Healthy habits are the key to teen weight loss. Show your teen the way with this practical plan for success.
Teenage obesity is a dangerous — and growing — problem. There's no magic bullet for teen weight loss, but there's plenty you can do to help. Start by encouraging your teen to adopt healthy habits that can last a lifetime.
Have a heart-to-heart
If your teen is overweight, he or she is probably concerned about the excess weight, too. Aside from lifelong health risks such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the social and emotional fallout of being overweight can be devastating for a teenager. It can also be frustrating to attempt weight loss and have poor results. Offer support and gentle understanding — and a willingness to help your teen take control of the problem.
You might say, "I can't change your weight. That's up to you. But I can help you make the right decisions."
Dispute unrealistic images
Weight and body image can be delicate issues, especially for teenage girls. When it comes to teen weight loss, remind your teen that there's no single ideal and no perfect body. The right weight for one person might not be the right weight for another.
Rather than talking about "fat" and "thin," encourage your teen to focus on practicing the behaviors that promote a healthy weight. Your family doctor can help set realistic goals for body mass index and weight based on your teen's age, height and general health.
Resist quick fixes
Help your teen understand that losing weight — and keeping it off — is a lifetime commitment. Fad diets may rob your growing teen of iron, calcium and other essential nutrients. Weight-loss pills and other quick fixes don't address the root of the problem. And the effects are often short-lived. Without a permanent change in habits, any lost weight is likely to return — and then some.
Promote activity
Like adults, teens need about 60 minutes of physical activity a day. But that doesn't necessarily mean 60 solid minutes at a stretch. Shorter, repeated bursts of activity during the day can help burn calories, too. In fact, any physical activity counts.
Team sports through school or community programs are great ways to get active. If your teen isn't an athlete or is hesitant to participate in certain sports, that's OK. Encourage him or her to walk, bike or in-line skate to school, or to walk a few laps through the halls before class. Suggest trading one hour of after-school channel surfing for shooting baskets in the driveway, jumping rope or walking the dog. Even household chores such as vacuuming and washing the car have aerobic benefits.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Fitness for kids: Getting your children off the couch
Children and sports: Choices for all ages
Suggest breakfast
If your teen fights the alarm clock the way it is, getting up even earlier to eat breakfast may be a tough sell — but it's important. A nutritious breakfast will jump-start your teen's metabolism and give him or her energy to face the day ahead. Even better, it may keep your teen from eating too much during the rest of the day.
If your teen resists high-fiber cereal or whole-wheat toast, suggest last night's leftovers. Even a piece of string cheese or a small handful of nuts and a piece or two of fruit can do the job.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Breakfast: Why is it so important?
Encourage smart snacking
It can be tough to make healthy choices when school halls are lined with vending machines, but it's possible. Encourage your teen to replace even one bag of chips a day with a healthier grab-and-go option from home:
Frozen grapes
Oranges, strawberries or other fresh fruit
Sliced red, orange or yellow peppers
Cherry tomatoes
Baby carrots
Low-fat yogurt or pudding
Pretzels
Graham crackers
String cheese
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Snacks: How they fit into a healthy diet
Watch portion sizes
When it comes to portions, size matters. Encourage your teen to scale back and stop eating when he or she is full. It might take just one slice of pizza or half the pasta on the plate to feel full — and there's no shame in sharing a meal, ordering a smaller portion or taking home leftovers.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Lose weight with proper portion control
Count liquid calories
The average 12-ounce can of soda has more than 100 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar. The calories and sugar in fruit juice, specialty coffees and other drinks can add up quickly as well. Drinking water instead of soda and other sugary drinks may spare your teen hundreds of calories and a day's worth of sugar — or even more. For variety, suggest flavored water, seltzer water or unsalted club soda.
Allow occasional treats
Late-night pizza with friends or nachos at the mall don't need to derail your teen's healthy-eating plan. Suggest a breadstick and marinara sauce instead of garlic bread dripping in butter and cheese, or a shared snack rather than a full-size order. Let your teen know that he or she is in control — and an occasional indulgence is OK. A trend toward healthier habits is what really matters.
Make it a family affair
Rather than singling out your teen, adopt healthier habits as a family. After all, eating healthier foods and getting more exercise is good for everybody.
Encourage the entire family to eat more fruits, veggies and whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal. Be sure to set a good example yourself.
Leave junk food at the grocery store. Healthy foods sometimes cost more, but it's an important investment.
Try new recipes or healthier alternatives to family favorites.
Banish food from the couch to curb mindless munching.
Plan active family outings, such as evening walks or weekend visits to a local recreation center.
Be positive
Being overweight doesn't inevitably lead to a lifetime of low self-esteem, but your acceptance is critical. Listen to your teen's concerns. Comment on his or her efforts, skills and accomplishments. Make it clear that your love is unconditional — not dependent on weight loss. Help your teen learn healthy ways to express his or her feelings, such as writing in a journal.
If your teen is struggling with low self-esteem or isn't able to cope with his or her weight in a healthy manner, consider a support group, formal weight-control program or professional counseling. Additional support may give your teen the tools to counter social pressure, cultivate more positive self-esteem and take control of his or her weight. The benefits will last a lifetime.
RELATED
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Childhood obesity
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Problems with Friends
Question
Wow, where do I start? I just know I desperately need help with a situation with a ‘best friend'. I met her in February, 2004 at a bowling alley. It took a while for her to warm up to me, but she is like that. Over a period of several months, we became friends and started bowling together outside of league, etc. We eventually started also talking online, talking on the phone, etc. You need a special patience to be friends with her, and so a lot of people are not often there for her. As a result, she began calling me her best friend, and she became mine as well. We became real close. It was never really ‘romantic' or anything like that and I knew that from the start, though she's attractive. Everything was going great until she moved down the road from me, which I believe is a coincidence. I moved out on my own (I'm 22, like her) and she wanted to do the same. Our problems began around late February 2005. I was interested in a girl named Blair, and to make a long story short, I got my heart broke. She was my other ‘best friend' at the time. Blair and I have since patched things up. After this, Michelle started being more distant. This had nothing to do with anything, it's just kind of when it began. In March, I noticed that every time I asked her to do anything, she would say no. This went on for several months and is still the case for today. I ask her to do something – anything – even after she says she's bored, and she will 99.9% of the time say no. I ask her to the movies and she says she doesn't like seeing movies with guys…even though she has seen movies with plenty of guys, including her other ‘best friend', Josh. Josh is currently out of the country on a mission, but I always feel like she puts me second to him. She knows this. This is kind of how our issue started, but it's just something I've had to kind of ‘accept' and hope for the best. I asked her to go to the movies for months, have a beer or so, go to my parents house where I used to live, go for a walk, bowl, bowl in a league, everything! You name it, I asked. Over half of this, she turned right around and done it with someone else, including the bowling league, bowling, movies, etc. It's a repetitive pattern. This became a really huge issue that she knew about in the early summer, and she would get mad every time I would bring it up. It got to the point where I would ask her to do something, she would say no, and then go do things with others and try to hide it. With all this, she still declared me her “best friend” and the closest person to her, for whatever reason. I care a lot, and she knows this. I would do anything for her. I might even be slightly in love with her, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'm just hurt she doesn't want to be seen (it seems like) with a best friend… and she claims it has nothing to do with me and she knows I do not believe her. She knows the issue, yet makes little effort to fix anything – and even if she did, I would view it as sympathetic. On June 26, she completely ripped into me on AOL instant messenger. I sent her a text message on her cell phone telling her we really needed to talk about things…not that night, not even that week, but we just needed to talk sometime. About ten minutes later, she said this to me: Her: How the f*ck do you expect me to want to hear this? You say that a best friend is supposed to do certain things, what the hell do you think you are doing? This is not what a "best friend" does either. A best friend does not willingly make their supposed friend feel like utter shit and don't you DARE tell me that I have NO right to feel the way that I do. I have every f*cking right that you do. You tell me that I need to realize that there are people in this world that have problems besides myself but what you want is for me to only hear you. You don't give a flying f*ck about me no matter what you say! You don't! I have tried these past few days to make an effort even if it's the smallest effort and you throw it back in my face. If this is what you think a "taste of their own medicine" is like, you're f*cking psycho. Her: Yeah, I don't want to hang out and you know why? I realized that I need someone positive in my life and you're not it! I can't handle anymore of this. I do something once, you get pissed and throw it at me which pisses me off so I don't do anything again and it's an endless cycle. This is bullshit that you keep throwing this in my face. You've changed, I've changed. Deal w/ it. Don't tell me you haven't changed b/c that's f*cking bullshit! The fact that you are telling me that our friendship is in my hands, what the f*ck is that? That right there should be a sign that you're making this a one way deal and I don't do that shit. You tell me that you care too much? BULLSHIT! Her: None of this is an act of caring. NONE. You tell me to listen to you, why not f*cking listen to me for once? You get pissed b/c I never tell you anything anymore, this is why! I can't deal w/ this shit anymore! This is f*cking rediculous that you had to type something up to express all my faults and degrade me. I'm better than that Jason. I refuse to listen to you say one more bad thing about me. You tell me over and over again "how would that make you feel". Take a look at how I feel. How would you feel if you had a friend doing this to you? I'm trying very very hard to remain rational and not go blabbing to the entire f*cking free world about my problems. Especially to people who don't know shit about the people involved. For once, think of something, someone, other than yourself and don't say that you do b/c you don't! YOU DON'T! Me: Bye MichelleMe: See, there is an explanation for everythingHer: signed off at 9:58:40 PM. Her: signed on at 9:59:17 PM. Her: is away at 10:29:00 PM.She claims that she did not mean any of that, but yet, that's the only thing that she has typed/said that makes sense to me. She tells me she cares about me so much, I'm the only person that understands her, and that she is always worried about me, etc…but yet it's like she is ashamed to be around me? A couple of Sundays ago, she was in a really good mood – which is rare as she is a real negative person. She told me I was going to see a certain movie (I was originally going to go by myself). This came after I invited her the previous week and she showed no interest. She just kept saying “You are going to see”… So I was asking if she was going then…and she said she would. Suddenly she wanted to, almost like she felt guilty. Then Monday, she came up and watched me bowl in my league and talked to quite a few people…and she met a guy that gave her the attention she wanted. The next night, she hangs out with him, goes to a bar, drinks around him and lets him get drunk. (She is too uncomfortable to drink around me, and she is the only one that's ever told me this) She took him back to her apartment, and they kissed, among other things. This is actually not that common for her because she freaks out about guys, though it's not uncommon for someone else to ask her to do anything, and for her to say yes. It's not that she kissed him or anything that bugs me or anything they might have done…it's the fact that she seems to want to get out and see the world with everyone but me, “her best friend”. She did, last week, see a movie with me. That was Thursday night. The next night, she complained she was so bored, yet she didn't want to do anything. Saturday night, she was out with this guy until 1 AM when she had to open at work the next day. Sunday, she hung out with him again and no showed to our bowling league (the same league she did not want to bowl with me on, but joined another team). She claims she is worried about me. She claims that I am her best friend. She claims all this good stuff, but her actions don't show it. I'm so confused, so depressed. She's hanging out with a girl named Molly on Thursday. I don't mind her hanging out with others, but I just don't feel equal. This is ruining my life and I hate it. I'm so concerned with her and what she does, I'm making myself miserable. I feel like I'm losing someone real special and there is nothing I can do about it. Am I wrong here? What should I do? Is she wrong? Everyone I've talked to tends to side with me, but I just don't see how this problem could be fixed. She says she is going to prove to me that the problem is not me, and that there is no problem at all, it's just a “routine” that she is used to. She did tell me a couple weeks ago she was going to try to explain things the best she could, and it wasn't really an answer, but something she needed to say. I believe I can see what is going on just fine. She wants a best friend when it's convenient. When she has no one else to turn to. Maybe she just needs me temporarily until Josh comes back from his mission? (May of this coming year) She tells me a lot – maybe more than anyone. Maybe that is what she means by a best friend? I just don't want to lose her anymore than I already have, so I'm scared of making the wrong decision. Most say I need to just move on though. I just can't, because I have tried. I really can't think of too many people I would go to this much trouble for, but she is obviously one of them. I don't know what to do, and it's actually hurting me to the point of where I am going to see a doctor and see what I can have done. I'm manic-depressive, and this is really making my life a roller coaster from hell. Every day seems to be a struggle, and she knows what is bothering me, but doesn't seem to want to do anything about it. She tells me (sometimes) that she will prove to me that I am wrong, but it sure doesn't look like I am. She has plans on Thursday with someone else… She just seems to want no interest in me. This is very long and I apologize, but believe it or not this makes a long story short! I care for her too much to let go without a fight. It sounds like some kind of sappy movie, but this is what I'm dealing with. I never thought I would care this much for any girl…and she's just a “friend”. Hope you can help. : )
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Answer
To be honest, I don't know where to start with an answer. Some people would say "move on", and you even said that people said that to you. Yet, it's not as simple as that. Some people say "forgive and forget". But, it's not as simple as that. You admit she is different. You admit she acts a certain way. She plays games with people, and you can do better than her. She is the reason you are going to the doctor. However, she may not be playing a game on purpose. It may be in her mind. She may be afraid to see Josh. She may feel you are getting to close to her, so she is pushing you away, without even fully knowing this. Has she gone to the doctor with you? I recommend this. I also recommend you talk to Josh. Have you ever met him? Ever seen him? Does she talk about him a lot? Or is Josh not really a person at all? Sometimes people make up people.You have went over my line with this problem. I will admit. I however hope I gave some light to something. I recommend asking in the psychology area. Asking follow ups also. Good luck and sorry.
Wow, where do I start? I just know I desperately need help with a situation with a ‘best friend'. I met her in February, 2004 at a bowling alley. It took a while for her to warm up to me, but she is like that. Over a period of several months, we became friends and started bowling together outside of league, etc. We eventually started also talking online, talking on the phone, etc. You need a special patience to be friends with her, and so a lot of people are not often there for her. As a result, she began calling me her best friend, and she became mine as well. We became real close. It was never really ‘romantic' or anything like that and I knew that from the start, though she's attractive. Everything was going great until she moved down the road from me, which I believe is a coincidence. I moved out on my own (I'm 22, like her) and she wanted to do the same. Our problems began around late February 2005. I was interested in a girl named Blair, and to make a long story short, I got my heart broke. She was my other ‘best friend' at the time. Blair and I have since patched things up. After this, Michelle started being more distant. This had nothing to do with anything, it's just kind of when it began. In March, I noticed that every time I asked her to do anything, she would say no. This went on for several months and is still the case for today. I ask her to do something – anything – even after she says she's bored, and she will 99.9% of the time say no. I ask her to the movies and she says she doesn't like seeing movies with guys…even though she has seen movies with plenty of guys, including her other ‘best friend', Josh. Josh is currently out of the country on a mission, but I always feel like she puts me second to him. She knows this. This is kind of how our issue started, but it's just something I've had to kind of ‘accept' and hope for the best. I asked her to go to the movies for months, have a beer or so, go to my parents house where I used to live, go for a walk, bowl, bowl in a league, everything! You name it, I asked. Over half of this, she turned right around and done it with someone else, including the bowling league, bowling, movies, etc. It's a repetitive pattern. This became a really huge issue that she knew about in the early summer, and she would get mad every time I would bring it up. It got to the point where I would ask her to do something, she would say no, and then go do things with others and try to hide it. With all this, she still declared me her “best friend” and the closest person to her, for whatever reason. I care a lot, and she knows this. I would do anything for her. I might even be slightly in love with her, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'm just hurt she doesn't want to be seen (it seems like) with a best friend… and she claims it has nothing to do with me and she knows I do not believe her. She knows the issue, yet makes little effort to fix anything – and even if she did, I would view it as sympathetic. On June 26, she completely ripped into me on AOL instant messenger. I sent her a text message on her cell phone telling her we really needed to talk about things…not that night, not even that week, but we just needed to talk sometime. About ten minutes later, she said this to me: Her: How the f*ck do you expect me to want to hear this? You say that a best friend is supposed to do certain things, what the hell do you think you are doing? This is not what a "best friend" does either. A best friend does not willingly make their supposed friend feel like utter shit and don't you DARE tell me that I have NO right to feel the way that I do. I have every f*cking right that you do. You tell me that I need to realize that there are people in this world that have problems besides myself but what you want is for me to only hear you. You don't give a flying f*ck about me no matter what you say! You don't! I have tried these past few days to make an effort even if it's the smallest effort and you throw it back in my face. If this is what you think a "taste of their own medicine" is like, you're f*cking psycho. Her: Yeah, I don't want to hang out and you know why? I realized that I need someone positive in my life and you're not it! I can't handle anymore of this. I do something once, you get pissed and throw it at me which pisses me off so I don't do anything again and it's an endless cycle. This is bullshit that you keep throwing this in my face. You've changed, I've changed. Deal w/ it. Don't tell me you haven't changed b/c that's f*cking bullshit! The fact that you are telling me that our friendship is in my hands, what the f*ck is that? That right there should be a sign that you're making this a one way deal and I don't do that shit. You tell me that you care too much? BULLSHIT! Her: None of this is an act of caring. NONE. You tell me to listen to you, why not f*cking listen to me for once? You get pissed b/c I never tell you anything anymore, this is why! I can't deal w/ this shit anymore! This is f*cking rediculous that you had to type something up to express all my faults and degrade me. I'm better than that Jason. I refuse to listen to you say one more bad thing about me. You tell me over and over again "how would that make you feel". Take a look at how I feel. How would you feel if you had a friend doing this to you? I'm trying very very hard to remain rational and not go blabbing to the entire f*cking free world about my problems. Especially to people who don't know shit about the people involved. For once, think of something, someone, other than yourself and don't say that you do b/c you don't! YOU DON'T! Me: Bye MichelleMe: See, there is an explanation for everythingHer: signed off at 9:58:40 PM. Her: signed on at 9:59:17 PM. Her: is away at 10:29:00 PM.She claims that she did not mean any of that, but yet, that's the only thing that she has typed/said that makes sense to me. She tells me she cares about me so much, I'm the only person that understands her, and that she is always worried about me, etc…but yet it's like she is ashamed to be around me? A couple of Sundays ago, she was in a really good mood – which is rare as she is a real negative person. She told me I was going to see a certain movie (I was originally going to go by myself). This came after I invited her the previous week and she showed no interest. She just kept saying “You are going to see”… So I was asking if she was going then…and she said she would. Suddenly she wanted to, almost like she felt guilty. Then Monday, she came up and watched me bowl in my league and talked to quite a few people…and she met a guy that gave her the attention she wanted. The next night, she hangs out with him, goes to a bar, drinks around him and lets him get drunk. (She is too uncomfortable to drink around me, and she is the only one that's ever told me this) She took him back to her apartment, and they kissed, among other things. This is actually not that common for her because she freaks out about guys, though it's not uncommon for someone else to ask her to do anything, and for her to say yes. It's not that she kissed him or anything that bugs me or anything they might have done…it's the fact that she seems to want to get out and see the world with everyone but me, “her best friend”. She did, last week, see a movie with me. That was Thursday night. The next night, she complained she was so bored, yet she didn't want to do anything. Saturday night, she was out with this guy until 1 AM when she had to open at work the next day. Sunday, she hung out with him again and no showed to our bowling league (the same league she did not want to bowl with me on, but joined another team). She claims she is worried about me. She claims that I am her best friend. She claims all this good stuff, but her actions don't show it. I'm so confused, so depressed. She's hanging out with a girl named Molly on Thursday. I don't mind her hanging out with others, but I just don't feel equal. This is ruining my life and I hate it. I'm so concerned with her and what she does, I'm making myself miserable. I feel like I'm losing someone real special and there is nothing I can do about it. Am I wrong here? What should I do? Is she wrong? Everyone I've talked to tends to side with me, but I just don't see how this problem could be fixed. She says she is going to prove to me that the problem is not me, and that there is no problem at all, it's just a “routine” that she is used to. She did tell me a couple weeks ago she was going to try to explain things the best she could, and it wasn't really an answer, but something she needed to say. I believe I can see what is going on just fine. She wants a best friend when it's convenient. When she has no one else to turn to. Maybe she just needs me temporarily until Josh comes back from his mission? (May of this coming year) She tells me a lot – maybe more than anyone. Maybe that is what she means by a best friend? I just don't want to lose her anymore than I already have, so I'm scared of making the wrong decision. Most say I need to just move on though. I just can't, because I have tried. I really can't think of too many people I would go to this much trouble for, but she is obviously one of them. I don't know what to do, and it's actually hurting me to the point of where I am going to see a doctor and see what I can have done. I'm manic-depressive, and this is really making my life a roller coaster from hell. Every day seems to be a struggle, and she knows what is bothering me, but doesn't seem to want to do anything about it. She tells me (sometimes) that she will prove to me that I am wrong, but it sure doesn't look like I am. She has plans on Thursday with someone else… She just seems to want no interest in me. This is very long and I apologize, but believe it or not this makes a long story short! I care for her too much to let go without a fight. It sounds like some kind of sappy movie, but this is what I'm dealing with. I never thought I would care this much for any girl…and she's just a “friend”. Hope you can help. : )
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Answer
To be honest, I don't know where to start with an answer. Some people would say "move on", and you even said that people said that to you. Yet, it's not as simple as that. Some people say "forgive and forget". But, it's not as simple as that. You admit she is different. You admit she acts a certain way. She plays games with people, and you can do better than her. She is the reason you are going to the doctor. However, she may not be playing a game on purpose. It may be in her mind. She may be afraid to see Josh. She may feel you are getting to close to her, so she is pushing you away, without even fully knowing this. Has she gone to the doctor with you? I recommend this. I also recommend you talk to Josh. Have you ever met him? Ever seen him? Does she talk about him a lot? Or is Josh not really a person at all? Sometimes people make up people.You have went over my line with this problem. I will admit. I however hope I gave some light to something. I recommend asking in the psychology area. Asking follow ups also. Good luck and sorry.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Teenager Health
There is a separate page for children's health and a page of websites aimed at children and teenagers
Links to useful Websites National contacts West Midlands health contacts Other information sources
EQUIP also has pages of information on specific medical conditions including addiction and sexual health and support for parents and families
Links to useful websites:
The information on these websites has not been checked by our doctors, but they are rated as good quality sites.
Al-ateen - for young people aged 12-20 who have been affected by someone else's drinking
Bullying Online - guidelines and advice
Childline - this website has many useful factsheets based on the range of problems children ask them about, including: boys allowed, bullying, can you work it out, child abuse, domestic violence, eating problems, exam stress, friends, HIV and AIDS, homelessness and runaways,pregnancy and contraception, racism, safe surfing, stepfamilies, suicide, when someone dies, your rights.
Doctor Ann's Virtual Surgery - questions and answers for common worries for teenagers
Embarrassing Problems - a UK site with advice and information on many difficult health issues
Foodlink - information for all ages on food safety and hygiene in the kitchen and games to play
Government websites with detailed information on:
drugs - a website called Talk to Frank aimed at young people
immunisation - information on many immunisations available in UK, including polio, meningitis, meningitis C, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR vaccine), diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) (DTP vaccine), haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), tuberculosis (BCG vaccine) and hepatitis B
Lifebytes - gives young people aged 11 - 14 facts about health in a fun and interesting way
sexual health - a website called Playing Safely aimed at young adults 16 - 24 years.
Mind, Body & Soul - a government website to give young people aged 14-16 information and advice on healthy living and playing including alcohol, drugs, emotional health, healthy eating, physical activity, safety, sexual health and smoking
Moving on up - a UK site giving information on health and growing up for young people from ethnic minorities. Information also available in Arabic, Chinese, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu
So What is Sexual Health? (SWISH) - very detailed website with 3 sections - one for young people, one for parents and one for professionals; it provides information, advice, an agony aunt, the laws and what schools should be teaching
Student Health - health advice for UK students written by doctors
Teen Info on Cancer - information on cancer aimed at teenagers
Teenage Health Freak - health information aimed at teenagers with and ask the doctor section
Teens First for Health - information about illnesses and your body, what it's like in hospital and real stories from other teenagers
There4Me - Website run by NSPCC for 12-16 year olds with info on family problems, bullying, feeling down, sex, relationships etc.
YHeart - a site from the British Heart Foundation aimed at teenagers
Youth Health Talk - run by DIPEX a collection of interviews with young people about their experiences of health or illness
Young People & Sexual Health - a UK website with detailed information on sexual health conditions and contraception and sexuality issues
Youth2Youth - the website has a library of problems that young people have sent in. Also have an email help service, plus a chat room open the same hours as the helpline.
Back to the top of this page
National contacts:
After 16 - choices and challenges for young disabled people
Brook Centre, Studio 421, Highgate Studios, 51 - 79 Highgate Road, London NW5 1TL Tel: 0800 0185 023 Helpline for under 19's: 0800 28 29 30 Email information@brookcentres.org.uk free, confidential sex advice and contraception to all young people
Centrepoint, Central House, 25 Camperdown Street, London E1 8DZ Tel: 0845 4663400 Helping homeless 16-25 year olds
Childline - 0800 1111
Connexions Direct - Tel: 080 800 13219 Text: 07766 413219 information and advice on learning, careers, health, relationships, money and lots more for ages 13-19
Contact a family, 209-211 City Road, London EC1V 1JN Tel: 020 7608 8700 Helpline: 0808 808 3555 - free for parents and carers (10am - 4pm Mon-Fri) Email: info@cafamily.org.uk Offers support for families of disabled or ill children
CRUSE Bereavement Care Youth, Helpline: 0808 808 1677 for 12-18 year olds
Get Connected, Helpline:0808 808 4994 A telephone helpline that finds young people the best help, whatever the problem
Headz Up - Alopecia UK, 5 Titchwell Road, London SW18 3LW Tel: 0208 333 1661 Email: info@alopeciaonline.org.uk Alopecia support for teenagers
Help Adolescents with Cancer (HAWC), 1st Floor Post Office Buildings, 338 Hollinwood Avenue, New Moston, Manchester M40 0JB Tel: 0161 688 6244 Email: niki@hawc.fsnet.co.uk or hawc@btinternet.com Also offer interpreters in Urdu, Punjabi, Spanish, German and Greek
Hope UK, 25(f) Copperfield Street, London SE1 0EN Tel: 020 7928 0848 Email: a.wilson@hopeuk.org encouraging young people to make drug-free choices
Kidscape, 2 Grosvenor Road, London SW1W 0DH Tel: 0207 730 3300 Helpline: 08451 205204 Advice and support for child abuse and bullying
Message Home - 0800 700 740 A confidential Helpline that enables those who have left home or run away to leave a message to pass on to a relative, carer or friend.
Sexwise: Helpline for under 19's: 0800 28 29 30
Young Arthritis Care, 18 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD, Tel: 020 7380 6500 Freephone Helpline: 0808 808 2000 (Mon 4-7pm, Wed-Fri 10-2pm) Email: thesource@arthritiscare.org.uk
Young Minds (Children's mental health charity), 102-108 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5SA Tel: 020 7336 8445 Infoline: 0800 0182138
Youth2Youth - Tel: 020 8896 3675 Telephone, email and online chat helpline run by young people for young people. Open Monday and Thursday evening 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
There are also many links and contacts for specific conditions and diseases - go to information topics
Back to the top of this page
West Midlands Contacts:
Adolescent Unit, Woodbourne Priory Hospital, 21-23 Woodbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 8BY Tel: 0121 429 8661 Email: caroleellis@prioryhealthcare.com We provide mental health treatment for young people aged 13 - 17. The Centre does not treat addictive behaviour such as anorexia.
Aftercare Service, 15 Acorn Grove, Ladywood, Birmingham B1 2PL Tel: 0121 464 1229 After care service for young people of ages 16 to 25 year olds.
Birmingham Chinese Youth Centre, c/o Q Lorc Resource Centre, 99 Bradford Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B12 0NS Tel: 0121 685 8511 Email: bcyc92@hotmail.com
Birmingham Signposting Service, 169 Newhall Street, Birmingham B3 1SW Tel: 0121 212 1727 Freephone: 0808 808 1001 (8am to 8pm Mon-Fri and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays) Email: enquiries@signposting.org.uk an independent helpline, text service and web-chat facility for children and young people (aged 0 - 19 years) across Birmingham helping them to find and access the support and services they need across the city
Birmingham Space, 4th Floor, King Edward Building, 205 Corporation Street, Birmingham B4 6FE Tel: 0800 072 5070 Email: Birminghamspace@barnardos.org.ok Birmingham Space provides support for children and young people under the age of 18 who are vulnerable to or at risk of being abused through sexual exploitation in the Birmingham area.
Birmingham Young Carers Project, Carers Centre, Milton Grange, 16 Handsworth Wood Road, Birmingham B20 2DR Tel: 0121 686 4070 Email: birmingham.youngcarers@nch.org.uk
Birmingham Young Volunteers Association Ltd, 4th Floor Smithfield House, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6BS Tel: 0121 622 2888 Email: enquiry@byvadventurecamps.co.uk
Brook Centres in West Midlands offer free, confidential sex advice and contraception to all young people:
Birmingham, 59 - 65 John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BL Tel: 0121 6435341
Dudley, 31 Priory Street, Dudley DY1 1HA Tel: 01384 239001
Sandwell, Toll End Road, Tipton, West Midlands DT4 0HP Tel: 0121 5571937
West Bromwich, 12 New Street Ringway, West Bromwich B70 7PM Tel: 01384 239001
Connexions, Offers 13-19 year olds all the information and advice they need to make the decisions and choices in their life. This is extended to age 25 if anyone has a learning difficulty or disability:
Birmingham & Solihull, Tel: 0121 248 8000 Connexions Direct: 080 800 13219 (8am - 2am) Email: info@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham East, Tel: 0121 248 8200 Email: yardley-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham North, Tel: 0121 248 8700 Email: erdington-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham North West, Tel: 0121 248 7955 Email: aston-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham North West, Tel: 0121 248 8250 Email: handsworth-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham South, Tel: 0121 248 7177 Email: kingsheath-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham South West, Tel: 0121 248 8248 Email: northfield-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Coventry & Warwickshire, Tel: 02476 707 400 Email: informationteam@cswpconnexions.org.uk
Dudley, Red House Glass Cone, High Street Corner of Bridge Street, Wordsley DY8 4AZ Tel: 0121 502 7500 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Herefordshire & Worcestershire, 3rd Floor, Virginia House, The Butts, Worcester, WR1 3PA Tel: 01905 332740
Sandwell, c/o Dudley College Training Centre, Station Drive, Dudley Port DY4 7QR Tel: 0121 502 7501 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Shropshire, 1st Floor, Victoria House, Victoria Quay, Shrewsbury SY1 1HH Tel: 01743 284428
Solihull (Chelmsley Wood), Tel: 0121 770 1861 Email: chelmsley-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Solihull, Tel: 0121 251 1800 Email: shirley-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Staffordshire (website temporarily down), Tel: 0808 1000 434 Email: info@cxstaffs.co.uk
Walsall, Small Street Centre, 1a Small Street, Walsall WS1 3PR Tel: 01922 707865 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Wolverhampton, Dale House, St John's Square, Wolverhampton WV2 4BE Tel: 0121 502 7503 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Disabled Children's Register and Information Service, Harris House, 8 St Agnes Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9PW Tel: 0121 449 6375 Set up by Birmingham City Council Social Services Department & Birmingham Health Authority.
Information Shop for Young People, Central Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3HQ Tel: 0121 303 4441 Email: infoshop@birmingham.gov.uk (11-5pm Tues-Fri) Drop in facility for young people aged 11-25 years. Housing, homelessness, benefits, careers, education, sexual health, counselling, emotional health and wellbeing
Kidzfirst (Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire), Tel: 01432 267 584 For young people up to age 19 with a disability
MentorIT ACADEMY (BVYC CiC), 81 Lozells Road, Lozells, Birmingham B18 2TS Tel: 0121 554 5255 or 0121 689 0768 or Mob: 07932953810 Email: Info@bvyp.co.uk Organisation that deals with youths in the Birmingham area.
Oakfield Road Leaving Care Project, Flat 1, 91-95 Oakfield Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12 9PY Tel: 0121 446 4369 Offering support to young people aged 16 to 21 who have left care.
Park Street Young Teenage Parents Unit (Worcester), 19-21 Park Street Worcester WR5 1AD Tel: 01905 354 609 support homeless young teenagers 16-25 and their children up to the age of 4 years old
RISQ (Relationships, Information, Sexuality and Questions for under 20's), 14 Deercote, Hollingswood, Telford TF3 2BH Tel: 01952 200 070
Shropshire Health for Youth, Telford & Wrekin Primary Care NHS Trust, Sexual Health Services, 3rd Floor, Princess House, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1JZ Tel: 01743 283382/3
South Birmingham Young Homeless Project, The Depot, Belton Grove, Longbridge, Birmingham B45 9PE Tel: 0121 453 0606/457 8736
Space West Midlands, 52 Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5TJ Tel/helpline: 0121 321 3737 Email: office@spacewestmidlands.org.uk Focus is young people, offering sexual health education, advice and counselling service for crisis pregnancies and abortion.
Sunrise Child Bereavement Centre (West Midlands), 43a Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TS Tel: 0121 454 1705 (9am-5pm) Email: christine.sunrise@zetnet.co.uk for parents who have lost a child or children who have lost a family member
WALKWAYS (Walsall), Youth Project, 44 Littleton Street West, Walsall WS2 8EN Tel: 01922 615393 Email: info@walkways.org.uk provide counselling, information and support to young people aged from 11 - 25
Walsall Youth Service, 2nd floor, Norwich Union House, 17 Lichfield Street, Walsall WS1 1TU Tel: 01922 650432 Email: morelands@walsall.gov.uk
West Midlands Public Libraries - Information can be found at your local public library.
What? Centre, 23 Coventry Street, Stourbridge DY8 1EP Tel: 01384 379992 Email: thewhatcentre@aol.com A young person's (13-25) advice and counselling service.
Wolverhampton Teenage Pregnancy Unit, Oxley Health Centre, Probert Road, Fordhouses, Wolverhampton WV10 6UF Tel: 01902 445330 Email: Sue.Wheatcroft@wolvespct.nhs.uk or Pat.Robinson@wolvespct.nhs.uk
Worcester YMCA, Henwick Road, Worcester WR2 5NS Tel: 01905 423197 Email: admin2@ymcaworcester.org.uk provides a supportive environment for disadvantaged homeless people including accommodation and leisure facilities
Worcestershire Young Carers, Suite 1, Quillgold House, Hampton Lovett Industrial Estate, Droitwich WR9 0QH Tel: 01905 799691 Fax: 01905 799692
Worcestershire Youth Services, Freephone: 0800 096 1425
WPH Counselling and Education Service (Incorporating Walsall Pregnancy Help), The Haven, 59a Lichfield Street, Walsall WS4 2BX Tel: 01922 649000 Fax: 01922 649322 Email: mail@wphcounselling.org WPH Counselling: Free (professional) counselling for, Depression, anxiety, abuse, self harming, relationships and sexual health education programmes designed for young people. Walsall Pregnancy Help: Free pregnancy testing, pre and post abortion counselling, still birth and loss, sexual health and contraception information.
There are also many links and contacts for specific conditions and diseases - go to information topics
Other Information Sources:
Search the BBC news for latest news
Electronic Medicines Compendium contains Patient Information Leaflets on many medicines
Leaflets and publications for people with learning disabilities or whose first language is not English:
Books Beyond Words - a series of books for adults and adolescents who cannot read or who have difficulty reading, books include information on medical topics, keeping healthy (including Looking after my breasts, Keeping healthy 'down below', Looking after my balls), about the body, bereavement, crime.
Down's Syndrome Scotland has online information on: Let's Talk About Puberty, Let's Talk About Periods,
Elfrida Society - booklets include: Food, Keep Clean, Safety in The Home, Coming for a Drink, Cathy has Thrush, Period Problems, Your Private Parts Pack, Drug Pack
Fair Multimedia - Tel: 0131 662 1962 Booklets - Guide to having a period, Guide to having a smear test, Guide to checking your breasts, Guide to examining your testicles, Guide to having a healthy mouth, Women's guide to keeping clean, Men's guide to keeping clean, Thinking about sex and CD Roms - Guide to checking your breasts, Guide to examining your testicles.
Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities - All about feeling down: A booklet for young people with learning disabilities
Mencap - You and your safety : A basic guide to being safe. Mencap Books The Mencap Shop 123, Golden lane London EC1Y 0RT 020 7608 3254
Medical Dictionary
Links to useful Websites National contacts West Midlands health contacts Other information sources
EQUIP also has pages of information on specific medical conditions including addiction and sexual health and support for parents and families
Links to useful websites:
The information on these websites has not been checked by our doctors, but they are rated as good quality sites.
Al-ateen - for young people aged 12-20 who have been affected by someone else's drinking
Bullying Online - guidelines and advice
Childline - this website has many useful factsheets based on the range of problems children ask them about, including: boys allowed, bullying, can you work it out, child abuse, domestic violence, eating problems, exam stress, friends, HIV and AIDS, homelessness and runaways,pregnancy and contraception, racism, safe surfing, stepfamilies, suicide, when someone dies, your rights.
Doctor Ann's Virtual Surgery - questions and answers for common worries for teenagers
Embarrassing Problems - a UK site with advice and information on many difficult health issues
Foodlink - information for all ages on food safety and hygiene in the kitchen and games to play
Government websites with detailed information on:
drugs - a website called Talk to Frank aimed at young people
immunisation - information on many immunisations available in UK, including polio, meningitis, meningitis C, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR vaccine), diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) (DTP vaccine), haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), tuberculosis (BCG vaccine) and hepatitis B
Lifebytes - gives young people aged 11 - 14 facts about health in a fun and interesting way
sexual health - a website called Playing Safely aimed at young adults 16 - 24 years.
Mind, Body & Soul - a government website to give young people aged 14-16 information and advice on healthy living and playing including alcohol, drugs, emotional health, healthy eating, physical activity, safety, sexual health and smoking
Moving on up - a UK site giving information on health and growing up for young people from ethnic minorities. Information also available in Arabic, Chinese, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu
So What is Sexual Health? (SWISH) - very detailed website with 3 sections - one for young people, one for parents and one for professionals; it provides information, advice, an agony aunt, the laws and what schools should be teaching
Student Health - health advice for UK students written by doctors
Teen Info on Cancer - information on cancer aimed at teenagers
Teenage Health Freak - health information aimed at teenagers with and ask the doctor section
Teens First for Health - information about illnesses and your body, what it's like in hospital and real stories from other teenagers
There4Me - Website run by NSPCC for 12-16 year olds with info on family problems, bullying, feeling down, sex, relationships etc.
YHeart - a site from the British Heart Foundation aimed at teenagers
Youth Health Talk - run by DIPEX a collection of interviews with young people about their experiences of health or illness
Young People & Sexual Health - a UK website with detailed information on sexual health conditions and contraception and sexuality issues
Youth2Youth - the website has a library of problems that young people have sent in. Also have an email help service, plus a chat room open the same hours as the helpline.
Back to the top of this page
National contacts:
After 16 - choices and challenges for young disabled people
Brook Centre, Studio 421, Highgate Studios, 51 - 79 Highgate Road, London NW5 1TL Tel: 0800 0185 023 Helpline for under 19's: 0800 28 29 30 Email information@brookcentres.org.uk free, confidential sex advice and contraception to all young people
Centrepoint, Central House, 25 Camperdown Street, London E1 8DZ Tel: 0845 4663400 Helping homeless 16-25 year olds
Childline - 0800 1111
Connexions Direct - Tel: 080 800 13219 Text: 07766 413219 information and advice on learning, careers, health, relationships, money and lots more for ages 13-19
Contact a family, 209-211 City Road, London EC1V 1JN Tel: 020 7608 8700 Helpline: 0808 808 3555 - free for parents and carers (10am - 4pm Mon-Fri) Email: info@cafamily.org.uk Offers support for families of disabled or ill children
CRUSE Bereavement Care Youth, Helpline: 0808 808 1677 for 12-18 year olds
Get Connected, Helpline:0808 808 4994 A telephone helpline that finds young people the best help, whatever the problem
Headz Up - Alopecia UK, 5 Titchwell Road, London SW18 3LW Tel: 0208 333 1661 Email: info@alopeciaonline.org.uk Alopecia support for teenagers
Help Adolescents with Cancer (HAWC), 1st Floor Post Office Buildings, 338 Hollinwood Avenue, New Moston, Manchester M40 0JB Tel: 0161 688 6244 Email: niki@hawc.fsnet.co.uk or hawc@btinternet.com Also offer interpreters in Urdu, Punjabi, Spanish, German and Greek
Hope UK, 25(f) Copperfield Street, London SE1 0EN Tel: 020 7928 0848 Email: a.wilson@hopeuk.org encouraging young people to make drug-free choices
Kidscape, 2 Grosvenor Road, London SW1W 0DH Tel: 0207 730 3300 Helpline: 08451 205204 Advice and support for child abuse and bullying
Message Home - 0800 700 740 A confidential Helpline that enables those who have left home or run away to leave a message to pass on to a relative, carer or friend.
Sexwise: Helpline for under 19's: 0800 28 29 30
Young Arthritis Care, 18 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD, Tel: 020 7380 6500 Freephone Helpline: 0808 808 2000 (Mon 4-7pm, Wed-Fri 10-2pm) Email: thesource@arthritiscare.org.uk
Young Minds (Children's mental health charity), 102-108 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5SA Tel: 020 7336 8445 Infoline: 0800 0182138
Youth2Youth - Tel: 020 8896 3675 Telephone, email and online chat helpline run by young people for young people. Open Monday and Thursday evening 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
There are also many links and contacts for specific conditions and diseases - go to information topics
Back to the top of this page
West Midlands Contacts:
Adolescent Unit, Woodbourne Priory Hospital, 21-23 Woodbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 8BY Tel: 0121 429 8661 Email: caroleellis@prioryhealthcare.com We provide mental health treatment for young people aged 13 - 17. The Centre does not treat addictive behaviour such as anorexia.
Aftercare Service, 15 Acorn Grove, Ladywood, Birmingham B1 2PL Tel: 0121 464 1229 After care service for young people of ages 16 to 25 year olds.
Birmingham Chinese Youth Centre, c/o Q Lorc Resource Centre, 99 Bradford Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B12 0NS Tel: 0121 685 8511 Email: bcyc92@hotmail.com
Birmingham Signposting Service, 169 Newhall Street, Birmingham B3 1SW Tel: 0121 212 1727 Freephone: 0808 808 1001 (8am to 8pm Mon-Fri and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays) Email: enquiries@signposting.org.uk an independent helpline, text service and web-chat facility for children and young people (aged 0 - 19 years) across Birmingham helping them to find and access the support and services they need across the city
Birmingham Space, 4th Floor, King Edward Building, 205 Corporation Street, Birmingham B4 6FE Tel: 0800 072 5070 Email: Birminghamspace@barnardos.org.ok Birmingham Space provides support for children and young people under the age of 18 who are vulnerable to or at risk of being abused through sexual exploitation in the Birmingham area.
Birmingham Young Carers Project, Carers Centre, Milton Grange, 16 Handsworth Wood Road, Birmingham B20 2DR Tel: 0121 686 4070 Email: birmingham.youngcarers@nch.org.uk
Birmingham Young Volunteers Association Ltd, 4th Floor Smithfield House, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6BS Tel: 0121 622 2888 Email: enquiry@byvadventurecamps.co.uk
Brook Centres in West Midlands offer free, confidential sex advice and contraception to all young people:
Birmingham, 59 - 65 John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BL Tel: 0121 6435341
Dudley, 31 Priory Street, Dudley DY1 1HA Tel: 01384 239001
Sandwell, Toll End Road, Tipton, West Midlands DT4 0HP Tel: 0121 5571937
West Bromwich, 12 New Street Ringway, West Bromwich B70 7PM Tel: 01384 239001
Connexions, Offers 13-19 year olds all the information and advice they need to make the decisions and choices in their life. This is extended to age 25 if anyone has a learning difficulty or disability:
Birmingham & Solihull, Tel: 0121 248 8000 Connexions Direct: 080 800 13219 (8am - 2am) Email: info@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham East, Tel: 0121 248 8200 Email: yardley-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham North, Tel: 0121 248 8700 Email: erdington-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham North West, Tel: 0121 248 7955 Email: aston-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham North West, Tel: 0121 248 8250 Email: handsworth-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham South, Tel: 0121 248 7177 Email: kingsheath-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Birmingham South West, Tel: 0121 248 8248 Email: northfield-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Coventry & Warwickshire, Tel: 02476 707 400 Email: informationteam@cswpconnexions.org.uk
Dudley, Red House Glass Cone, High Street Corner of Bridge Street, Wordsley DY8 4AZ Tel: 0121 502 7500 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Herefordshire & Worcestershire, 3rd Floor, Virginia House, The Butts, Worcester, WR1 3PA Tel: 01905 332740
Sandwell, c/o Dudley College Training Centre, Station Drive, Dudley Port DY4 7QR Tel: 0121 502 7501 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Shropshire, 1st Floor, Victoria House, Victoria Quay, Shrewsbury SY1 1HH Tel: 01743 284428
Solihull (Chelmsley Wood), Tel: 0121 770 1861 Email: chelmsley-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Solihull, Tel: 0121 251 1800 Email: shirley-enquiry@connexions-bs.co.uk
Staffordshire (website temporarily down), Tel: 0808 1000 434 Email: info@cxstaffs.co.uk
Walsall, Small Street Centre, 1a Small Street, Walsall WS1 3PR Tel: 01922 707865 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Wolverhampton, Dale House, St John's Square, Wolverhampton WV2 4BE Tel: 0121 502 7503 Helpline: 0800 100 1980 Email: feedback@blackcountryconnexions.co.uk
Disabled Children's Register and Information Service, Harris House, 8 St Agnes Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9PW Tel: 0121 449 6375 Set up by Birmingham City Council Social Services Department & Birmingham Health Authority.
Information Shop for Young People, Central Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3HQ Tel: 0121 303 4441 Email: infoshop@birmingham.gov.uk (11-5pm Tues-Fri) Drop in facility for young people aged 11-25 years. Housing, homelessness, benefits, careers, education, sexual health, counselling, emotional health and wellbeing
Kidzfirst (Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire), Tel: 01432 267 584 For young people up to age 19 with a disability
MentorIT ACADEMY (BVYC CiC), 81 Lozells Road, Lozells, Birmingham B18 2TS Tel: 0121 554 5255 or 0121 689 0768 or Mob: 07932953810 Email: Info@bvyp.co.uk Organisation that deals with youths in the Birmingham area.
Oakfield Road Leaving Care Project, Flat 1, 91-95 Oakfield Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12 9PY Tel: 0121 446 4369 Offering support to young people aged 16 to 21 who have left care.
Park Street Young Teenage Parents Unit (Worcester), 19-21 Park Street Worcester WR5 1AD Tel: 01905 354 609 support homeless young teenagers 16-25 and their children up to the age of 4 years old
RISQ (Relationships, Information, Sexuality and Questions for under 20's), 14 Deercote, Hollingswood, Telford TF3 2BH Tel: 01952 200 070
Shropshire Health for Youth, Telford & Wrekin Primary Care NHS Trust, Sexual Health Services, 3rd Floor, Princess House, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1JZ Tel: 01743 283382/3
South Birmingham Young Homeless Project, The Depot, Belton Grove, Longbridge, Birmingham B45 9PE Tel: 0121 453 0606/457 8736
Space West Midlands, 52 Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5TJ Tel/helpline: 0121 321 3737 Email: office@spacewestmidlands.org.uk Focus is young people, offering sexual health education, advice and counselling service for crisis pregnancies and abortion.
Sunrise Child Bereavement Centre (West Midlands), 43a Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TS Tel: 0121 454 1705 (9am-5pm) Email: christine.sunrise@zetnet.co.uk for parents who have lost a child or children who have lost a family member
WALKWAYS (Walsall), Youth Project, 44 Littleton Street West, Walsall WS2 8EN Tel: 01922 615393 Email: info@walkways.org.uk provide counselling, information and support to young people aged from 11 - 25
Walsall Youth Service, 2nd floor, Norwich Union House, 17 Lichfield Street, Walsall WS1 1TU Tel: 01922 650432 Email: morelands@walsall.gov.uk
West Midlands Public Libraries - Information can be found at your local public library.
What? Centre, 23 Coventry Street, Stourbridge DY8 1EP Tel: 01384 379992 Email: thewhatcentre@aol.com A young person's (13-25) advice and counselling service.
Wolverhampton Teenage Pregnancy Unit, Oxley Health Centre, Probert Road, Fordhouses, Wolverhampton WV10 6UF Tel: 01902 445330 Email: Sue.Wheatcroft@wolvespct.nhs.uk or Pat.Robinson@wolvespct.nhs.uk
Worcester YMCA, Henwick Road, Worcester WR2 5NS Tel: 01905 423197 Email: admin2@ymcaworcester.org.uk provides a supportive environment for disadvantaged homeless people including accommodation and leisure facilities
Worcestershire Young Carers, Suite 1, Quillgold House, Hampton Lovett Industrial Estate, Droitwich WR9 0QH Tel: 01905 799691 Fax: 01905 799692
Worcestershire Youth Services, Freephone: 0800 096 1425
WPH Counselling and Education Service (Incorporating Walsall Pregnancy Help), The Haven, 59a Lichfield Street, Walsall WS4 2BX Tel: 01922 649000 Fax: 01922 649322 Email: mail@wphcounselling.org WPH Counselling: Free (professional) counselling for, Depression, anxiety, abuse, self harming, relationships and sexual health education programmes designed for young people. Walsall Pregnancy Help: Free pregnancy testing, pre and post abortion counselling, still birth and loss, sexual health and contraception information.
There are also many links and contacts for specific conditions and diseases - go to information topics
Other Information Sources:
Search the BBC news for latest news
Electronic Medicines Compendium contains Patient Information Leaflets on many medicines
Leaflets and publications for people with learning disabilities or whose first language is not English:
Books Beyond Words - a series of books for adults and adolescents who cannot read or who have difficulty reading, books include information on medical topics, keeping healthy (including Looking after my breasts, Keeping healthy 'down below', Looking after my balls), about the body, bereavement, crime.
Down's Syndrome Scotland has online information on: Let's Talk About Puberty, Let's Talk About Periods,
Elfrida Society - booklets include: Food, Keep Clean, Safety in The Home, Coming for a Drink, Cathy has Thrush, Period Problems, Your Private Parts Pack, Drug Pack
Fair Multimedia - Tel: 0131 662 1962 Booklets - Guide to having a period, Guide to having a smear test, Guide to checking your breasts, Guide to examining your testicles, Guide to having a healthy mouth, Women's guide to keeping clean, Men's guide to keeping clean, Thinking about sex and CD Roms - Guide to checking your breasts, Guide to examining your testicles.
Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities - All about feeling down: A booklet for young people with learning disabilities
Mencap - You and your safety : A basic guide to being safe. Mencap Books The Mencap Shop 123, Golden lane London EC1Y 0RT 020 7608 3254
Medical Dictionary
prevention teeth
Fluoride is a natural element that can be found in many things, like the water we drink and the food we eat. Decades ago, scientists began to notice that children who lived in places where fluoride occurred naturally in the water, had fewer dental cavities.
Fluoride that is absorbed by your body is used by the cells that build your teeth to make stronger enamel. Topical fluoride - fluoride that is applied to the outside of the enamel - makes the crystals that form enamel more durable. Tooth enamel crystals that have fluoride are much more resistant to acid. They are less likely to breakdown and cause the tooth surface to become porous.
If your dentist recommends a fluoride treatment during your next dental visit, you'll be receiving topical protection. The fluoride your dentist puts in your mouth will help make the crystals in your tooth enamel stronger. Always use a toothpaste with fluoride. Look for the Canadian Dental Association seal of approval on the toothpaste tube in your bathroom.
For an experiment on the protective power of Fluoride, check out the Healthy Teeth Dental Experiments Page!
Pit & Fissure Sealants
Floss is BossBrush BasicsWhat's the Best Way to Brush?5 Steps to a Healthy SmileDental X-Rays
Fluoride that is absorbed by your body is used by the cells that build your teeth to make stronger enamel. Topical fluoride - fluoride that is applied to the outside of the enamel - makes the crystals that form enamel more durable. Tooth enamel crystals that have fluoride are much more resistant to acid. They are less likely to breakdown and cause the tooth surface to become porous.
If your dentist recommends a fluoride treatment during your next dental visit, you'll be receiving topical protection. The fluoride your dentist puts in your mouth will help make the crystals in your tooth enamel stronger. Always use a toothpaste with fluoride. Look for the Canadian Dental Association seal of approval on the toothpaste tube in your bathroom.
For an experiment on the protective power of Fluoride, check out the Healthy Teeth Dental Experiments Page!
Pit & Fissure Sealants
Floss is BossBrush BasicsWhat's the Best Way to Brush?5 Steps to a Healthy SmileDental X-Rays
Ghost plane: can teens solve the mystery of the long lost pilot?(extra play)(Play)
From: Know Your World Extra Date: 12/12/2003 Author: Peters, Jennifer L.
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Characters
Narrators 1 and 2: people who tell the story
Robert: an American tourist
Nick and Ally: Robert's teenage children
Das: a 16-year-old boy
Stranger 1 and Stranger 2
Man and Woman
Donna: Nick and Ally's mother
Scene One
Narrator 1: A family of American tourists drives toward the Tinian Hotel and Casino.
Narrator 2: Tinian is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of a chain of 14 tropical islands. Together, they make up the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands are under the protection of the United States.
Robert: And so, kids, on August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off from this island. The plane dropped the atomic bomb on Japan ...
Nick: C'mon, Dad, enough already!
Ally: We've been listening to your history lesson for two hours.
Robert: One day history will excite you.
Narrator 1: The kids groan.
Narrator 2: The family arrives at the resort. Later, Nick and Ally sit by the pool. They order some Cokes from a teen waiter. His name is Das.
Das: Are you enjoying our enchanted island?
Nick: Enchanted?
Das: I should say haunted.
Ally: Huh?
Das: Sometimes, just as night begins to fall, we hear the faint sound of a plane flying low. But no one has ever seen it. We call it the ghost plane.
Nick: Sure. I bet you want to sell me some "ghost plane" T-shirts and stuff, right?
Das: No. In fact, some strangers have been asking the locals about an old, lost plane. They've set up a search area in the jungle.
Scene Two
Narrator 1: A few days later, Nick and Ally overhear people talking quietly in the hotel lobby.
Stranger 1: Amelia Earhart was supposed to land on Howland Island when she disappeared. Tinian would have put her thousands of miles off course.
Stranger 2: I know, but the story seems to add up.
Narrator 2: The two men walk into the casino.
Ally: Amelia Earhart--I've heard of her, but I don't know much about her.
Nick: We have our laptop with us. Let's see what we can find.
Narrator 1: The kids do an Internet search.
Ally: Here you go. Amelia Earhart was one of the first women pilots. In 1932 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Nick: Man, who cares what happened that long ago? Look--all the photos are black and white. How boring!
Ally: No, listen, it's really cool. She was this huge celebrity who disappeared on July 2, 1937. She and her co-pilot, Fred Noonan, were making the first airplane flight around the world. They had almost finished their mission. Most people think their plane ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. But no one knows for sure.
Nick: That must be it! They're searching for Amelia Earhart in the jungle. That ghost plane is hers.
Ally: Let's go find Das!
Scene Three
Narrator 2: Later that day, Nick, Ally, and Das decide to do some snooping of their own.
Narrator 1: Das takes them to a remote part of the island. He leads the teens through dense sugar cane and giant ferns. The kids walk for more than a mile.
Narrator 2: The teens come to a roped-off site. A sign warns people to stay out.
Narrator 1: The teens search for a while.
Ally: Look! What's this? It's some kind of old leather satchel. Yuck, it's covered with dirt.
Nick: There's a plane stitched on it.
Das: You think it could be Amelia Earhart's?
Ally: Looks old enough.
Nick: And it looks like a pilot's bag.
Narrator 2: Das looks up at the sky.
Das: It's getting dark. We need to go.
Narrator 1: The teens hear a plane fly over. They look up and see nothing.
Ally: This place is creepy.
Narrator 2: Two ghost-like shadows appear through the mist. The figures are of a man and a woman dressed in tan clothes.
Nick: It's the pilots! Run!
Man: Stop! Stay right where you are!
Narrator 1: The teens turn around. The man and woman approach them. Ally hides the bag behind her.
Woman: You kids shouldn't be here. You're in a restricted area.
Man: You'll have to come with us.
Scene Four
Narrator 2: The strangers take the teens to a small building at the edge of the jungle. It is set up as an office.
Narrator 1: Old maps and posters of Amelia Earhart fill the walls.
Man: Why are you kids snooping?
Nick: We're looking for Amelia Earhart.
Man: Yeah? You, me, and a few million other people would like to find her, too.
Woman: We're doing serious stuff out there. Amelia Earhart is an icon. The U.S. government spent four million dollars to find her when she went missing.
Man: Having you stirring up the jungle makes our search harder.
Das: We're sorry.
Nick: We didn't mean to mess things up.
Narrator 2: Ally pulls out the bag. Ally: We found this in the jungle. Do you think it could be Amelia's?
Narrator 1: The man takes the satchel. He smiles.
Man: This is something I was hoping to find. Let's make a deal, OK? We'll take you home and you'll stay away from our site.
Nick: Deal.
Narrator 2: The teens breathe a sigh of relief.
Scene Five
Narrator 1: The investigators drive the teens to the hotel.
Ally: Do you think you'll find the pilots or the plane?
Man: We hope so, but we're not counting on it. Many people have thought they'd found evidence of Earhart or her plane over the years. They've all been proven wrong.
Woman: We still don't know if her plane crashed. Some people think that she was a spy that the Japanese captured.
Man: Some think she returned to the United States under a new name.
Woman: It's a mystery for the ages.
Narrator 2: The teens arrive back at the hotel. The man hands the satchel to Ally.
Man: Keep it.
Ally: Don't you want it?
Man: Sure. I wanted it--about a week ago when I lost it. I bought a new bag yesterday.
Ally: Thank you.
Narrator 1: Nick and Ally quickly say their goodbyes to Das. They rush back to their room.
Narrator 2: The room is empty. The teens change into their bed clothes. Nick settles into his cot and turns on the TV.
Narrator 1: Robert and Donna return a few minutes later.
Donna: You couch potatoes. We bring you to a tropical island and you just lie around watching TV all day?
Robert: Tell me you've at least watched a History Channel program and learned something.
Ally: Oh, we learned something all right.
Nick: Sit down, Dad. We've got a history lesson for you for a change! Let me tell you about the ghost plane.
Robert: The ghost plane?
Narrator 2: Nick and Ally smile.
Ally: Well, Dad, it all started back in 1937.
Nick: Yeah, back when the whole world was black and white!
Think About It
What kind of clues might searchers look for to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart?
BEFORE READING
* Introduce Vocabulary: tropical, atomic, faint, casino, satchel, evidence
* Tap Prior Knowledge: Ask: Who was Amelia Earhart? What feat was she trying to accomplish when she died?
* Invite and Check Predictions: Ask: Why is the title of the play "Ghost Plane"? How long ago did Amelia Earhart's plane disappear? Check students' predictions after they have read the play.
NOTES BEHIND THE NEWS
* Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kans. She flew in an airplane for the first time on Dec. 28, 1920. "By the time I had [gotten] two or three hundred feet off the ground," she said, "I knew I had to fly."
* Earhart took her first flying lesson on Jan. 3, 1921. Within six months, she had managed to save enough money to buy her first plane. The secondhand Kinner Airster was a two-seated biplane painted bright yellow. Earhart named the plane Canary and used it to set her first record, flying to an altitude of 14,000 feet.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Amelia Earhart's ill-fated flight began in Oakland, Calif., in late May 1937 and followed a route eastward across the United States, to South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Have students work in groups to research Earhart's route. Have them use a world map or a globe to retrace the flight, making note of the date and location of each stop.
NCTE/IRA Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of reading strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.For permission to reuse this article, contact
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Characters
Narrators 1 and 2: people who tell the story
Robert: an American tourist
Nick and Ally: Robert's teenage children
Das: a 16-year-old boy
Stranger 1 and Stranger 2
Man and Woman
Donna: Nick and Ally's mother
Scene One
Narrator 1: A family of American tourists drives toward the Tinian Hotel and Casino.
Narrator 2: Tinian is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of a chain of 14 tropical islands. Together, they make up the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands are under the protection of the United States.
Robert: And so, kids, on August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off from this island. The plane dropped the atomic bomb on Japan ...
Nick: C'mon, Dad, enough already!
Ally: We've been listening to your history lesson for two hours.
Robert: One day history will excite you.
Narrator 1: The kids groan.
Narrator 2: The family arrives at the resort. Later, Nick and Ally sit by the pool. They order some Cokes from a teen waiter. His name is Das.
Das: Are you enjoying our enchanted island?
Nick: Enchanted?
Das: I should say haunted.
Ally: Huh?
Das: Sometimes, just as night begins to fall, we hear the faint sound of a plane flying low. But no one has ever seen it. We call it the ghost plane.
Nick: Sure. I bet you want to sell me some "ghost plane" T-shirts and stuff, right?
Das: No. In fact, some strangers have been asking the locals about an old, lost plane. They've set up a search area in the jungle.
Scene Two
Narrator 1: A few days later, Nick and Ally overhear people talking quietly in the hotel lobby.
Stranger 1: Amelia Earhart was supposed to land on Howland Island when she disappeared. Tinian would have put her thousands of miles off course.
Stranger 2: I know, but the story seems to add up.
Narrator 2: The two men walk into the casino.
Ally: Amelia Earhart--I've heard of her, but I don't know much about her.
Nick: We have our laptop with us. Let's see what we can find.
Narrator 1: The kids do an Internet search.
Ally: Here you go. Amelia Earhart was one of the first women pilots. In 1932 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Nick: Man, who cares what happened that long ago? Look--all the photos are black and white. How boring!
Ally: No, listen, it's really cool. She was this huge celebrity who disappeared on July 2, 1937. She and her co-pilot, Fred Noonan, were making the first airplane flight around the world. They had almost finished their mission. Most people think their plane ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. But no one knows for sure.
Nick: That must be it! They're searching for Amelia Earhart in the jungle. That ghost plane is hers.
Ally: Let's go find Das!
Scene Three
Narrator 2: Later that day, Nick, Ally, and Das decide to do some snooping of their own.
Narrator 1: Das takes them to a remote part of the island. He leads the teens through dense sugar cane and giant ferns. The kids walk for more than a mile.
Narrator 2: The teens come to a roped-off site. A sign warns people to stay out.
Narrator 1: The teens search for a while.
Ally: Look! What's this? It's some kind of old leather satchel. Yuck, it's covered with dirt.
Nick: There's a plane stitched on it.
Das: You think it could be Amelia Earhart's?
Ally: Looks old enough.
Nick: And it looks like a pilot's bag.
Narrator 2: Das looks up at the sky.
Das: It's getting dark. We need to go.
Narrator 1: The teens hear a plane fly over. They look up and see nothing.
Ally: This place is creepy.
Narrator 2: Two ghost-like shadows appear through the mist. The figures are of a man and a woman dressed in tan clothes.
Nick: It's the pilots! Run!
Man: Stop! Stay right where you are!
Narrator 1: The teens turn around. The man and woman approach them. Ally hides the bag behind her.
Woman: You kids shouldn't be here. You're in a restricted area.
Man: You'll have to come with us.
Scene Four
Narrator 2: The strangers take the teens to a small building at the edge of the jungle. It is set up as an office.
Narrator 1: Old maps and posters of Amelia Earhart fill the walls.
Man: Why are you kids snooping?
Nick: We're looking for Amelia Earhart.
Man: Yeah? You, me, and a few million other people would like to find her, too.
Woman: We're doing serious stuff out there. Amelia Earhart is an icon. The U.S. government spent four million dollars to find her when she went missing.
Man: Having you stirring up the jungle makes our search harder.
Das: We're sorry.
Nick: We didn't mean to mess things up.
Narrator 2: Ally pulls out the bag. Ally: We found this in the jungle. Do you think it could be Amelia's?
Narrator 1: The man takes the satchel. He smiles.
Man: This is something I was hoping to find. Let's make a deal, OK? We'll take you home and you'll stay away from our site.
Nick: Deal.
Narrator 2: The teens breathe a sigh of relief.
Scene Five
Narrator 1: The investigators drive the teens to the hotel.
Ally: Do you think you'll find the pilots or the plane?
Man: We hope so, but we're not counting on it. Many people have thought they'd found evidence of Earhart or her plane over the years. They've all been proven wrong.
Woman: We still don't know if her plane crashed. Some people think that she was a spy that the Japanese captured.
Man: Some think she returned to the United States under a new name.
Woman: It's a mystery for the ages.
Narrator 2: The teens arrive back at the hotel. The man hands the satchel to Ally.
Man: Keep it.
Ally: Don't you want it?
Man: Sure. I wanted it--about a week ago when I lost it. I bought a new bag yesterday.
Ally: Thank you.
Narrator 1: Nick and Ally quickly say their goodbyes to Das. They rush back to their room.
Narrator 2: The room is empty. The teens change into their bed clothes. Nick settles into his cot and turns on the TV.
Narrator 1: Robert and Donna return a few minutes later.
Donna: You couch potatoes. We bring you to a tropical island and you just lie around watching TV all day?
Robert: Tell me you've at least watched a History Channel program and learned something.
Ally: Oh, we learned something all right.
Nick: Sit down, Dad. We've got a history lesson for you for a change! Let me tell you about the ghost plane.
Robert: The ghost plane?
Narrator 2: Nick and Ally smile.
Ally: Well, Dad, it all started back in 1937.
Nick: Yeah, back when the whole world was black and white!
Think About It
What kind of clues might searchers look for to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart?
BEFORE READING
* Introduce Vocabulary: tropical, atomic, faint, casino, satchel, evidence
* Tap Prior Knowledge: Ask: Who was Amelia Earhart? What feat was she trying to accomplish when she died?
* Invite and Check Predictions: Ask: Why is the title of the play "Ghost Plane"? How long ago did Amelia Earhart's plane disappear? Check students' predictions after they have read the play.
NOTES BEHIND THE NEWS
* Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kans. She flew in an airplane for the first time on Dec. 28, 1920. "By the time I had [gotten] two or three hundred feet off the ground," she said, "I knew I had to fly."
* Earhart took her first flying lesson on Jan. 3, 1921. Within six months, she had managed to save enough money to buy her first plane. The secondhand Kinner Airster was a two-seated biplane painted bright yellow. Earhart named the plane Canary and used it to set her first record, flying to an altitude of 14,000 feet.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Amelia Earhart's ill-fated flight began in Oakland, Calif., in late May 1937 and followed a route eastward across the United States, to South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Have students work in groups to research Earhart's route. Have them use a world map or a globe to retrace the flight, making note of the date and location of each stop.
NCTE/IRA Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of reading strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.For permission to reuse this article, contact
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Who are these people? Teens on TV
Who are these people? Teens on TV
As if it’s not difficult enough to get through life, what with surviving parents and younger brothers and sisters, passing exams, getting and keeping friends, looking and behaving in a manner that’s not stupid, now you have to do all of this against the backdrop of the perfect teens you see on TV.
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If plugin = true Then Exit Do
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AdvertisementAppearanceThey never have zits, are all above average looking, never carry one extra kilogram, despite the fact that they are constantly shown munching hamburgers and hardly ever do any exercise. They never have bad hair days, are always dressed in the latest expensive fashions and always manage to look cool even if they’re throwing a tantrum.
They wake up in the morning looking cute, not puffy and grumpy and they never develop a boil on their nose before a big date.
Their familiesThese families fall mainly into two categories: either the laugh-a-minute type or the serious and concerned pillar-of –the-community type, who have serious discussions with their kids about moral issues and things like pollution and sexual choices. The parents, often childhood sweethearts, are always still in love with each other, unless it’s a comedy in which they go for each other’s throats, while the live audience rolls in the aisles. (What’s a dead audience anyway?)
Their brothers and sisters are also cute and sweet, even when they’re being irritating -nothing like the brats that you have to deal with on an ongoing basis. You are convinced your younger siblings were placed on this earth to turn your life into a complete misery. And you somehow always get the blame for what they do wrong, but they don’t listen to you.
Their behaviourTV teens always think of the right thing to say while they are still in the situation, unlike you, who thinks of the perfect comeback three weeks later while clearing out your cupboard. Wit and wisdom roll of their tongues like a waterfall and the word ‘Ummm…’ is never heard.
They never blush. They either have a quick comeback, or they manage to look deeply hurt in such a way that whoever was nasty to them looks like the villain of the piece. They have also all specialised in looking dark and sultry and mysterious and unpredictable. They never sulk, only brood in self-righteous anger. They never slam doors and swear, but they weep in their darkened bedrooms, where their parents come to apologise to them.
Their parents reason with them and never say things like, “You can come down to supper if you’ve stopped sulking”.
Their schoolsTheir teachers mostly bear no resemblance to what you have to look at every day. The teachers mostly care, are remarkably tolerant of rudeness, and often actually care enough to be nasty, to get involved in personal matters of the students and to mark assignments instantly and fairly.
They don’t ever seem to spend a lot of time studying, yet always pass tests, often top of the class. Whatever they turn their hands to, they can do well.
They get chosen for sports teams and school plays, unless their not being chosen is the theme for this week’s sultry brooding session.
Their classmates are always beautiful, varied and interesting, the only exceptions being the really nasty ones. And the nasty ones always get what they deserve. You, on the other hand, are still being bullied by the person who tripped you up in Grade 5.
Their love interestsThere always is one. There’s always someone in whom they are interested, someone who is interested in them, someone they’re just dumping, or have just dumped or been dumped by. In real life, months can pass without any of these things happening.
The love interests are almost always attractive and interesting, but often with a dark and painful secret, which almost, but seldom completely, scuttles the relationship. There is always a third or fourth person lurking, whose main aim in life appears to be to torpedo the budding romance.
And then, there is always the misunderstanding. She sees him with another woman, who turns out to be his sister. Or someone tells him she has the morals of an alley cat, which turn out to be nothing more than jealous spite. But all of this provides the opportunity for much weeping and wailing and general gnashing of teeth.
And have you noticed that they always, even in big cities, happen to run into the person in question.
Their financial statusTheir families always have loads of money. Their furniture always looks brand new – no wear and tear or scuffmarks – and their kitchens always look like something out of an advertising brochure. Their lounges contain every imaginable gadget, but you hardly ever see them watching TV.
They almost always have their own rooms, often their own TVs and telephones.
They often manage to keep a car going on what they earn flipping hamburgers twice a week. Their social lives are hardly ever curtailed by a lack of money and when it is, their parents are always obliging with a loan, which you never see them pay back.
ConclusionIf all of this is making you feel inadequate, relax, you’re in good company. If you have zits, parents who shout at you and are often unreasonable, no transport, a shared bedroom, dragons for teachers and definitely a to-do list as far as your appearance is concerned, take heart in the fact that you at least have a foot in the real world.
Change and growth in your life does not happen in hour-long episodes, but is an ongoing process. And you are also clever enough to know that there are some problems in this world for which there are no easy or immediate solutions. So give yourself a break.
As if it’s not difficult enough to get through life, what with surviving parents and younger brothers and sisters, passing exams, getting and keeping friends, looking and behaving in a manner that’s not stupid, now you have to do all of this against the backdrop of the perfect teens you see on TV.
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dcminversion = 6
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plugin = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & dcmaxversion & "")))
If plugin = true Then Exit Do
dcmaxversion = dcmaxversion - 1
Loop While dcmaxversion >= dcminversion
AdvertisementAppearanceThey never have zits, are all above average looking, never carry one extra kilogram, despite the fact that they are constantly shown munching hamburgers and hardly ever do any exercise. They never have bad hair days, are always dressed in the latest expensive fashions and always manage to look cool even if they’re throwing a tantrum.
They wake up in the morning looking cute, not puffy and grumpy and they never develop a boil on their nose before a big date.
Their familiesThese families fall mainly into two categories: either the laugh-a-minute type or the serious and concerned pillar-of –the-community type, who have serious discussions with their kids about moral issues and things like pollution and sexual choices. The parents, often childhood sweethearts, are always still in love with each other, unless it’s a comedy in which they go for each other’s throats, while the live audience rolls in the aisles. (What’s a dead audience anyway?)
Their brothers and sisters are also cute and sweet, even when they’re being irritating -nothing like the brats that you have to deal with on an ongoing basis. You are convinced your younger siblings were placed on this earth to turn your life into a complete misery. And you somehow always get the blame for what they do wrong, but they don’t listen to you.
Their behaviourTV teens always think of the right thing to say while they are still in the situation, unlike you, who thinks of the perfect comeback three weeks later while clearing out your cupboard. Wit and wisdom roll of their tongues like a waterfall and the word ‘Ummm…’ is never heard.
They never blush. They either have a quick comeback, or they manage to look deeply hurt in such a way that whoever was nasty to them looks like the villain of the piece. They have also all specialised in looking dark and sultry and mysterious and unpredictable. They never sulk, only brood in self-righteous anger. They never slam doors and swear, but they weep in their darkened bedrooms, where their parents come to apologise to them.
Their parents reason with them and never say things like, “You can come down to supper if you’ve stopped sulking”.
Their schoolsTheir teachers mostly bear no resemblance to what you have to look at every day. The teachers mostly care, are remarkably tolerant of rudeness, and often actually care enough to be nasty, to get involved in personal matters of the students and to mark assignments instantly and fairly.
They don’t ever seem to spend a lot of time studying, yet always pass tests, often top of the class. Whatever they turn their hands to, they can do well.
They get chosen for sports teams and school plays, unless their not being chosen is the theme for this week’s sultry brooding session.
Their classmates are always beautiful, varied and interesting, the only exceptions being the really nasty ones. And the nasty ones always get what they deserve. You, on the other hand, are still being bullied by the person who tripped you up in Grade 5.
Their love interestsThere always is one. There’s always someone in whom they are interested, someone who is interested in them, someone they’re just dumping, or have just dumped or been dumped by. In real life, months can pass without any of these things happening.
The love interests are almost always attractive and interesting, but often with a dark and painful secret, which almost, but seldom completely, scuttles the relationship. There is always a third or fourth person lurking, whose main aim in life appears to be to torpedo the budding romance.
And then, there is always the misunderstanding. She sees him with another woman, who turns out to be his sister. Or someone tells him she has the morals of an alley cat, which turn out to be nothing more than jealous spite. But all of this provides the opportunity for much weeping and wailing and general gnashing of teeth.
And have you noticed that they always, even in big cities, happen to run into the person in question.
Their financial statusTheir families always have loads of money. Their furniture always looks brand new – no wear and tear or scuffmarks – and their kitchens always look like something out of an advertising brochure. Their lounges contain every imaginable gadget, but you hardly ever see them watching TV.
They almost always have their own rooms, often their own TVs and telephones.
They often manage to keep a car going on what they earn flipping hamburgers twice a week. Their social lives are hardly ever curtailed by a lack of money and when it is, their parents are always obliging with a loan, which you never see them pay back.
ConclusionIf all of this is making you feel inadequate, relax, you’re in good company. If you have zits, parents who shout at you and are often unreasonable, no transport, a shared bedroom, dragons for teachers and definitely a to-do list as far as your appearance is concerned, take heart in the fact that you at least have a foot in the real world.
Change and growth in your life does not happen in hour-long episodes, but is an ongoing process. And you are also clever enough to know that there are some problems in this world for which there are no easy or immediate solutions. So give yourself a break.
Ten nice things to do on Christmas day
So often we focus on what we expect other people to do for us rather than taking a look at how we can make Christmas more enjoyable for other people.
Phone a family member who is far away and whom you haven’t seen for a while.
AdvertisementInvite someone round who will definitely be spending the day alone.
Offer to help clear up the kitchen after Christmas lunch.
Help to put finishing touches to the Christmas decorations.
Offer to wrap presents.
Get into the hot red suit and play Father Christmas.
Don’t pretend you are too cool to sing Christmas carols.
Entertain your impossible nephew to give the other guests a bit of a breather.
Praise the food, regardless of what it tastes like.
Say thank you nicely for all the gifts you received.
(Susan Erasmus, Health24)
Phone a family member who is far away and whom you haven’t seen for a while.
AdvertisementInvite someone round who will definitely be spending the day alone.
Offer to help clear up the kitchen after Christmas lunch.
Help to put finishing touches to the Christmas decorations.
Offer to wrap presents.
Get into the hot red suit and play Father Christmas.
Don’t pretend you are too cool to sing Christmas carols.
Entertain your impossible nephew to give the other guests a bit of a breather.
Praise the food, regardless of what it tastes like.
Say thank you nicely for all the gifts you received.
(Susan Erasmus, Health24)
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