Parenting Daily

If I haven’t mentioned it before now, I’m kind of a pop culture/celeb news/gossip site hound. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of at my age, but I’m also not anxious to banish it from my life. It’s a fun vice and so, for the moment, I’m okay with my addiction. At any rate, the younger sister of pop star/occasional train wreck Britney Spears, Jamie Lynn Spears is apparently starting to plan her wedding. The 17-year-old was previously star of the hit Nickelodeon tween/teen sitcom, Zoey 101. She announced her pregnancy by her also teenaged boyfriend, Casey Aldridge, earlier this year. In June, she gave birth to baby girl Maddie Briann Aldridge. Several months ago, while still pregnant, she and Casey had gotten engaged, Ms. Spears obtained her GED, and purchased a new home in Mississippi. In my parents’ generation, Ms. Spears either would have immediately married her beau upon finding out she was pregnant, or she would have been hidden away until the baby issue was resolved, one way or another. But in this day and age, it’s not as scandalous. Which leads me to wonder: are they even doing the right thing by getting married? They’re so young! I’m really divided on this. I hope they are truly in love and that they can make the marriage work and raise their daughter with all the love and support and security she deserves. But I know how much I, personally, changed from 17 to just 22, let alone to 27, to 32, etc. You get my point. Now tell me your opinions.  

If you have a television, you’ve no doubt noticed the ads in the past few years about parents taking control of their children’s television viewing habits… or, at least, informing us that we have tools available to help us do that. When they’re younger, this seems easier to do. Their interests are pretty limited and you’re buying everything they use, you’re usually around when they’re watching television and movies, and you’re usually there to hear the music, as well. But the older they get, the more independent they are, and the more “media” items they may have access to on their own—TVs and stereos in their bedrooms, they can go to friends’ homes, they may have the money to buy their own cds, dvds, games, etc. I’ve posted before that I think most, if not all, reading materials do not need to be censored (in my opinion, folks! Do what you like!), nor does musical preferences. But there’s ongoing speculation that viewing violence on TV, in movies, and playing certain video games can lead to a detachment, unreality, and a host of things that aren’t good for anyone, let alone teens whose brains are, yes, still forming and maturing! Commonsensemedia.org is a fabulous site for keeping up with what your kids are watching, playing, listening to, and yes, even reading. It includes parent reviews, news headlines, and other tips that parents with any minor children should check out.

Working at the movie theater was one of those jobs in high school that I thought would be horrible. Who would want to clean up all the popcorn and take care of those sticky floors, I thought. I always chose retail jobs, feeling somehow above my peers who had to work with any sort of food (don’t worry, karma got its revenge in many a food job in college!). Now that I’m older, working in a movie theater sounds like one of those great, classic teen jobs that maybe I should have tried. Pass on the word to your teens: AMC Theatres, with locations across the country, are hiring. Some jobs do have a minimum age requirement of 18 (i.e., the jobs where you would have to handle any alcoholic beverages—though I’ve yet to experience one of the theaters with *those* privileges!), but many start at age 16. Concessionists, ushers, cashiers, and runners are all good positions to try for a first job at AMC Theatres. The website allows you to search for jobs, find out more about the available positions, and even apply online. The best benefit, in my opinion: free movie vouchers! Too fun!  

A bizarre twist on the phenomenon of adult women interacting inappropriately with teens comes out of the Seattle, Washington area. A 30 year old woman, Lorelei Corpuz, posed for over a year as a 17-year-old orphaned teen boy! While in her 17-year-old disguise, she met a 15-year-old girl at a local mall and eventually moved in with the girl and her family. Without getting into details, which you can see here if you so choose, the girl and Ms. Corpuz had a relationship, including physical abuse of the 15-year-old girl. The girl believed Lorelei to be a male and admitted to police she had feelings for “him” until she found out he was actually a woman. Ms. Corpuz later pled guilty to a single count of third-degree child molestation, served time in jail, and was released. As of Monday, however, Corpuz, now 31, is back behind bars for violating her parole by being in contact with minors again. I’d like to say obvious things like: Don’t let strangers move into your home, don’t leave teens of the opposite sex alone, etc…. but this is just so bizarre, I’m not sure anyone could have seen this one coming. Just be careful, parents.

90210—if you haven’t heard by now, the outrageously popular teen drama hit of the 90s, Beverly Hills, 90210, is being recycled into a new version. 90210, set to premiere on the CW channel on September 2, looks to rival the CW’s other hit teen drama, “Gossip Girl.” If you haven’t seen previews, let me tell you they seem to be missing that element of fun that I remember from watching the original series. Sure, there was plenty of scandal on the original series, too, but the opening was a bunch of teens having fun and looking like they belong in high school. And the previews could be misleading but, thus far, it looks like a soap opera full of 20-somethings.Come to think of it, so does “Gossip Girl”. Hmmm… at any rate, for more information on a series your teen may be checking out, look here.

Today, I have an exciting job for outdoors adventure lovers. Trust me, if I was a lot younger and didn’t have any responsibilities, I’d be all over this job. Alaska Travel Adventures, headquartered in Juneau, AK, is looking for whitewater rafting river tour guides! Okay, Moms and Dads, if just reading this is giving you a heart attack, I understand. But if you have a teen who loves adventure and risk-taking anyway, why not funnel it into something productive? They’ll even be paid to use up all that excess adrenaline! The job runs through the end of September, they offer training (doesn’t that set your mind at ease?), an end-of-season bonus, and travel and housing assistance. Seriously, think it over! There’s also an online job application, so check it out.

Are you involved in your school or region’s PTA? Some parents think PTA is only for younger grades. In some cases, that’s true—PTA may drop off a bit when students hit high school. At that point, teens are pretty good at running the student council and use a lot of teacher sponsors for activities. I do encourage parent involvement in their children’s schools, no matter their age or grade. Go to the open houses, get their phone numbers and email addresses, take advantage of online systems that let you check your child’s homework, grades, attendance, and discipline records. I also like the pta.org website. While browsing the site today, I came across this great article on incorporating all ages of kids into a visit to the museum. So often, it seems children’s interests are so varied, it can be difficult for parents of children with different age ranges to find an activity that works for everyone. I hadn’t thought of the museum as being a good choice, but check out the article for yourself. And tell me, are you still involved in PTA even though your child is a teen?

Continuing the sickening trend of female authority figures having inappropriate relations with those they’re supposed to be taking care of… out of Ohio comes the case of 25-year-old Carolyn Hatcher. She was working as a House Mother in a foster care facility and seduced a 16-year-old boy. She is now approximately 10 weeks pregnant. She’s also married and also a teacher. Seriously, I can’t understand this. Unless you’ve lived without a television set since the days of Mary Kay Letourneau, circa 1996, how can you possibly think you’re going to get away with such behavior? It’s like those “Dateline: Predator” specials where dozens of guys drive hours to see an alleged minor, with the intention of having sex, drinking, watching porn, etc. and then they’re surprised when they’re arrested. HOW?? There have to be some safeguards enacted. Anyone have any ideas?

Hello, All!

Very sorry for my absence from the blog the past few days. I was sidelined by a very nasty virus that (I think) is just starting to break now. Hopefully I stocked you up with enough posts before my absence that you haven’t been longing terribly for ParentingDaily.

But I will be back shortly!

Until then, go do something fun with your teen or for your teen!

Sparknotes. Remember the yellow and black study guides we all used to buy when we either a) didn’t want to read one of our assigned Eng/List books or b) needed to have someone interpret Shakespeare for us? Well, I’m sure they still exist, even though I can’t for the life of me remember what they’re called. But now that it’s the twenty-first century and we’re online, so are the study guides! Meet, SparkNotes. Online study guides. Free membership account. And it’s from Barnes and Noble. So, it’s a brand name you’re already familiar with, you know the information is going to be responsible and trustworthy, and there’s probably a way to buy stuff from bn.com when/if you need to supplement the free materials. I also find the website to be far more attractive than the black & yellow stripes that always reminded me of a scary road sign!