Learn more about the Hot Buttons you need to be discussing with your teens
Don't miss Nicole O'Dell's
live author chat tonight!
live author chat tonight!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
8 PM EDT/7 PM CDT/6 PM CDT/5 PM PDT
In the meantime, here's an interview
with Nicole O’Dell,
with Nicole O’Dell,
Author of Hot Buttons
All parents were teenagers once, but with each generation
there are new challenges that teens face, at least in a different way than
their parents did. This has never been truer than today with the influences of
social networking and a constant connection to the internet and media. It’s
more important than ever for parents to be proactive in talking to their teens
about hot-button issues such as the internet, dating, sexuality and drugs. As a
resource to help parents have those difficult conversations with their
children, Nicole O’Dell, author and popular radio host, has launched an
innovative, proactive strategy parents can use to prepare their teens for
difficult decisions with the release of the Hot Buttons book series.

Definitely.
I was searching for ways to lead my
children to make good decisions and decided it would be far better to talk to
them proactively about issues they would one day face, than it would be to wait
until they were buried under poor choices. I believed it would be easier to
control the way they perceived the information and easier to help them see and
understand the consequences of poor decisions if they could look at it
objectively, without the added stress of peer pressure and other outside
influences. This relaxed and safe way of approaching the issues has been
invaluable in preparing my own kids for the pressure they’d soon face,
and the added benefit of open and honest discussion has brought us closer
together.
Q: How do you decide the right age to discuss these hot
buttons with your child? Should you talk about all of these issues about the
same time, or do some come earlier than others?

I knew that if I had any hope of
being as proactive as I wanted to be, I’d have to be willing to talk about the
hard things like sex, drugs, alcohol, suicide, bullying, modesty, pornography,
and more, perhaps even before they actually knew what those things were. No
subject could be off-limits and nothing could be ignored.
With that as a goal, conversations
are always happening. Parents don’t need to wait until the issue comes up. In fact, it’s better if they
don’t. No, not everything needs to be covered at once, but something should
always be on the table. Shine the light and crowd out the darkness.
Q: What is an appropriate age for teens to start dating? Are
there any variables to be considered?

Q: How early do parents need to be talking to their
children about sexuality?
2? 3? Honestly, sexuality and issues
related to it should be on parents' minds from the time their kids are
toddlers. Hanging back and waiting for the all-important sex talk as the
launching point misses very important opportunities to develop self-awareness
in kids. They need to be pointed toward a healthy marriage from a very early
age so they have their sights set fully on what God has for them--even if they
can't put it into words yet. Modeling a godly lifestyle, answering questions,
and having intentional, age-appropriate conversations from the very beginning are
vital. By the time kids are ten, you can be sure they've started to grasp
some of the finer points of sex and their own sexuality. This is when deeper
and more specific conversations should be tackled.
Q: What signs should parents watch for if they suspect
their teen of using drugs?
From Hot Buttons: Drug Edition
They can be sudden, glaring changes
that scream for your help, or they can be subtle trends that creep in slowly
like a sinister fog. If you’re not observant, the fog will overtake your teen.
Specific emotional changes that can
signal drug use include:
- Irritability
- Aggressiveness
- Mood or attitude changes
- Depression
- Excitability
- Restlessness
- Drastic mood swings
Behavioral changes might include:
- Lack of care for personal hygiene
- Major shift in personal style, such as clothing and hair
- Weight loss or gain
- Drowsiness or sluggishness
- Bloodshot, watery, or glazed eyes
- Clumsiness
- Drop in grades
- Lack of focus
- New group of friends; cutting ties with old friends
- Lying or making excuses
- Stealing
- Breaking curfew
- Withdrawal from the family or activities
- Verbal or physical abuse toward others
And spiritual alarm bells might
include:
- Pulling away from church or youth group
- Avoiding prayer or other spiritual connections
- Expressing doubt or disbelief
Q: How closely should parents monitor their children’s
online activities? What are some of the things parents can do to keep their
children safe?
It’s not necessarily their fault when
they stumble onto something risky. So it’s our job as parents to protect our
kids. I have a few rules in my house that exist no matter what—even with the
most trustworthy kids. It doesn’t really matter how much you trust them because
when entering the WWW, they are exposed to an entire world of people and things
that they don’t know how to avoid or why they should.
1. Parental controls on computers to protect from dangerous
websites that open the door to dangerous things like pornography and
connections with strangers.
2. Time limits on computer use.
3. Internet access only in public areas of the home.
4. Access via a shared password to every account a teen has
(email, social media, etc.)
Q: Honestly, if parents don’t talk to their teens about the
difficult topics such as dating and sex, where do they expect their teens to
get information in order to make good decisions?
Sadly, I see a lot of parents who are
clearly just hoping to make it through the teen years. Their hands-off approach
leaves a teenager to wade through the doubt, confusion, peer pressure, and
temptation all alone. And no teenager is equipped to do that in a healthy way.
Without Mom and Dad taking charge, friends, the media, and anything else with a
voice will take over.
Q: Why is it so important for parents to talk to pre-teens
and teenagers about choices?
If I look at all to the major struggles
I’ve had in my life, troubles I’ve caused, mistakes I’ve made…they can all be
traced back to a moment of choice. Do it, or don’t? At that moment, when a
decision is made, it sets a pattern of activity into action and you can’t go
back to the moment before that choice—big or small—was made.
Thankfully, we serve a big God who is
in the business of forgiveness and restoration. Even though it would obviously
be better to have made the right choices in the beginning, when we do make
mistakes, He’ll pick up the pieces and put our messes back together.
And, while ultimately it's a simple
process because God's already done the work, it doesn't come naturally to human
beings to deny self gratification and choose the right path. And when mistakes
are made, it's not always easy accept grace and forgiveness. So, the goal is
that we, as parents, will teach our kids about that process before the choices
are presented.
Learn more about Nicole O’Dell and her books and Choose NOW
podcasts at www.nicoleodell.com. She has special
sections set up for both teens and parents. Readers can also keep up with her
via Facebook and Twitter.
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