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Fostering Character Develoment in Teens: The Basics, pt 1

To become a person of Character, teens require guidance, encouragement and accountability. They need help identifying fundamental values. They will need your help recognizing when and how to put these values into action. They need help holding to these values when personal desires or pressure to compromise threatens to lead them astray. (They need to know what “astray” is.) What’s …

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Fostering Character Development in Teens: Introduction

Character is as important today as it has ever been. The same things that make American culture the wonder of the world – freedom, wealth, luxury, opportunity, diversity, tolerance, abundance – can tempt teens to be impulsive, aimless, focused on immediate gratification, greedy and entitled. Character is, and always has been, the antidote to these dead end life choices. Character …

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Creative, effective punishment takes thought

“If I had talked like that to my mom, she would have knocked the crap out of me!” When parents say this to me I sometimes think, “Why don’t you?” All right, I don’t recommend corporal punishment. I didn’t spank or hit my own kids, which is not to say there weren’t times when I really wanted to. Like a …

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Teach your teen some self-control

Come on! Come on! I’m tired of waiting! The game is coming out tomorrow I need it now. Forget it! Self-control is beginning to get increased attention these days. It is one of the strongest predictors of every kind of success during late adolescence and adulthood. Unfortunately, it is a pain (like most things that don’t fit the motto, “If …