I wanted to pass along some great websites for all of my parents concerning adolescent drinking. It may not be a problem now, but it is almost a fact that over the next few years your child will be exposed to alcohol and he or she needs to have some facts, suggestions, and guidance from you to help them make the right choices. I hope these websites are of value to you.

http://www.family.samhsa.gov/set/prosecuting.aspx

http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/

http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org/en/index.htm

 http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/MakeADiff_SpanHTML/SpanDiff.pdf

http://www.thecoolspot.gov/

Benefits of Journal Writing for Kids

Children, like adults, have thoughts incessantly tickling the corners of their minds.  Like adults, children need a vehicle to let these thoughts develop .  Keeping a journal is an undeniably effective method for expressing thoughts and venting feelings.  Nurturing your child's thoughts by urging them to keep a journal is a wonderful way to help them expand and cultivate their ideas.

To start, the aesthetics of the actual book that your child writes in are very important.  If they like the book they are writing in, they are more apt to write in it.  So, let the child pick out a blank book that they like.  Perhaps picking out a book with a popular cartoon or icon on the cover will make them feel more comfortable to carry the book around with them. 

Secondly, you must assure them that they are free to write anything they wish to in the book, and that you will not look in it.  You must hold true to this promise.  Journal-writing is not so that you can find out about your child's secrets, it is so they can look at their own experiences through a clearer lens.  Looking at your child's journal is an invasion of their privacy and would make your child lose trust in you. 

It is important that your child understands that writing in their journal is an optional, fun activity.  You may urge them to write, but you should never push or force them.  If journal-writing becomes a required activity, they may grow to think of it as a chore.  You may want to suggest that they write in it before bedtime or if they are bored during the day. 

An especially good time to suggest that they write is when they are upset about an event and they are refusing to communicate with you or accept your communication.  Sometimes writing can help clarify the situation they are having difficulties with.  If nothing else, journal-writing will simply help your child organize their thoughts and get them out without anyone judging them. 

Additionally, journal-writing can certainly help a child polish their writing skills which will be essential for the rest of their life. 

What to Do If Your Teen Begins To Fail

Many teenagers experience times when keeping up with schoolwork is difficult. These periods may last for several weeks and may result in social problems as well as a decline in academic performance.
Some adolescents get through these difficult times with minimal assistance from their parents or teachers. It may be enough for parents to listen to the teenager's problems and suggest coping strategies, provide a supportive home environment, and encourage the teenager's participation in extracurricular school activities.
However, when the difficulties last longer than a single grading period or are linked to a long-term pattern of poor school performance or problematic behaviors, parents and teachers may need to intervene.
Who's at Risk for Failure?
Some students may exhibit at-risk behaviors from the early elementary school years on; others may overcome early difficulties but could experience related problems during the middle or high school years. Still others may not exhibit at-risk behaviors until early adolescence.
To intervene effectively, parents and teachers need to know some common characteristics of adolescents at risk for school failure. These characteristics include:
* Attention problems. The student has a history of attention issues at school.
* Poor grades. The student consistently performs at barely average or below average levels.
 
* Retentions. The student has been retained in one or more grade levels.
 
* Absenteeism. The student is absent five or more days per term.
 
* Lack of connection with school and community activities. The student is not involved in sports, music, scouting, or other extracurricular activities.
 
* Behavior problems. The student may be disciplined frequently in school or may show a sudden change in school behavior, such as withdrawing from classroom discussions.
 
* Lack of confidence. The student believes that success is linked to natural intelligence rather than to hard work and that his or her own ability is insufficient and cannot be changed or improved.
 
* Limited goals for the future. The student seems unaware of what career options are available or of how to attain those goals.
When an adolescent exhibits more than one of these characteristics, he or she will likely need assistance from parents and teachers if he or she is to be successful in school. If parents and teachers step back and let these students "figure it out" or "take responsibility for their own learning,"this may lead to a deeper cycle of failure at school.
What Role Does Parenting Style Play?
Parenting style may affect a child's school behavior. Many experts distinguish among permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative parenting styles. These parenting styles are associated with different combinations of warmth and support, and limit-setting and supervision for children.
The permissive style tends to emphasize warmth and support, and the authoritarian style tends to emphasize limit-setting and supervision. The authoritative style offers a combination of both warmth and support and limit-setting and supervision, and it has been identified as the parenting style that is more likely to encourage academic success in adolescents. Authoritative parents are warm and responsive but are also able to establish and enforce standards for their children's behavior, to monitor conduct, and to encourage communication. Authoritative parents make it clear that they expect responsible behavior from their children and that they are available to support their children as needed.
How Should I Respond?
Parents often feel uncertain about how to approach their adolescent or the school when their teenager seems to be having difficulty. However, it is important to remember that adolescents need their parents not only to set appropriate expectations and boundaries, but also to advocate for them. Teachers can ease parents' concerns by including the parents as part of the student's educational support team. When an adolescent is having difficulty, parents can help by:
* Making time to listen to the teenager's fears or concerns and trying to understand them.
 
* Setting appropriate boundaries for behavior that are consistently enforced.
 
* Emphasizing the importance of study skills, hard work, and follow-through at home and in school.
 
* Arranging tutoring or study group support for the teenager at the school or in the community through organizations such as the local YMCA or a local college or university.
 
* Providing a supportive home and school environment in which education is clearly valued.
 
* Encouraging the teenager to participate in one or more school activities.
 
* Becoming more involved in school activities by attending school functions, such as sporting events, concerts, science fairs, and plays, to show their support for the school.
 
* Meeting as a team with the student and a school counselor to share their expectations for the teenager's future and to figure out how they can support his or her learning environment.
 
* Helping the teenager think about career options by arranging for visits to local companies and colleges, providing information about careers and vocational or college courses, and encouraging the teenager to participate in an internship or a career-oriented part-time job.
 
* Encouraging the teenager to volunteer in the community or to participate in community groups such as the YMCA, scouting, 4-H, religious organizations, or other service-oriented groups to provide an out-of-school support system.
 
Understanding the factors that may put an adolescent at risk for academic failure can help parents and teachers to determine if a student is in need of extra help or support. Being aware of common problems can help parents know when it is important to reach out to the student before a "difficult time" develops into a more serious situation.
Where Can I Get More Information?
The following organizations offer information about at-risk students and about elementary and early childhood education:
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Children's Research Center
51 Gerty Drive
Champaign, IL 61820-7469
Toll Free: 800-583-4135
Phone: 217-333-1386
Fax: 217-333-3767
E-mail: ericeece@uiuc.edu
Web: http://www.ericeece.org
NPIN Web: http://www.npin.org (National Parent Information Network)
National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth
P.O. Box 13505
Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505
Phone: 301-608-8098
Fax: 301-608-8721
E-mail: info@ncfy.com
Web: http://www.ncfy.com
National Middle School Association
2600 Corporate Exchange Drive, Suite 370
Columbus, OH 43231
Toll Free: 800-528-NMSA (6672)
Phone: 614-895-4730
Fax: 614-895-4750
Web: http://www.nmsa.org

Attributes of Sixth Graders

The average eleven-year-old is heading towards adolescence. He:
* Shows more self-assertion and curiosity.
* Is socially expansive and aware.
* Is physically exuberant, restless, wiggly, and talks a lot.
* Has a range and intensity of emotions.
* Is moody and easily frustrated.
* Can relate feelings.
* Is competitive, wants to excel, and may put down the "out group."
* Exhibits "off-color" humor and silliness.
* Teases and tussles.

Sixth Grade Basic Skills

In sixth grade more emphasis is placed on increasing student's proficiency in the basic skills. Students usually have more than one teacher because teachers are becoming subject specialists. In sixth grade, most students will:
* Identify major chronological events in history, as well as find the areas studied in history on maps and globes.
* Understand our legacy from ancient and early civilizations.
* Understand and perform all operations for rational numbers.
* Write, simplify, and manipulate expressions and equations in all areas of problem solving, including ratios, proportions, geometry, statistics, and probability.
* Use all stages of the writing process (organizing, drafting, revising, and editing.
* Write essays, reports, letters, stories, and poems.
* Set up and conduct simple scientific experiments.
* Understand the concepts of gravity, motion, energy, chemical compounds, the ecosystem, fossils, heredity, weather, and the classification of matter.

How Parents Can Help Their Sixth Graders

At eleven years old, sixth graders are making the transition to adolescence. Parents can help by encouraging their child as she:
* Copes with changes.
* Transitions to adolescence.
* Works on her interpersonal skills.
* Handles peer groups/pressure.
* Develops personal interests and abilities.
* Takes on greater responsibility for her behavior and decisions.