Team Sports Linked to Increased Happiness, Improved Health

Middle school students who play team sports are happier and healthier than their peers, according to a new study from the University of West Virginia.

• Researchers studied 245 students ages 12 to 14 years old.
• They found that boys were five times more likely and girls 30 times more likely to describe their health as "fair" or "poor" if they did not play team sports.
  
• Those who were on teams reported being more satisfied with their lives and in better health.

The study appears in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.

Good Parents can 'Buffer' Children from Mental Health Challenges

Children who grow up in abusive or unsupportive families have double the risk for depression and anxiety , according to a new study from the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The study also found that strong, supportive parents "buffer" their children from developing mental health problems.

• Lead researcher Diana Smart and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 1000 people ages 23 and 24 years old.
  
• About one in four reported one or more forms of maltreatment as they were growing up. Almost 20 percent experienced either poverty or emotional abuse
• 12 percent had mentally ill parents or parents who were dependent on drugs or alcohol
  
• 3 percent had been neglected

Within this group of children who experienced maltreatment, 30 percent were depressed compared to 12 percent of those with supportive parents. One in four of the maltreated children suffered from anxiety, compared to 14 percent of those who had experienced positive childhoods.

"Children who grow up with supportive parents showed higher levels of personal strengths, social competence, trust and tolerance of others, and an overall trust in authorities like the police or government," said Ms. Smart. "Laying those strong foundations appears to buffer young people from developing mental health problems."

'Lucy Moon' Helps Middle-Schoolers Prepare for Teen Years

Amy Timberlake's book That Girl Lucy Moon is written for middle school students and intended to help them sort through the confusion and disappointment of the pre-teen and early adolescent years. Reading about Lucy's difficult transition to middle school may help them feel like they’re not alone in their struggles.

"Elementary school seemed normal and the kids sane. It was all about realizing potential. But after a few weeks of middle school, the kids [Lucy] knew have become 'cliched characters from a dippy teen movie.' It all seems hormone-driven and alien to Lucy." - Source: Baxter Bulletin (AL)

That Girl Lucy Moos is not only entertaining, but can eye-opening for readers willing to look beyond stereotypes and see some of the humanity in people who aren’t like them.

Does New Facebook Feature Put Your Daughter in Danger?

Facebook recently add an option called "geotagging" that includes a geographic location as part of the status update. It allows people to inform their "friends" exactly where they are when they post photos or updates.

However, as a Sept. 7 article on the Bay Area website Mercury News noted, this information can put young people (and adults, too) at risk:

The idea of geotagging on Facebook, however, caused a stir among parenting and privacy bloggers because Facebook "friends" share so much information about family members and household activity that geotags could ultimately put a combination of dangerous information in the wrong person's hands.

What if a boy in your son’s class posts a Facebook comment about studying afterschool and tags your parent-free home?”]

Geotagging may look like a fun addition to a young person's Facebook feed, but parents need to talk to their daughters (and sons, too) about the security risks. Parents should take some precautions of their own, too, since many adolescents and teenagers fail to appreciate the very real risks that they face on- and off-line.

Don't Underestimate Effects of Non-Physical Abuse in Teen Relationships

When talking about abusive teen relationships, attention is usually focused on physical abuse. But emotional and verbal abuse can be just as damaging.

All too often people excuse verbal and emotional abuse saying that it's nothing, and never address the issue. ... Verbal abuse can leave deep scars that could take years to heal, and sometimes seeking professional help is needed. It can also lead to larger issues such as physical abuse." [Source: Interpersonal Relationship Examiner]

Verbal and emotional abuse can also lead to deep depression and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should be mindful of how their kids are being treated by their significant others. If your daughter's boyfriend is hyper-critical or your son's girlfriend insists on knowing where he is at all times, the relationship could be abusive. Talk to your children, ask questions, and make sure they're being treated properly.

Don't Delay Teaching Daughters Financial Skills

"Money doesn’t grow on trees" is a common phrase, spoken by many parents and heard by many kids. But our kids' financial educations shouldn't end there.

In an article that appeared in the Sept. 2, 2010, edition of The Vancouver Sun, Trent Edwards of Canwest News Service advised parents to take an active role in their children's financial education:

In previous generations, children were expected to earn their spending money through part-time jobs.

But in recent years, the bubble-wrap trend in parenting culture has pushed parents to give their children a leg up in an uber-competitive world by absorbing all of their children’s costs… all of these changes have led young people to believe they’re entitled to all the latest gadgets and fashions ...

Parents may think that their children are learning personal finance skills at school, but Darren Weeks, a personal finance guru from Edmonton, didn't mince words when asked if schools are doing enough to educate teens.

"Not even close," said the founder of the Fast Track To Cash Flow.

"The schools are often seen as a catch-all for education, but parents are the primary educators of their kids when it comes to personal finance," says Janet Sutherland, a spokeswoman for the Calgary Catholic School District. "It's up to parents to reinforce what the kids learn at the schools."

Alcohol Abuse Associated with Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

There is yet another reason for parents to ensure that their daughters don't engage in teen alcohol abuse. Alcohol increases the risk for breast cancer in women, especially certain types of cancer, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

• Dr. Christopher Li and his colleagues went through data on about 3000 women suffering from breast cancer, and classified them as nondrinkers, former drinkers, and current drinkers.
  
• Then they classified the current drinkers by level of intake, starting from less than one drink a week to more than two drinks a day.
• Drinkers had twice the risk for lobular cancer, but the same risk for the most common kind or ductal breast cancer. Alcohol use also increased the risk of cancer related to hormones.

The study appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Teens Not Thrilled at Thought of 'Friending' Mom & Dad

Thirty percent of teenagers do not want online friendships with their parents, especially their mothers, according to a new survey from the Nielsen Company commissioned by AOL.

• The survey found that although 76% of parents whose children have profiles on Facebook are "friends" with their child, almost one-third would prefer to drop their parents as online connections.
  
• Twice as many teens would drop their mothers over their fathers, given a choice.
  
• The survey also found that 54% do not know personally many of their online "friends."