
Many kids—two out of three—said they get along pretty well or very well with their parents. About four out of five kids told us that they have fun with their parents. But that doesn’t mean they never disagree. In fact, most kids reported arguing with their parents, at least sometimes. “It’s absolutely normal to disagree and argue,” says D’Arcy Lyness, a child psychologist. “But it’s also important to learn how to do so respectfully.” About half of the kids said they are doing that. When they disagree with their parents, they say they discuss issues calmly.
But two out of five kids said arguments tend to involve yelling at each other. Lyness points out that shouting never helps. “Speak up, and let your parents know your ideas and your opinions,” she advises. “But be patient. Don’t use a raised, angry voice.”
Kids made it clear that they would rather avoid conflict altogether. Not surprisingly, three out of four kids admitted lying at times. Many said they lie to avoid getting in trouble or disappointing their parents. According to Lyness, lying isn’t just wrong. It can actually get negative results. Telling the truth builds trust. “When parents can trust you, they are more likely to give you more freedom and more privileges,” she says.
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A Father’s Influence Makes for Better Grades
Adolescents from low-income families in particular are more likely than their middle-class peers to underachieve and to drop out of school. Studies have shown that a positive attitude towards school work and the support and encouragement from their parents can help at-risk youngsters to overcome the economic barriers and lack of resources they face. Most of the evidence about the effects of parental involvement comes from research on mothers. Little is known, however, about how adolescents experience their fathers’ warmth and the beliefs and behaviors that are most affected by it.
This new study is part of a larger one focusing on low-income families conducted in four middle schools in the southwestern United States. Data were analyzed from questionnaires completed by 183 sixth-graders about how optimistic and motivated they were about their schoolwork, and how they experienced their fathers. The questionnaires were completed primarily by respondents of Mexican American, African American and European American descent. Their maths and language arts grades were also obtained.
Their findings show how fathers can support their teenagers in ways that result in greater optimism, self-efficacy, and, ultimately, higher achievement at school.
These positive effects extend to both sons and daughters, while in different ways. Experiencing their father’s warmth first influences daughters’ sense of optimism, and then spills over into their feeling more determined and certain about their academic abilities. This in turn leads to better math grades. There is a more direct link between their fathers’ involvement and teenage boys’ belief in their ability to succeed on the academic front. This heightened self-confidence increased their success in English language arts classes.
Suizzo suggests that counselors and educators should encourage fathers to communicate warmth and acceptance to their children, because of the positive influence these emotions have on their well-being.
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