• Aggressive Behaviors
• Communication Break-Down
• Peer Influences
• Power Struggles
• School and Social Difficulty
• Self-Destructive Behaviors
• Entitlement by Default

• date: Saturday, March 3, 2007
• time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• location: St. Charles Medical Center Bend, Oregon
• to register: Call 541.383.2041
• $125 per person / $99 for two people

Cell Phones: Safety experts say that using cell phones while driving is a major distraction and is a factor in crashes, see Cell Phones and Driving paper. More young drivers are using cell phones, according to a February 2005 study from NHTSA.

The study reported that 8 percent of drivers age 16 to 24 were using a hand-held phone during daylight hours in 2004, compared with 5 percent in 2002 and 3 percent in 2000.

In December 2005 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Center for Statistics and Analysis released the results of their National Occupant Protection Use Survey, which found that in 2005, 6 percent of drivers used handheld cell phones, up from 5 percent in 2004.

The survey also found that the jump was significant among young drivers ages 16 to 24, up to 10 percent in 2005 from 8 percent in 2004. The NOPUS is a probability-based observational survey. Data on driver cell phone use were collected at random stop signs or stoplights only while vehicles were stopped, and only during daylight hours.

To date, nine states (Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) have enacted laws that prohibit young drivers from using cell phones when driving.

In addition, California (effective July 1, 2008), Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL. ban all drivers from using hand-held cellphones.

The disproportionate number of fatal motor vehicle deaths among teens is attributed to several factors. Immaturity and lack of driving experience are believed to be the main cause.

However, there are two other major contributing factors: night driving and the potentially negative effect of teen passengers.

More teenagers are involved in motor vehicle crashes late in the day and at night. In 2005, 44 percent of teenage motor vehicle deaths occurred between 9 PM and 6 am and 55 percent took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the increased risk of death from night driving, teens also have a greater chance of getting involved in an accident if passengers are present in the vehicle. Passengers can become a distraction for teen drivers which, when coupled with inexperience, can prove fatal. In the worst case scenario, teen passengers may encourage the driver to take risks such as speeding or racing.

Sixty-four percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2005 occurred in crashes where other teen drivers were at the wheel.

Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL): To address the high fatality rate among teenage drivers, most states have adopted one or more elements of a GDL system, which allows teenagers to gradually receive full driving privileges. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have enacted all three stages of GDL laws, but the systems vary in strength. Almost every state has at least some form of restrictions on young drivers.

The three phases of GDLs are: a supervised learners period; an intermediate license, which allows unsupervised driving depending on various situations; and a full privileges license.

A teenager with a learners permit is required to remain in that stage for a minimum period, usually six months. A learners permit also requires that when driving, a teenager must be supervised by an adult, pass vision and knowledge tests and also pass a test before receiving an intermediate license.

In addition the driver must wear a seat belt and be traffic-and-alcohol-offense free, and restricted from driving at night. An intermediate or restricted license requires a minimum of six months and restricts passengers and night-time driving.

In all stages, there is zero-tolerance for drunk driving, and a requirement to be traffic-offense free. Florida was the first state to adopt a GDL program in 1996. In South Carolina, where the GDL law went into effect in 1998, the percentage of teenagers involved in crashes fell from 14.5 percent in 1998 to 13.0 percent in 1999. Alabama's GDL law was enacted in October, 2002.

By 2003, state troopers reported that crashes caused by 16-year-old drivers fell from 5,905 to 5,263; for 17-year-olds, crashes fell from 6,174 to 5,980. GDLs have also reduced deaths among teenage drivers in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, where versions of the system exist. A 2002 study conducted in Nova Scotia concludes that crash reductions among young beginning drivers occur in both the learner and intermediate stages. This is the first long-term study to investigate the benefits of each licensing stage.

Female Teen Drivers: Girls between the ages of 16 and 19 are driving 70 percent more than 20 years ago. Meanwhile, boys in the same age group are driving 16 percent more. In the past, 16-year-old males were the highest risk drivers, but accident data from NHTSA show that 16-year-old girls are closing the gap between their accident rate and that of their male counterparts.

While the fatality rate for all teenage drivers (15 to 20 years old) fell 15 percent over the 15-year period between 1990 and 2005, the fatality rate for girls rose 4 percent over the same period.

Teens and Speeding: Teen drivers have an unrealistic view of safe driving behavior, according to researchers at San Diego State University. The young drivers who were surveyed between January and December 2005 believed they were speeding if they were driving at around 90 mph, and 62 percent of the whole group confessed to being in a vehicle where drunk driving, drag racing, reckless driving or other dangerous activities were engaged in. The survey questioned 2,310 Southern California teens between 15 and 18 years old. Of this group, 1,430 teens were seeking their first driver?s license and 880 teens had previously committed a traffic offense. The teen violator group considered the threshold of speeding at an average 93 mph.

First time learners put the threshold at an average 88 mph. Nearly 73 percent of the teen violators said they were exposed to reckless driving, speeding, driving while intoxicated or other dangerous activities.

Drunk Driving: Drunk driving is a serious offense. If a driver is convicted of drunk driving, typically the drivers license is revoked or suspended. A conviction for drunk driving can also result in higher insurance rates or nonrenewal of an auto insurance policy, because a drunk driver represents a greater risk to the insurance company. Underage drinking remains a factor in teenage highway fatalities. According to NHTSA, among drivers 15 to 20 years old, 25 percent of young drivers in 2004 had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08. A BAC of 0.08 is the level at which all states define drunk driving.

The number of drivers age 15 to 20 who were involved in fatal crashes and were intoxicated dropped by 6 percent between 1993 and 2003. The decline can be attributed to increased efforts by various organizations that have waged war against underage drinking.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is one organization that has combated this problem for more than 20 years. It has been instrumental in organizing various campaigns to educate the public about the effects of driving while intoxicated. In addition, some insurance companies have sponsored initiatives and events that discourage underage drinking and drunk driving.

Rates for auto insurance for teenage drivers are always higher than for other drivers because as a group they pose a higher risk of accidents than more experienced drivers.

Adding a teenager to an insurance policy can mean a 50 percent or even a 100 percent increase in the parents? insurance premium. Some insurance companies offer discounts for students with good grades. The Good Student Discount is generally available to students who have a grade point average of a B or higher.

INFORMATION SOURCES:
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Internet Gangs
Internet cracking gangs are a reality on online networks. Some teens find Internet gangs "cool" and idolize the leaders - often genius level IQ older teens. For teen computer "geeks" a natural curiosity and positive love of technology can isolate them from kids at school. Young teens seek "belonging" online as well as offline. The hacker scene in cyberspace has two sides - one side is positive, responsible and ethical.

The other side is negative, destructive and anti-social.

Internet youth gangs cultivate and encourage a rebelliousness against authority. They may disregard for the rules or laws of Cyberspace. Anti-social behavior is learned, encouraged and rewarded. Teens can become hardened online bullies and harassers. Some of these groups trade hard core pornography, warez (pirate software), cracking secrets and illegally obtained confidential computer and network systems knowledge.

Other groups war against each other for IRC (Internet Relay Chat) network territory, or attack each others Internet service providers (which is illegal). These gangs are similar in intent to inner city street gangs. These groups may involve young teens in illegal activity on the Internet. This includes systems invasion, denial of service attacks and the trade in illegal pirated software.

Some of these activities in the USA are classified as felonies, carrying a 10 year maximum jail term for adults. Parents can be found liable for the illegal activities of their kids online and some have already been successfully sued by the victims of their kids attacks, on grounds of poor parental supervision.

Advice about Internet Gangs
Understand the reality of gangs and the motivations that lead teens to join them. Teach your kids how to say no to the peer pressure on them to join online gangs. Consider the connection between your adolescent's home life, school life, self-esteem issues and online involvement in gangs. Learn how to monitor your adolescent's activity online. Learn how to identify suspicious programs on your adolescent's computer, including illegal pirated software and electronic "weapons of warfare".

If your adolescent is showing great potential on computers, encourage them!

Find computer programming courses for them to attend.

Remember, skilled computer programmers are in high demand by the industry!

Internet Addiction
It is a fact that adolescents (and adults!) can become addicted to the Internet. Their school grades and social life may suffer as a consequence. The Internet, particularly online Live Chat, is an addictive medium. Without good supervision and time management training, teens online may abandon their schoolwork and their school friends in favor of an intensive immersion into the world of Internet Chats. Intensive online usage can be highly hypnotic, causing tunnel vision and loss of a sense of time. An adolescent may come to view the Internet only as a vast electronic game. They may play for hours and hours, not recognizing the Internet as a gateway to the real world with real-world risks. An adolescent can become so immersed in the online world that he or she abandons his/her offline friends in favor of an online peer group. School work, sports and offline social life can all be abandoned. Long term computer use can lead to various health problems well documented by the medical profession, including symptoms of ADHD, eye problems, repetitive strain injuries on wrists and hands and back problems from poor posture.

Advice Regarding Internet Addiction
Teach and enforce strict time management for your adolescent's time online. Encourage meaningful activity online just as offline, rather than hours spent aimlessly chatting about nothing.

Require socialization/play offline, i.e. Away from the computer.

This can be part of the agreement about having the Internet in the first place - your adolescent must not only maintain school grades but must also maintain offline social commitments to sport, youth clubs, community service etc. Keep the computer in a shared living area of the house, as opposed to a bedroom, so that your adolescent can not become isolated and lost in cyberspace. Know that software exists to assist with time management online, including programmable automatic shutdown at designated times. Watch for the warning signs of Internet addiction. KEEP A BALANCED LIFESTYLE!!!

Internet Romance Does Happen For Young Teens
Part of online socialization in chat areas for young teens will inevitably be romance. It is natural that teens will bring their offline interests into the online world. As a result some teens today are dating online BEFORE their parents have given them permission to begin dating offline. For an increasing number of young teens, their FIRST romance will be an online one.

Teens online are often interacting not with their peer group (as they are at school), but with teens much older than they, or with adults. They make the mistake of trusting online friends too easily, forgetting that online anyone can pretend to be anything.

While a relationship online can not become physical, the conversation can by mutual consent become highly sexually oriented. The rapid development of intimacy can fool teens into thinking they know a person better than they really do. In some cases teens may make decisions to meet offline. They may travel to visit, or even run away with their online "partner".

While this does not always mean abduction or rape as a consequence, the risk is always there.

Advice Regarding Young Teen Romance Online
Educate your teens about online romance issues.

Set boundaries on the teen's behavior online in this area.

Establish a means whereby you can share knowledge of your teen's online experience, including friends. A teen's online life should not become a secret to be withheld from you the parent.

Know how to safely verify a teen's online friend. Know to meet safely if an offline meeting is agreed upon. If offline meetings with online friends are arranged, ensure they are in daytime, in a public place, and never alone.

Bullying and Harassment
While many parents worry about their adolescent becoming a victim of online harassment, they often forget that their own teen could BECOME the problem. Some young teens with high level computer skills can themselves become predators and bullies online. Highly skilled teens online may be impatient and contemptuous of "newbies" (new users). They may seek to humiliate or terrorize weaker kids in order to assert their supremacy. Teens may learn to enjoy controlling and manipulating other adolescents online. They may grow to enjoy their high status and "tough" reputation in Cyberspace. As a result they may never develop good discussion and negotiation skills. Inhibitions are relaxed online due to the relative anonymity at the immediate time of communication. This means that kids may be more blunt (rude) than they intend to be when arguing or discussing a topic. There can also be a loss of empathy (the ability to feel for the other person).

Advice Regarding Bullying Online
Monitor your adolescent's online behavior and be alert for warning signs that the teen is either a bully or a target for bullies. Teach your adolescent about respect for others and polite conduct both on and offline. Enable the adolescent to understand that online they are not interacting with a computer but with another human being. Beware that the high self-esteem of your adolescent does not become arrogance and contempt for others. Help your adolescent learn avoidance and de-escalation skills online as well as protection skills and strategies.

Summary
The Internet is a wonderful technological tool. Used with awareness and understanding the future for your kids online is a wonderful future. Don't let this outline of the real risk factors your kids face online prevent you from helping them master the Internet. Knowledge is power, and no one can harm your adolescent online unless your teens take risks in cyberspace, either through lack of safety awareness or through foolish bravado. Being aware of these risks is the first step to avoiding them all. Enjoy the Net and enjoy it safely!

Over the past decade, anabolic steroid abuse became a national concern. These drugs are used illicitly by weight lifters, body builders, long distance runners, cyclists, and others who claim that these drugs give them a competitive advantage and or improve their physical appearance.

Overall youth steroid use remains alarmingly high.

According to the 1999 Monitoring the Future Study, the percentage of eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders who reported using steroids at least once in their lives has increased steadily over the past four years (an average of 1.8 percent in 1996, 2.1 percent in 1997, 2.3 percent in 1998, and 2.8 percent in 1999).

The truth is... the use of steroids is a growing problem among today?s teenagers, who among other things get a large portion of their misunderstood information from the fitness industry and ?muscle magazines?. While it is evident that there exists a growing use of steroids, there most definitely is no indication that the issue is going to fade away without some kind of intervention. It should be noted, that there are many obvious risks and side effects from teen steroid abuse. Several of these SIDE EFFECTS include:

• Acne
• Aggressiveness
• Connective tissue injury - irreversible
• Masculinization (among women)
• Premature ossification (closing over) of growth plates in long bones (stunted growth)
• Sterility

Some of the reasons that teens gave were:

• Not being able to compete with others who are using steroids
• Not getting ?the girls?
• Not looking as good as you could
• Not making the sports team
• Not meeting peer pressure and demands

This may be giving them mixed messages.

It may suggest that steroid use is the necessary ingredient to develop a career in sports. Many of these same teens also feel they are invincible -- able to withstand any fear or reservations that may exist about the use of these drugs. In addition, they are reluctant to believe any warnings offered by the medical community and the media, who so often have delivered alarmist attitudes towards steroid use. Parents and coaches can also be found guilty of placing emphasis on young athletes:

• Demand that young athletes aspire to greatness at any cost.
• Glorify youngsters who are willing to risk their bodies and morals in order to win.
• They often push young athletes into sports development programs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has set up an Internet site at:/www.steroidabu se.org The NIDA is at: www.nida.nih.gov. Also recommended:www.drugabuse.g ov

Other Popular Supplements with Teen Athletes:

Creatine: Creatine has become a very popular product with teen athletes. Annual sales total over 200 million dollars. It is advertised as a natural product that will provide larger, more powerful muscles.

So what is wrong with taking creatine?

Creatine has received very little scientific study. We do not know anything about its long-term effects. We do not know what doses are best and what is excessive. The doses kids take are varied and often mixed with other drugs or chemicals that have their own unknown effects. The stores that sell creatine have no idea how pure the product is, how much to use, or when to stop.

We do know that creatine produces no improvement in long term endurance activities. A number of side effects are possible, including abdominal pain, nausea, loose stools, increase in weight due to the retention of water, muscle cramps, and muscle strains. Case reports indicate that dehydration and even death may occur when athletes take creatine and exercise in hot weather. Reduction in kidney function and enlargement of the heart muscle have been observed in kids.

Additionally, creatine supplementation suppresses the body?s own production of creatine. We do not know what effects this may have on a growing child. There are simply too many unknowns about creatine at this time.

DHEA: DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is another chemical that is related to testosterone (and also estrogen) and promoted in nutrition stores. It is widely advertised as a wonder drug that will improve muscle size and strength, lessen depression, prevent heart disease, and increase sex drive among other unproved claims. though hyped as a safe alternative to anabolic steroids, it is not safe and is linked to many anabolic steroid-like side effects. Excessive hair growth and endometrial cancer are reported in women, while prostate cancer and permanent breast development are reported in men. It is a dangerous chemical.

Young people need to be discouraged from using it.

Ephedra: Ephedra is one of the most dangerous of the dietary supplements. Ephedrine-containing products (ma huang, Chinese ephedra, and Sida cordifolia) and Xenedrine are marketed to improve athletic performance and enhance weight loss. Ephedrine is a central nervous system stimulant and decongestant that is structurally similar to the amphetamines.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no good evidence that substances containing ephedrine enhance one's exercise performance. It is banned by the International Olympic Committee and National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Over 800 injuries have been reported by users and doctors to the FDA and various state medical bodies, including more than 50 deaths. Most of these cases involve the heart attacks or high blood pressure leading to bleeding in the brain or stroke.

Recent studies show that many people are seriously injured by the use of ephedrine. They are often unaware that ephedrine suppliers are can make wide ranging health claims about the product that have no scientific basis. Nor is there any mention of the potential for dangerous side effects. Because the industry was lobbied to pass a law deregulating these products in l994, the FDA has been unable to regulate these products.

The FDA statement on street drugs containing botanical ephedrine FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or consume ephedrine-containing dietary supplements with labels that often portray the products as apparent alternatives to illegal street drugs such as ecstasy.

Possible adverse effects of ephedrine range from clinically significant effects such as heart attack, stroke, seizures, psychosis, and death, to clinically less significant effects that may indicate the potential for more serious effects (for example, dizziness, headache, gastrointestinal distress, irregular heartbeat, and heart palpitations). Ingredient panels on these products may list ma huang, Chinese ephedra, ma huang extract, ephedra, Ephedra sinica, ephedra extract, ephedra herb powder, or epitonin, all of which indicate a source of ephedrine.

Cocaine and Crack
Cocaine is a white crystalline powder made from the dried leaves of the coca plant.

Crack, named for its crackle when heated, is made from cocaine. It looks like white or tan pellets.
Some Common Street Names for Cocaine:
coke, snow, blow, nose candy, white, big C
Some Common Street Names for Crack:
freebase, rock
How They're Used:
Cocaine is inhaled through the nose or injected. Crack is smoked.
Effects & Dangers:

• Cocaine elevates heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
• Cocaine is a stimulant that rocks the central nervous system, giving users a quick, intense feeling of power and energy. Snorting highs last between 15 and 30 minutes; smoking highs last between 5 and 10 minutes.
• First-time users - even teens - of both cocaine and crack can stop breathing or have fatal heart attacks. Using either of these drugs even one time can kill you.
• Injecting cocaine can give you hepatitis or AIDS if you share needles with other users. Snorting can also put a hole inside the lining of your nose.

When taken in large quantities, these over-the-counter medicines can cause hallucinations, loss of motor control, and "out-of-body" (or disassociative) sensations.
Some Common Street Names:
triple C, candy, C-C-C, dex, DM, drex, red devils, robo, rojo, skittles, tussin, velvet, vitamin D
How They're Used:
Cough and cold medicines, which come in tablets, capsules, gel caps, and lozenges as well as syrups, are swallowed. DXM is often extracted from cough and cold medicines, put into powder form, and snorted.
Effects & Dangers:

• Small doses help suppress coughing, but larger doses can cause fever, confusion, impaired judgment, blurred vision, dizziness, paranoia, excessive sweating, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, headache, lethargy, numbness of fingers and toes, redness of face, dry and itchy skin, loss of consciousness, seizures, brain damage, and even death.
• Sometimes users mistakenly take cough syrups that contain other medications in addition to dextromethorphan. High doses of these other medications can cause serious injury or death.

Many teens use drugs because they are depressed or think drugs will help them escape their problems. The truth is, drugs don't solve problems. Drugs simply hide feelings and problems.

When a drug wears off, the feelings and problems remain - or become worse. Drugs can ruin every aspect of a person's life.

Updated and reviewed by:
Michele Van Vranken, MD
Adolescent Medicine
Staff Physician, Teenage Medical Services
Medical Director, Annex Teen Clinic and West Suburban Teen Clinic
Children's Physician Network
Minneapolis, MN

This information is brought to you by Horizon Family Solutions, LLC. It is not intended to substitute for medical care. If you suspect you have a health problem, please contact your doctor or local clinic.

When our children were born, we endured many a sleepless night as we tried our best to soothe the wails of a newborn.

As they grew, we endure sleepless nights to their sadness and sickness. We have all done without to give to the children that enriched our lives with sticky sweet smiles, sparkling eyes and warm hugs. As we embraced the small child, we would smile and envision them as grown and self-efficient.

It was then we would catch up on our sleep, buy the good furniture, take those vacations and start thinking about each other. As they become teenagers, they try to show their independence, but just like when they learned to walk, you watch them fall on their faces many times. As a diligent responsible parent, you once again helped them up, dusted them off and sent them on their way again. You smile and look at your friends and say ?Gosh I am glad they are not doing what I did at that age!? You tell yourself that they will get the hang of it and shrug it off. You handle the car years, the dating modes, the emotional roller coaster of hormones with tears, fears and a few smiles and forge ahead determined to be a good parent.

You brave the fashion fades, ?know it all attitudes? (even the purple colored hair) and the high expense of school. Even as you cherished their every breath and every second you could spend with them ? you still knew when they turned 18, you would breathe a sigh of relief and have some money. If any of you are still living in this delusional fictional world, please do not read any farther. I really do not want to be the one to drop a bomb on your dream. The fact is it does not always happen. In fact, it very seldom does happen. What truly happens when they turn that magic year is much worse than the newborn stage or the terrible twos. The day they turn 18 you can see it in their eyes.

They are free from your rules, time demands and out of your control. However, your heart is the same and you still feel the need and want to help them. I hope that this article will allow you to understand what real help truly is. In order to help anyone, I have to be very honest. (My clients know this about me!) I constantly keep trying to pick up those that fall and need help. I still cannot stand to see my daughter hurt emotionally, financially or physically (she will soon be 21). It is with an aching heart I tell you that 18 is not a release but instead a drain on your heart, billfold and your ability to sleep. It is a lesson in parenting that is hard to accept. In order to give you a real look at what it is like, I will compare it to when they learned to ride a bike. You would pick a safe area to learn and run behind them holding their seat. They would go a distance and fall, and you would run with your heart in your throat to make sure they were okay. Each time you did, they would get a little farther before they fell, until one day you watch tearfully as they turn and rode back to you with their face shining their happiness. Now to educate on the perils that happen after the 18th birthday. Imagine them as a child riding the bike, wobbling, and falling. However, this time they tell you they do not need your advice as they ride through an interstate. You scream and run after them as they fall in front of a semi and you get there just in time to pull them out of the way. They look frightened as you haul them to the hospital to make sure they are ok.

They have no insurance so you pay to make sure they are going to get medical attention. As you help them from the emergency room, they pull away and tell you they are grown now. They will inform you they are capable of caring for themselves as they get in your car to head to your home to raid your refrigerator.

As soon as they are through eating, and drinking the last of "whatever" is your favorite drink, they will get on your phone to call their friends and invite them bike riding on the interstate, without a second thought. Save your breath if you are even considering telling them they cannot go. They are 18 and can do as they please. You are now hostage of your parental heart and they have you and your life on hold. Welcome to 18 and your (recognize the sarcasm) newfound freedom to do as you wish.

Honestly, we are supposed to allow them to fall and face the consequences of their actions ~ really. I just do not know very many parents that can. The fathers seem to be stronger in this area. Mothers seem to have an invisible umbilical cord they stay attached. The inabilities and the abilities of each other to give and take concerning children sometimes cause problems between the couples involved in the life of the child. The true way to help your adolescent past the age of 18 is to allow them to fall enough to learn the pitfalls of life. You will not always be there for them and by picking up after their life lessons constantly ? you are making them dependant on you.

Somewhere in our hearts, we cannot accept the fact they are grown and should be becoming more independent. Our strong love for them makes us weak at times even when we want to be strong. Whenever we helped them learn to walk, we knew there would be times they would falter and fall repeatedly. We knew that a fall could give them a fatal blow so we stood by and supervised them and only stepping in whenever the fall could be life threatening or damaging. This is what we have to do, as they are young adults learning to step into the interstate of life.

Hopefully, as in learning to walk, the falls will become less frequent and your 18 year old (or 19, 20,21) will become self sufficient. To recap ? When you do not allow them to fall they will never learn to walk as a child or as an adult. Just because they fall does not mean they are incapable of handling life ? it just means they are learning. If you take away all their obstacles, you are making them dependant upon you and they will not learn to be efficient adults. Therefore, with this being said you must ask yourself if maybe you are the one hanging on to them because you cannot face life with an empty space in your nest. Once you can actually face the answer to that question, ask if you are doing them any favors by stepping in all the time. Just like some people become dependant upon a drug or a drink to get through each day ? make sure you do not make your adolescent dependant on you to make it through their days.

Addiction is absolutely not choosey about what or who it settles upon. Have faith in the love you gave them and the lessons you taught. Believe that at some point in their life, they will stop running from what they were taught and stand in the glow of it.

Take time to find the inner you that became addicted to ?child-raising? and love yourself enough to start living for you and your significant other (if you have one). The artwork is finished, leave it alone or you will ruin it. Dust the adolescent off, help at certain points yet realize there is no magic year. They will still be around for help, but real help is knowing when it is needed and not just asked for. They are never gone from your life ? they just stand in a different place. I hope this article carries you from hopes and fears to realities and facts. I think I could write an entire newsletter on this subject yet hopefully by condensing it to one article you will see the light. Do not ever think there is a magical year to any stage of your or your adolescent?s life.

The plateaus come at their own timetable. The 18th year was made magical by the law of the land, not by the maturity of your adolescent or your ability to let go. Go buy your new couch and plan your dream vacation. Life is a bed of roses ? quit gripping about the thorns. I say that with much love.

• --Dorothy C. Fisher (1879 - 1958) - A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary.
• --Hodding Carter Jr. - There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
• --Lydia Sigourney - In early childhood, you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry or idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe.
• --Sonia Taitz, O Magazine, May 2003 - What children take from us, they give. We become people who feel more deeply, question more deeply, hurt more deeply, and love more deeply.

Rhiannon Waits is a syndicated columnist with her column published in 14 different countries and translated into 4 different languages. Rhiannon is also a Published author with her latest Book released January 21,2006.

Keep in touch. Going back and forth between two homes can be tough, especially if parents live far apart. It can be a good idea to keep in touch with a parent you see less often because of distance. Even a quick email just to say "I'm thinking of you" helps ease the feelings of missing each other. Making an effort to stay in touch when you're apart can keep both of you up to date on everyday activities and ideas.

Work it out. You may want both parents to come to special events, like games, meets, plays, or recitals. One parent may find it difficult to attend if the other is present. It helps when parents can figure out a way to make this work, especially because a teen may need to feel the support and presence of both parents even more during divorce. You might be able to come up with an idea for a compromise or solution to this problem and suggest it to both parents.

Talk about the future. Lots of teens whose parents divorce worry that their own plans for the future could be affected.

Some are concerned that the costs of divorce (like legal fees and expenses of two households) might mean there will be less money for college or other things. Pick a good time to tell your parents about your concerns - when there's enough time to sit down with one or both parents to discuss how the divorce will affect you. Don't worry about putting added stress on your parents. It's better to bring your concerns into the open than to keep them to yourself and let worries or resentment build.

There are solutions for most problems and counselors who can help teens and their parents find those solutions.

Live your life. Sometimes during a divorce, parents may be so caught up in their own changes it can feel like your own life is on hold. In addition to staying focused on your own plans and dreams, make sure you participate in as many of your normal activities as possible. When things are changing at home, it can really help to keep some things, such as school activities and friends, the same. Take care of yourself, too, by eating right and getting regular exercise - two great stress busters!

Let others support you. Talk about your feelings and reactions to the divorce with someone you trust. When you're feeling down or upset, let your friends and family members support you.

These feelings usually pass. When they don't, and if you're feeling depressed or stressed out, or when it's hard to concentrate on your normal activities, let a counselor or therapist help you. There are therapists who specialize in working with teens who are dealing with divorce. Your parents, school counselor, or a doctor or other health professional can help you find one. Also, many communities and schools have support groups for kids and teens whose parents have divorced.

It can really help to talk with other people your age who are going through similar experiences.

Bringing Out the Positive
There will be ups and downs in the process, but teens can cope successfully with their parents' divorce and the changes it brings. You may even discover some unexpected positives.

Many teens find their parents are actually happier after the divorce or they may develop new and better ways of relating to both parents when they have separate time with each one.

Some teens become more compassionate and kind when a younger brother or sister needs their support and care.

Siblings who are closer in age may form tighter bonds, learning to count on each other more because they're facing the challenges of their parents' divorce together. Coping well with divorce also can bring out strength and maturity in teens.

They may become more responsible, independent, and thoughtful. Some become better problem solvers, better listeners, or better friends. Most teens learn - sometimes to their surprise - that they can make it through this difficult situation successfully. Giving it time, letting others support you along the way, and keeping an eye on the good things in your life can make all the difference.

Dore Frances, Founder of Horizon Family Solutions, LLC (HFS) is announcing new company goals and objectives for 2007.

?We are very pleased with the the progress and results we have brought to families who have worked with HFS in 2006,? says Frances.

ArmsofAssurance, our very first website will end as of December. GuidingTeens is in the process of being updated with new information links that will include articles and Program Visit overviews. TroubledTeenHelp.com is going to be completely re-vamped in order to offer parents additional resources, including more information about the Parent Workshops that have been so successful in 2006, as well as expanded information about programs, schools, family coaches, and transport companies that wish to advertise.

?This past year has taught me a lot about my integrity in the industry as well as my personal convictions regarding the teen help industry. I have come to accept the reality that I will always be someone under attack in an effort to be discredited,? continued Frances. ?However, those who choose to be negative about my passion in working with adolescents and their families, as well as those in the industry who are working for the best interests of children, will see that I am going to continue to raise parent awareness and offer parents support through professional resources and services for many more years to come.?

HFS was founded in 2001 by Dore Frances, a child rights advocate helping families in crisis.

?HFS was established to offer first hand experience and share programs and schools that we would feel safe in sending our own children to for help. We are not attorneys, or medical physicians, or psychiatrists; we are parents who are child rights advocates, educational consultants and parents who are helping parents. As an addition to the services we are offering in 2007, we will be announcing the addition of another new staff person who will be heading up our Residential Transition Services,? says Frances. "We are also considering adding another Educational Consultant who has training as a clinical psychologist."

HFS's confidence in best-of-class service offering comes from associations with behavioral health professionals, counselors, doctors, attorneys, medical nurses and physicians, therapists, law enforcement personnel, probation officers, all of whom are highly credible and reliable. They operate a very rigorous screening process that includes visiting programs and schools every year that offer national accreditation for education, therapeutic milieu?s, and a transition approach that requires participation of the entire family unit.

?With our added association with the American Bar Association, American School Counselor Association, Better Business Bureau, Education Industry Association, and National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association, we believe we are a more objective and thorough option for parents,? concluded Frances. In connection with assisting parents, several HFS staff volunteer with the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association in the State of Oregon to insure that children are kept safe. Dore Frances will also have her first Parent Manual published in 2007.

"Kids have penetrated every form of social, legalized, and illegal gambling that's available where they live or where they travel," says Durand F. Jacobs, Ph.D., a clinical professor of psychology at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California and an early researcher into teen gambling.

"There's no exception -- they gamble with bookies, with sports betting, casinos, racetracks and jai-alai games, and dog tracks and card parlors." No event is more popular with young gamblers than the NCAA basketball tournament, or "March Madness."

Loomey says that two years ago in New Jersey, officials busted up a Final Four betting ring involving 17 youths, including 11 with chronic betting problems. "They were the brightest kids in the school," he says. Ray recalls that after his high school betting pool, he started playing cards on Friday nights or cutting a deck for lunch money, then hanging out at the track. When he enrolled in college at Arizona State University, he was a bookmaker when he wasn't traveling to Las Vegas for high stakes poker. Sometimes, he did very well.

"My mother used to send me $70 for lunch money, and I'd make $500, just on Sundays," he recalls. "I'd come home and peel off $500 -- 'Here, Mom, for you.' It was all ego. She didn't know where it came from." More often, like most compulsive gamblers, Ray had problems. He flunked out of Arizona State and started using marijuana and cocaine. For a time he owned a deli in Woodbridge, N.J., but he had to sell it because of his gambling debts. He lost touch with family members, stopped playing sports, and gained 50 pounds.

He joined Gamblers Anonymous after his girlfriend walked out on him. Yet Ray was luckier than some young chronic gamblers.

In one well-publicized case on Long Island, N.Y., three years ago, a 19-year-old with $6,000 in World Series gambling debts was killed by police after pulling a fake gun on them. He had left a note on the windshield of his car that said, "I just wanted to die." In law enforcement parlance, it's known as "suicide by police." Some possible warning signs that a teen may have a gambling problem include these:

• Stealing
• Suddenly doing poorly in school, or skipping it altogether
• Withdrawing from families and friends

By Kathy Bunch, WebMD Feature. Kathy Bunch is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.

Here are the 10 winners who first read our newsletter in November:

1. Erick Scheiderman - Bridges Boys Academy, Bend, Oregon
2. Sherry Anderson - USAGuides, Utah
3. Katherine Beck, CPCI, Utah
4. Angela Dreher, Bend, Oregon
5. Sarah Caskey, Oregon Youth Authority, Oregon
6. Sande'Lee Boylan, Idaho
7. Shauna Clark, Clark Custom Educational Loans, Idaho
8. Sanford Shapiro, Bend Learning Center, Bend, Oregon
9. Margaret Puckette, TRILLIUM FAMILY SERVICES, Portland, Oregon
10. Carol Grieve', Eagles Nest School for Boys, Colorado

Don't forget about our current contest. We have received a few entries and will keep receiving until December 11th. The winner will be announced in January. The contest - Can you write a monthly theme for our 2007 newsletter? If so, send it our way.

The best monthly theme for 2007 (must contain one for each month of the year) wins a cash prize of $100 or a beautiful gift basket from Harry & David of the same value.

Rules: Themes must adhere to the nature of this newsletter and involve one topic per theme per month.

Example: Theme - IEP's - Article idea - What You Need to Know About IEPs for Children with Behavior Problems.

OR - Grandparents Raising Grandchildren - Trends and Concerns. Send your entry to Dore@Dorefranc es.com.

It must be sent in the body of an email, with the header "Theme Contest". One entry per person, the last day to submit is December 11, 2006. Contest open to everyone except me, because that just wouldn't be very fair, would it? Get writing!

As of January 1, 2007, our newsletter is now going to be named FAMILY SOLUTIONS NEWS, brought to you by Horizon Family Solutions, LLC. We are very excited about the direction our online newsletter is taking!

The deadline to submit articles for each month is by the 10th.

For the January newsletter they would need to be submitted by December 10th.

Please send your articles to Deb Carstens at Deb@DebCarstens.com. You may send your article as an attachment or within the body of your email. If you would like to submit photos to go along with your article, please send them by email attachment. Thank you all and we wish you a very happy holiday season!!

Possible columns, articles, or announcements:

• alert members to resources, websites, and other helpful tools
• share photos that demonstrates student achievement
• share a tip or trick that makes your more effective or efficient in your work
• voice your opinion about an issue in your state
• write a column about a successful intervention

Below are descriptions of truancy programs being used in communities around the country.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Program elements: Parents, police, and the school system focus on the causes of truancy in the Truancy Abatement and Burglary Suppression (TABS) initiative in Milwaukee. Attendance is taken every period in all high schools. Local police officers pick up truant students and bring them to a Boys and Girls Club for counseling. Parents are called at home automatically every night if their child did not attend school that day. If the parent is not supportive of regular school attendance, then the district attorney is contacted.

Results: In a recent sample of students who went through the TABS process, 73 percent returned to school the next day, 66 percent remained in school on the 15th day, and 64 percent still are in school 30 days later. Since the TABS initiative began, daytime burglary in Milwaukee has decreased 33 percent, and daytime aggravated battery has decreased 29 percent.
Aquine Jackson, Director of the Parent and Student Services Division of the Milwaukee Public Schools, says, "I think the TABS program is so effective because it is a collaboration among the Milwaukee Public Schools, the Milwaukee Boys and Girls Clubs, the Milwaukee Police Department, and the County Sheriff, and because it is now a part of state statute that police officers can stop students on the street during school hours."

Rohnert Park, California

Program elements: The Stop, Cite and Return Program is designed to reduce truancy and juvenile crime in the community and to increase average daily attendance for the schools.
Patrol officers issue citations to suspected truants contacted during school hours, and students are returned to school to meet with their parents and a vice principal. Two citations are issued without penalty; the third citation results in referral to appropriate support services.

Results: Due in large part to this initiative, the daytime burglary rate is 75 percent below what it was.
Haynes Hunter, who has worked in different capacities on the issue of truancy in Rohnert Park for over 15 years, says the program is effective because it is a "high visibility" effort.
"Being on the street, being in contact with the kids makes them aware of the fact that we care. We want them to get their education."

New Haven, Connecticut

Program elements: The Stay in School Program targets middle school students who have just begun to have problems.
Targeted students go to truancy court, at which a panel of high school students question them and try to identify solutions. After court, youth and attorney mentors are assigned to each student for support. The student and the court sign a written agreement, and after two months, students return to the court to review their contract and report on their progress.

Results: Denise Keyes Page, who recruits and trains mentors for this initiative, says "This program works because it harnesses the power of peer pressure. Truants are judged and mentored by their peers, instead of just by adults who may seem distant and unconnected. Our program uses both the carrot and stick approaches, providing both supportive mentorship and real courtroom accountability to truant students. One of the evolving strengths of the program is that not only are we providing support to the truant, but we are serving as a resource to their parents."

Atlantic County, New Jersey

Program elements: The Atlantic County Project Helping Hand receives referrals from six Atlantic City and four Pleasantville elementary schools for youth in K through eighth grades who have five to 15 days of unexcused absences. A truancy worker meets with the youth and family to provide short-term family counseling, usually up to eight sessions. Referrals for additional social services are made on an as needed basis. If the family fails to keep appointments, home visits are made to encourage cooperation. Once a truancy problem is corrected, the case is closed and placed on an aftercare/monitoring status with contact made at 30, 60, and 90 day intervals to ensure that truancy does not persist.

Results: During the past school year, 84 percent of the students who participated in the Atlantic County program had no recurrence of truancy.
Colleen Denelsback of project Helping Hand says that "our philosophy is one of early intervention, both at the age level and the number of unexcused absences. We stress that the earlier intervention takes place, the greater the chance for positive outcomes. Early intervention will prevent truancy and later delinquency."

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Program elements: The THRIVE (Truancy Habits Reduced Increasing Valuable Education) initiative is a comprehensive anti-truancy program spurred by an ongoing community partnership of law enforcement, education, and social service officials. Police bring a suspected truant to a community-run detention center where, within one hour of arrival, officials assess the youth's school status, release the youth to a parent or relative, and refer the family to any needed social service agencies. Parents are notified by the district attorney of potential consequences for repeat behavior. Parents who harbor youth with 15 days of consecutive unexcused absences are subject to misdemeanor charges.

Results: Since THRIVE's inception, the Oklahoma City Police Department reports a 33 percent drop in daytime burglary rates. Tom Steemen, the parent of a student who went through THRIVE, says, "The first I heard of the program was when my son was caught and taken to the center. I was real glad to know they had something like THRIVE." His son Ken, age 15, says, "THRIVE shook me up. I knew (while in the police car) just how wrong I was."

Norfolk, Virginia

Program elements: The Norfolk, Virginia school district uses software to collect data on students who are tardy, cut class, leave grounds without permission, are truant but brought back to school by police, or are absent without cause. Each school has a team composed of teachers, parents, and school staff that examines the data to analyze truancy trends. For example, a team may try to pinpoint particular locations where truant students are found during school hours and then place additional monitors ors in these locations. A team may also notice certain months when truancy is prevalent and then design special programs to curb truancy during those months.

Results: Ann Hall of the Norfolk Public Schools says, "Attendance has improved at all levels of schools - two percent at the elementary and secondary levels. The overall district average is up one percent. This is significant in that legal attendance is at the 93rd percentile. Tighter attendance policies, grading practices, and teamwork have lead to this improvement. There are few, if any, teachers complaining that discipline and law violations are not being handled consistently through out the district."

Marion, Ohio

Program elements: The Community Service Early Intervention Program focuses on potential truants during freshman year. Referred students are required to attend tutoring sessions as directed, give their time to community service projects, and participate in a counseling program. In addition, students are required to give back to the Intervention initiative by sharing what they have learned with new students in the program and by recommending others who might benefit. Parental participation is required throughout the program. Upon completion of the six-week sequence, school records relative to truancy are nullified. If the student fails the program, formal court intervention is the next step.

Results: Of the 28 students who took part in the program this semester, 20 have improved attendance records and will pass freshman year. The eight who did not improve their attendance records either moved from the school district or were removed from the school for failure to meet attendance requirements. Misty Swanger, Community Educator for this initiative, saw a general improvement in the grades and behavior of the students. Executive Director Christine Haas says, "This program is a combination of early intervention and early attention. As long as the child knows that someone is watching out for them and taking an interest in them, they will not be truant. The attention factor is very important. It creates success." The intervention program has as already identified 100 ninth grade students with truancy problems to work with in the coming year.

Peoria, Arizona

Program elements: In Operation Save Kids, school officials contact the parents of students with three unexcused absences. Parents are expected to relay back to school officials steps they have taken to ensure their children regularly attend school . When students continue to be truant, cases are referred to the local district attorney.
To avoid criminal penalty and a $150 parent fine, youth are required to participate in an intensive counseling program, and parents must attend a parenting skills training program.

Results: Since Operation Save Kids began two years ago, daytime juvenile property crime rates have declined by 65 percent. Truancy citywide has been cut in half. "Look at today's truant, and you're looking at tomorrow's criminal," says Assistant City Attorney Terry Bays Smith.

Bakersfield, California

Program elements: A consortium of school districts in Kern County, California has formed the Truancy Reduction Program. Local schools reach out to youth with a history of truancy through parent contact, peer tutoring, and mentoring services. Persistently truant youth are referred to the County Probation Office. Probation officers visit parents at home one-on-one, check on the youth at school weekly, and in the majority of cases refer youth and their families to one or more needed social service agencies. The County Probation Office and local school continue to track the youth for a full year before making referral to the local District Attorney's Office.

Results: "The majority of graduates of the Truancy Reduction Program's first year no longer present a truancy problem," according to the Kern County Public Schools Coordinator, Steve Hageman. Over a fifth of the class had perfect school attendance records in the year following their participation.

Resources

The U.S. Department of Justice provides federal funding to states to implement local delinquency prevention programs, including programs that address truancy.
Many of these programs address risk and protective factors. A large portion of the funding has come from the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Formula Grants Program that is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs. For more information contact the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, 1-800-638-8736. Under a jointly-funded project, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education have developed a training and technical assistance project to help communities develop or enhance truancy prevention/intervention programs and programs that target related problems of youth out of the education mainstream. For more information contact the National School Safety Center, 805-373-9977.
Prepared by the U.S. Department of Education with input from the U.S. Department of Justice and in consultation with local communities and the National School Safety Center.

Our next Parent Workshop is March 3rd, 2007.

This is a Bend, Oregon workshop being held at the St. Charles Medical Center. We're actively looking to talk to programs, schools and companies who care about the issues at the heart of families with struggling adolescents and young adults.

Your sponsorship of only $200 helps underwrite the cost of our Parent Workshops so more parents and family members of children adolescents and young adults may attend this event and more importantly go toward the expansion of additional resources in providing these workshops in other states to reach more parents who are looking for residential treatment options. Sponsors can participate in several ways, both in having their material presented at the workshops and online here at Horizon Family Solutions both in our newsletter and on out website. We are also open to having speakers from your company speak about a specific topic of interest to parents.

Interested in sponsoring? Want to make your company, program or school more visible to the Parent Workshop participants?

We'd love to tell you more!

Call Deb Carstens at (541) 383-2041 or send her an email at Deb@DebCarstens.com.

The primary readership of Horizon Family Solutions News & Views are parents and professionals looking to enroll adolescents and young adults with behavioral educational and emotional challenges in residential programs and schools.

Our newsletter is read by counselors, judges, lawyers, nurses, physicians, probation officers, parents, therapists, school counselors and other school staff, just to name a few.

The edition of the email newsletter is published every month.

At this time, our subscriber list is 3,510 with more people subscribing every month.

Currently there are up to 51,000 visitors to our TroubledTeenhelp.com site and 76,000 hits per month with the numbers steadily increasing.

All of our advertisers and Sponsors have report increased activity after being connected with Horizon Family Solutions News & Views and TroubledTeenHelp.com.

ADVERTISING REQUIREMENTS

Horizon Family Solutions, LLC will only allow advertising from companies whose websites comply with the following information:

• Company must be operating legally
• Website must contain a description of key staff?s qualifications/ experience. (A staff page qualifies best.)
• Website must contain a physical address or location.
• Website must contain names of key staff members.

Questions?

Contact Dore Frances or Deb Carstens.