Why do teenagers give in to peer pressure?

Sometimes we just have to ask ourselves the very same question. Why do we conform to peer pressure? Sure, it sounds scary when we think of our teens being molded by their peer group. But have you thought about how much you are molded by your peers? It's not the peer pressure parents need to be afraid of so much as the negative behaviors the peer group is involved in. If we can change the negative behaviors into positive behaviors, hmmm... that would just make peer pressure pretty darn helpful, wouldn't it?

Related Resources: What to Do When Your Teen Is Being Influenced by Negative Peer Pressure

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Out of Control Teen Daughter, Single Dad Seeks Advice

007Dad on our forum: I am a single parent and my beautiful 15 year old teenage daughter is acting out and I have a good suspicion she is doing drugs or something, but no proof.

I have put her on restriction and she sneaks out, I have tried taking things away and she adapts. Every time we have those father daughter talks, all I get it what she thinks I want to hear.

I have seen snoop software that will record every phone call and text message from her cell phone, and record everything that happens on my computer when I am not home.

I know this sounds a little James Bond. But after hearing about those drug parties that are going on where the kids take drugs from their parents home and put them in a bowl and then they just start taking them, a girl died a couple weeks ago from doing this and this has me extremely concerned. I think the James Bond tactics are more then fair if it saves her life. Please tell me what you think?

Denise's thoughts: While I can understand why you feel the need to get the software, in your case I wouldn't bother. If you think that your daughter is taking drugs and doing things she shouldn't, it's time to act.

Make your rules and the consequences clear. Tell her you are going to start checking up on her, and then do it. Start calling parents of the friends where she says she is going to be and go to the parties and pick her up.

But beyond that, start some preventative action by finding other places for her to be and things for her to do. Activities, sports or a job. Something that takes up her time. Sit down with her and start talking about her future and hand her some dreams about what she can be doing beyond partying this weekend with friends. I always found my teens got very interested when catalogs from technical schools and colleges would come in the mail in their name. Go to the websites and sign her up for some.

Try placing your energy in creating something positive for her, instead of trying to 'catch' her. You're already are sure she is doing things she shouldn't. You don't need to validate that to parent her. Now, if you think she has gone too far and you aren't able to help her past her problems, you can look into Programs for Troubled Teens. Otherwise keep trying.

Asking our community: Do you have some advice to offer this Dad? Has your teen gone out of control? How did you handle it? Please share your experiences, advice and opinions in the comments area.

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Fall Activities for Teens - Week Six

These fall activities for teens can be done individually, with friends or with the whole family. Each week has four different types of teen fall activities: Make This (Recipe), Craft This, Learn How and Get Out and Go! Each activity idea is fun for your teen. Check out week six's fall activities for teens now.

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Money Saving Tips: Redoing Your Teen�s Room? Shop the Yard and Garage Sales!

Teen like being unique and there is no better opportunity to allow them to be so that in their own space, with their own stuff. But obtaining that stuff can be costly! In our home we have offset some of that cost by refurbishing and creating useful things from attic, garage sale or yard sale finds. Think of it this way, a wood lamp can cost you anywhere from $25 to $60 dollars at a furniture store - not including the shade. You can get a workable lamp for $2-$5 at a yard sale and paint it and cover the shade for another $5-$10. That is a $10 to $20 savings and your teen has made something that is unique to themselves.

Suggested Reading:

Follow Our About.com Family's Thrifty Thursday:

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Lame Ducks Will Still Step On Your Toes

This post was borrowed from my blogging friend, Michael Connelly. (www.michaelconnelly.viviti.com)  I give him full credit for the research required to discover what is on the agenda for our representatives when they return from wherever to D.C. following their recess.  Many of them are already calling the dogs and putting water on the camp fire because they know the party is over.  However, they, even the 'lame ducks', can still impact your life, liberty and your joy before they leave and collect their pensions as having been your servant.  Please read and act.  I will take responsibility for the pictures.

“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe, while the legislature is in session.” This is a quote that has been attributed to everyone from Daniel Webster to Mark Twain, but regardless of who first said it, the words have never been more applicable than they are today. The 111^th Congress is about to return from recess, and the year of “tax and spend” will get underway once again.

            It is amazing that the lemmings in Congress seem to be preparing to run off the cliff and drown in the sea by sacrificing their seats in the upcoming election in order to continue to pass the Socialist agenda of President Obama. Americans need to be aware of what will be attempted in the next few months prior to the election and even after that in a lame duck session of Congress.

            Much of this is being kept under the radar by the Obama administration in the hope that American citizens will not know until the deed is done that they are being savaged even more by their government. So here is what the Congress will have before it in the next few weeks.

            1. A new stimulus package to add another $50 billion dollars to the deficit that is already the largest in history. This money is supposed to be used for building and repairing infrastructure such as highways, railroads, etc. It is also supposed to stimulate the economy and create jobs. However, since under the first massive stimulus package unemployment has actually gotten higher, and the economic recovery has ground to a halt, there is no reason that this bill would do anything but increase the deficit.

            In reality, it is not really meant to help the economy. Instead, most of the jobs that would be created would go to members of unions that support the liberals in Congress. This is an unconstitutional use of taxpayer funds to bribe the unions into staying with Obama and the liberals in the upcoming election.

            2. The Bush tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year and that is exactly what Obama wants. If the tax cuts are not renewed it will result in the most massive tax increase in American history. It is rumored that Obama is considering extending the cuts for those making under $250,000 per year so that supposedly it is only the “rich” that will be taxed. The truth is that the vast majority of people in this country that make over that amount are small business owners that create most of the jobs.

            There is already enough uncertainly among small business owners. Large tax increases on them will cause them to stop creating new jobs, and in some cases even go out of business. Unemployment will get even higher.

            3. Another new tax idea being floated by the Obama White House is the so-called “transaction tax.” This tax will initially be a 1% tax on any transactions you make at any financial institutions such as banks and credit unions. If you make a deposit or withdrawal, move money from one account to another, or even take cash from an ATM you will have to pay 1% of each amount to the Federal government. Think about how many such transactions you make a month and you can see how quickly this amount can add up.

            4. Probably the most dangerous action being considered is a cancelling of the tax credit given to American businesses for taxes they pay to foreign governments. Since the United States already has the second highest corporate tax rate in the world, this tax credit is one of the few things that keeps our businesses competitive with businesses in the rest of the world. Now Obama wants to end that. The repeal of this tax credit will be an enormous blow to American businesses while greatly benefiting some of our enemies like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. This is because the oil companies will be among those feeling the greatest impact. Therefore foreign oil companies will have a competitive edge.

            Energy prices in this country will increase across the board with American families probably paying an average of $1500 more per year for things like gasoline and home heating oil. At the same time our dependence on foreign oil will increase even more. 

            5. Finally, there is going to be another major push in the Senate to pass the Disclose Act in order to limit the rights of businesses and independent conservative organizations to participate and influence the upcoming elections.

            Every freedom loving American needs to immediately contact their Senators and Representatives and demand that there be no more laws passed in this session of Congress increasing spending or creating new taxes, that Congress extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone, and that the Senate defeat the “Disclose Act.” In other words, we need to tell these people to leave “our life, liberty, and property” alone.

Michael Connelly

www.michaelconnelly.viviti.com

mrobertc@hotmail.com

franklively.124online.com

Are You Planning Financially For Your Retirement?

"Ethyl, I said plenty of seals, not 

meals."

"We waited too long to get started"

A Financial Planner may be your Best Gift to Yourself!

There are many ways in which you can plan for your financial retirement. The first step in making the right moves is always the step that involves actually creating a plan of action that you can follow as a family. Many people focus too much on the now or too much on the later and have a great deal of difficulty when it comes to creating a happy medium for savings and investing.

Throughout our lives we will have both long and short-term goals that need to be assessed, addressed, and often revisited. Whether you need to find a way to pay for your children to attend college, home improvement projects, or a method for saving for your retirement you can find information and assistance for all these things and so much more if you seek the services of a qualified financial advisor.

A good financial advisor will help you find that balance that so many people and families lack. He or she will also help you assess your means in comparison with your long and short-term needs in order to see where your funds would experience the greatest return in order to suit your specific needs with minimal risk. It is important to remember that going with a financial planner or advisor does not eliminate the risks that are an integral part of investing but it does help you learn to better calculate those risks.

Investing is a risky business. Learning how to weigh the odds and go for the prize is the best way to earn the biggest possible return on your investment no matter how modest your investment may be. We are all starting from different means, isn't it amazing to know that we could all end up with very similar abilities when all is said and done and we are living out our 'golden years'?

Good financial planning is the key to success when it concerns your financial retirement. With so few people around the world adequately prepared to retire it is great to know that there are options and assistance that is available to help you get started on your retirement no matter how late in the game it is. Even better is the knowledge that limits are lifted a little once you reach the age of 50 and retirement is much more eminent. This allows those who got a late start on their retirement planning or who have hit a speed bump or two along the way the opportunity to 'catch up' on their investing and work up to the place they need to be in order to establish a more comfortable retirement for themselves and those they love.

401 (k) plans offer some of the best retirement benefits your money can buy at the moment. They certainly allow you to make the maximum possible investment for your money. If you aren't taking your company up on their offer to match your investment in a 401(k) then you should seriously rethink that thought. Seriously, you're throwing away free money.

When it comes to the murky water of retirement investing it helps to have a guide to get you through. Utilizing the services of a financial planner may be the best move you've ever made in your life when it comes to the financial health of your family and your retirement.

I have been rich and I have been poor and believe me, rich is better and easier. We used a financial planner to put us into some good financial investments and he did. I didn't always understand it, but it seemed to work out to our benefit. The investing I did on my own, more often than not turned out bad. I lost many thousands of dollars to a business partner Mr. L-----, and, I thought, friend. He decided to join an equally dishonest retired military colonial and they got better and bigger financing so they left me and the other investors hanging and unable to complete the program. I didn't know Mr. L----- was such a liar until I caught him in the truth one day.

It was hard for me to believe that a person would do such a thing after I had bailed him out of jail; paid child support for him to keep him out of jail on several occasions; paid to put groceries in his house when he was without and had a son coming home from the hospital; etc., etc., etc., I do not wish him ill, but it was very hard to see several thousands of dollars of investment vanish and then to have him deny that I had loaned him any money for his personal needs. I know God is the Owner of vengeance, but I do hope He will allow me to be an instrument of it.

My financial planner would have advised against me getting involved with anyone like Mr. L-----. A person without morals probably doesn't have any honest codes, but if so, he believes you need to walk in another man's shoes before you judge. That way, he is a mile away and he has the shoes.

I recommend that you immediately get involved in this retirement plan. This is a plan that you can control with safety measures in place to insure that if you continue each month to stay active, you will be able to retire wealthy within 24 months.

Cause Joy!

Play Golf With A Calloway Golf Club

The Callaway golf club is one of the most well-liked and also reliable types of golf club in the market today. There are so many people (particularly retired men and women) that are fascinated with golf today and it is no wonder why the Callaway golf club is now in the peak of success in the world of golf clubs.

The Callaway Golf club is headed by Ely Callaway. He bought half of Hickory Stick USA and renamed it Callaway Hickory Stick USA. After purchasing it, he decided to hire the best people that would be an instrument in sustaining his dream of Callaway golf club. He hired Richard C. Helmstetter to be the Chief Club Designer and this as others would say is the point of no return. The designs for Callaway golf club are truly revolutionary and innovative which is why the Callaway golf club is dubbed as the type of golf club that is unique and also high-performance kind golf equipment. After that, Ely Callaway renamed his company into Callaway Golf and then relocated from Cathedral City, California to a peaceful seaside town called Carlsbad, which is just north of San Diego.

One of the most innovative designs that the firm came up with was to create a stainless steel driver that had a larger and more forgiving head than any previous design. The CEO, Callaway dubbed it as �Big Bertha� which was derived from a German cannon back in WWI which was famous for its capability of shooting lengthy distance range. This type of design was the one that made Callaway golf club a house hold name in the states because it experienced millions of sales and the Big Bertha type of Callaway golf club was the reason why Callaway became the number one manufacturer of golf clubs not only in the US but in the entire world which shows how popular golf is to the whole world.

At present, there are six classifications of the Callaway Golf club. The first classification is the drivers which are comprised of two models which are the Big Bertha Fusion FT4 and Big Bertha Titanium 454. The next classification of Callaway golf club is called the Fairway Woods. Fairway Woods have three types of clubs which are Big Bertha Fusion Fairway Woods, Big Bertha  Fairway Woods, and Big Bertha Fairway Woods. The next classification of the Callaway golf club is a hybrid which is designed for long and distant shots. The model for this type of Callaway golf club is called Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids. The next classification is called irons which are divided into five types of models and these are Big Bertha, Big Bertha Fusion, X-Tour, X-18, and X-18 Pro. Another classification of the Callaway golf club would be the wedges and the model here is called Forged+ Wedges. The last classification for Callaway golf club is called the Putters. The Putters have two models in its classification which are Callaway golf I-Trax Putter and tour Blue.

The classification and models of Callaway Gold Club mentioned above are the ones that the firm manufactures. All of these models were made with the aid of science, research, and practice. All of these models are worth a try and who knows? You might be the next week-end golfer to break 75.

Sounds like a bunch of fun and not just for retired guys.  If you are still working but would like to retire as soon as possible, click here.  If you like what you see and you have about an hour a month, then put yourself on my waiting list and I will get you into the company as soon as a spot opens up.  A powerful concept that can get you on the links or on a boat sooner than later.

Cause Joy!