Tag Archive for teen

Teen Deserves His $50,000 Prize

A teenager from Ireland may have found a way to rescue our oceans from the growing plastic pollution problem.

A walk on the beach led Fionn Ferreira to develop his project on microplastic extraction from water for the annual Google Science Fair. The project won the grand prize of $50,000 in educational funding at this year’s event.

The 18-year-old said that while he was out on that walk in his coastal hometown of Ballydehob, he ran across a stone with oil and plastic stuck to it — something he says he’s become more aware of in recent years.

Read the rest of this fascinating article at This Irish teenager may have a solution for a plastic-free ocean.

Avoid Theft of your Child’s Identity

It can happen when your child is a newborn, or as a teenager, or anytime in between: identity theft.  In fact, 1/4 of our kids will have their identities stolen before they reach their 18th birthday.

Morgan Stanley has published an important “Guide for Parents” that addresses this issue.  It gives warning  signs and strategies.  Topics include

  • A Target Even at Birth
  • Watch for these Warning Signs
  • Key Strategies for Parents

The commercial for Morgan Stanley doesn’t come in until their last topic, Helping to Keep Your Family’s Identity Secure.  Even that section contains ideas that are useful whether or not you’re a Morgan Stanley client.

If you’re a parent of a baby–whether newborn or teen–this article is worth a read.

 

Making Safer Teen Drivers

Believe it or not, studies show that parents are the greatest influence over a teen’s driving habits, both before and after the kids receive their licences.  One tool many parents have used to keep their kids safe while driving is a contract.  The kids will call the idea dumb, but it works.  Possibly because kids function best when they know the rules and specific consequences.

If you have a teen driver now or coming up, sit down with him or her with a contract and talk about each provision.  (The talking itself is a  good deterrent to risky driving habits.)  Some are more simple than others.  Below are links to several you might take a look at.  Choose one that fits your family best.

Allstate — https://www.allstatefoundation.org/pdf/Parent-Teen-Agreement-MI.pdf

AAA — http://teendriving.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Parent.Teen_.Driving.Agreement.pdf

American Academy of Pediatrics —    https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/driving_contract-a.pdf

 

And the Kids Keep Dying

Mother Jones reports that 194 children have been killed by gunshots in this last year since the Newtown tragedy.  Most of them were killed in their own homes or in the homes of friends or relatives.  72 shot themselves or were shot by another child–52 of them because a gun had been left unsecured.  Only four adults have been held criminally liable.

60 kids were shot dead by one of their parents. 2/3 of the victims and 3/4 of those doing the shooting were boys.

Sad. Horrific. Heart-breaking. Mind-boggling. Senseless